The Question That Changed the Game
Why Productivity Suffers When Leaders Try to Do the Right Thing in the Wrong Way
Most organizations aren’t less productive because people are lazy or not giving it their all.
The real problem is that people are working really hard, but often on things that don’t make a big difference.
Calendars are jammed. Teams are buzzing. Work flies by. Still, with all that hustle, making progress feels tougher; everyone is more drained, and the payoff just doesn’t add up. That gap isn’t about motivation or talent, and it’s not just a time issue either.
It’s really a focus problem dressed up as a productivity issue.
Being truly productive isn’t about squeezing more tasks into your day. It’s about using your time, energy, and focus on work that actually counts. When leaders ask the wrong questions, even the hardest work turns into expensive busywork.
That’s how organizations can rush ahead—yet somehow fall behind at the same time.
Why Productivity Breaks Down Under Pressure
When things get stressful, our brains crave speed over accuracy. Science shows that stress makes us focus too narrowly and nudges us to act fast—even if we’re missing the big picture. The answers we already know feel safer than slowing down to reflect. And just moving forward can feel like progress, even when it isn’t.
This is where we fall into the trap of false productivity.
So what does false productivity actually look like?
- Faster execution without clearer outcomes
- More initiatives without fewer priorities
- More tools without better decisions
- More effort without more impact
Nothing else is really broken; it’s just the question we’re asking that needs a fix.
Productivity doesn’t fall apart because leaders stop to catch their breath. It falls apart because they don’t pause to check if what they’re working on actually matters.
PepsiCo: When Productivity Meant Redefining the Game
For years, PepsiCo asked a question common to high-performing consumer brands.
The original focus:
“How do we sell more soda and snacks?”
That question helped PepsiCo grow fast and dominate the market for years, until the world changed around them.
When people started caring more about health, transparency, and sustainability, just selling more snacks and soda stopped working. PepsiCo wasn’t falling behind; it was actually working too hard on an old way of thinking.
Leadership reframed the question.
The reframed question:
“How do we build a portfolio that fits how people want to eat and drink, both now and in the future?”
That one change completely transformed what productivity meant at PepsiCo.
Suddenly, productivity wasn’t just about selling the most or delivering the fastest. It was about building a mix of products that mattered, staying relevant, and creating real value for customers. PepsiCo started investing in healthier snacks, functional drinks, portion control, and a wider lineup of brands.
The pace didn’t slow down; it just got a lot more focused.
By taking a moment to ask a better question, PepsiCo saved itself from pouring time, money, and energy into a model that no longer worked. That quick pause actually made the company more productive in the long run.
Netflix: Productivity Beyond Efficiency
Netflix didn’t lose its edge by failing to get things done. It almost lost out by doing things too well—just the wrong things.
The original focus:
“How do we mail DVDs faster and cheaper than anyone else?”
That question made Netflix a machine, shipping DVDs faster and cheaper than anyone else.
But before the market forced their hand, Netflix’s leaders started asking a whole new question.
The reframed question:
“How will people want to access entertainment in the future?”
That new question moved Netflix beyond just being efficient. Suddenly, it was about making entertainment easy to access, personalized, and always evolving. Streaming, customization, and eventually creating their own shows became the focus.
Netflix didn’t abandon productivity, they just redefined what it meant.
Success stopped being about moving DVDs and started being about delivering real value as the world changed.
Apple: Productivity Through Human Experience
Apple once asked a very reasonable question.
The original focus:
“How do we build better computers?”
Just making faster computers didn’t set Apple apart. Better hardware and tiny upgrades stopped having the same impact.
The shift happened when leadership reframed the problem.
The reframed question:
“How do people want technology to fit into their lives, and make things easier or more fun?”
That question turned Apple’s focus from just building features to creating amazing experiences for real people. Suddenly, design, simplicity, how everything worked together, and ease of use became what mattered most.
The iPod wasn’t just another gadget. It completely changed how we discover and listen to music.
The iPhone wasn’t just a phone; it totally reimagined daily life.
Apple got ahead by making sure its hard work matched what people really cared about and valued.
Adobe: Productivity Through Continuous Value
Adobe ran into a classic productivity trap.
The original focus:
“How do we sell more boxed software licenses?”
That question made money in the short run, but over time, things got shaky. Piracy went up, upgrades slowed down, and relationships with customers faded.
Leadership reframed the question.
The reframed question:
“How do we deliver continuous value to creative professionals?”
This shift made Adobe focus less on just selling and more on building real relationships. Subscriptions took over from licenses, updates came all the time, and the goal became keeping customers happy for the long haul.
The transition wasn’t easy; things slowed down for a bit. But over time, productivity soared because Adobe started focusing on how customers actually created value.
Microsoft: Productivity Without Control
Microsoft used to believe productivity meant keeping everyone on one platform.
The original focus:
“How do we protect Windows as the center of computing?”
That defensive mindset held Microsoft back as the world moved to the cloud, mobile, and cross-platform work.
Satya Nadella reframed the problem.
The reframed question:
“How do we help people and organizations be productive anywhere, on any platform?”
That one shift opened the door to cloud services, open ecosystems, and tools like Azure and Teams. Productivity grew because Microsoft stopped trying to control everything and started helping people get things done, wherever they were.
Letting go made Microsoft matter again.
A Government Example That Proves the Same Point
In a long-running national initiative, years of effort failed to produce meaningful progress. The work was thorough, logical, and well-funded. What changed wasn’t the execution. It was the perspective. Instead of asking what actions to take next, leaders asked what demands the organization would face decades into the future and worked backward. That future-back framing clarified which current priorities actually mattered.
The shift replaced prescriptive solutions with outcome-based strategic needs. Implementers gained flexibility. Effort became adaptive instead of rigid. Productivity improved because teams stopped investing energy in work that wouldn’t matter long-term.
The Pattern Behind Every Productivity Shift
Across industries and sectors, the pattern is consistent.
- The original question optimized past success
- The reframed question clarified future value
- Productivity improved when effort was realigned with reality
This is why productivity cannot be separated from leadership, decision quality, and focus. Speed amplifies direction. If the direction is wrong, the speed increases the waste.
Why Slowing Down Improves Productivity
And Why High Performers Resist It Reframing the question will slow execution slightly.
That slowdown exists for all the right reasons:
- To surface assumptions before resources are committed
- To stop productivity leakage caused by misaligned effort
- To prevent teams from scaling work that no longer creates value
In the end, you reach your goal faster because you stop wasting energy. A high-performance race car that skips the pit stop may look productive in the moment. It is also unlikely to finish the race. Productivity is not about being the fastest right now. It’s about winning the game.
The Reset Mindset as a Productivity Framework
In The Reset Mindset, I describe productivity as a leadership outcome and actually a byproduct of the mindset. Productivity itself isn’t the focal point.
The Reset Mindset is the discipline of stepping back, getting perspective, and realigning before urgency turns into expensive momentum. It protects productivity by keeping effort aligned with value as conditions change.
In complex, AI-accelerated environments, productivity depends less on doing more and more and more on deciding better.
Reset moments are the pit stops that keep performance sustainable.
How to Recognize When You’re Off Course
One of the hardest parts of productivity isn’t execution.
It’s noticing misdirection early enough to correct it before time, energy, and credibility are already spent.
PennyAI is built on years of coaching and direct business experience. It’s designed to reflect how this kind of thinking is actually practiced in leadership rooms, not generic productivity advice. It helps you think the way high-performing leaders do when they step back to reassess direction before accelerating.
Use PennyAI as a sounding partner to:
· Surface the assumptions quietly shaping your decisions
· Test whether effort is aligned with the real, current value
· Pressure-check thinking before momentum locks you into the wrong path
· See root causes and downstream consequences that are easy to miss in the moment
Instead of reacting faster, PennyAI helps you pause with purpose. It slows you down just enough to regain clarity, so productivity is driven by focus, alignment, and better decisions, not urgency or habit.
Affiliate disclosure: This link is an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to use it, at no additional cost to you.
Productivity Isn’t About Speed
It’s About Alignment
Organizations don’t lose productivity because they pause.
They lose productivity because they never pause long enough to question what they’re aiming at.
The right problem approached with the wrong question creates motion without progress. A small, intentional slowdown at the right moment prevents massive waste later.
That’s not lost productivity.
That’s productivity done right.
About the author:
Penny Zenker, The Focusologist, is an international keynote speaker, 2x best-selling, award-winning author, and top podcast host. A former tech entrepreneur and turnaround specialist, she helps leaders and organizations navigate complexity through focus, adaptability, and human-centered performance.
Ask me anything for FREE for 7 days on Fuel.io
(Affiliate disclosure: This link is an affiliate link. If you choose to explore it, you may earn a small commission. It doesn’t affect your cost and helps support free educational content.)
Cluster FAQs
1. Why do productive teams still struggle to make progress?
Because productivity is often measured in terms of activity rather than value. Teams can move fast while solving the wrong problem. When effort is misaligned with what actually matters, productivity leaks even as output increases. The full guide explains how reframing the question restores productive focus.
2. How does asking the wrong question hurt productivity?
The wrong question directs effort toward outdated assumptions. Execution accelerates, but impact declines. Over time, this creates false productivity where teams are busy without moving closer to meaningful outcomes. The complete resource shows how leaders catch this early.
3. What is false productivity in leadership?
False productivity is motion without progress. It looks efficient but produces low-value outcomes. It often shows up under pressure when speed replaces perspective. The full guide explains how leaders distinguish real productivity from wasted effort.
4. Why did PepsiCo need to rethink productivity?
Because selling more volume stopped creating long-term value. By shifting the focus to portfolio relevance, PepsiCo redirected productivity toward future-fit outcomes rather than short-term execution. The full guide explains how this reframing protected performance.
5. How did Netflix improve productivity by slowing down?
Netflix slowed down long enough to question whether DVD efficiency still mattered. That pause redirected productivity toward streaming, personalization, and content. The full guide shows why this alignment mattered more than speed.
6. What does productivity mean in complex environments?
Productivity means aligning time, energy, and attention with value as conditions change. It’s less about output per hour and more about decision quality. The full guide explains why this shift is critical today.
7. Why does speed often reduce productivity?
Speed amplifies direction. When the direction is wrong, the speed increases the waste. Leaders who pause to reframe priorities improve productivity by preventing misaligned execution. The complete resource explores this trade-off.
8. How did Apple redefine productivity through experience?
Apple shifted productivity from building better hardware to creating better human experiences. That reframing redirected effort toward design, simplicity, and ecosystems. The full guide explains how this created leverage across industries.
9. What role does decision quality play in productivity?
Decision quality determines where effort goes. Poorly framed decisions waste time and energy. High-quality decisions protect productivity by aligning execution with value. The full guide connects this directly to leadership behavior.
10. Why is productivity a leadership issue, not a time-management issue?
Leaders shape priorities, focus, and assumptions. When leaders ask better questions, teams naturally become more productive. The complete resource explains why productivity starts at the top.
11. How did Adobe increase productivity by changing its business model?
Adobe shifted from selling licenses to delivering continuous value. This reframing redirected productivity toward customer outcomes and recurring relationships. The full guide explains why this improved long-term performance.
12. What is a productive pause?
A productive pause is a brief slowdown to reassess alignment before accelerating execution. It prevents wasted effort and restores clarity. The full guide explains how leaders use these pauses without losing momentum.
13. Why do high performers resist slowing down?
Because speed feels like competence under pressure. In reality, refusal to pause often leads to burnout and misaligned productivity. The full guide explains how leaders overcome this bias.
14. How does the Reset Mindset improve productivity?
The Reset Mindset helps leaders step back, get perspective, and realign effort before urgency creates waste. It keeps productivity aligned with value as conditions change. The full guide explains how this becomes a habit.
15. How can Penny AI help leaders protect productivity?
Penny AI helps leaders surface assumptions, detect misdirection, and explore unintended consequences before committing resources. It supports productive focus by improving decision quality. The full guide explains how to use it as a sounding partner.
Quote Bank
- Productivity isn’t about moving faster. It’s about moving in the right direction.
- Speed amplifies effort. Alignment determines whether that effort matters.
- False productivity feels busy and delivers little.
- The wrong question can drain productivity faster than poor execution.
- High-performing teams pause not to slow down, but to avoid wasting momentum.
- Productivity leaks when effort outpaces clarity.
- Leaders don’t create productivity by pushing harder. They create it by focusing better.
- A short pause at the right moment prevents long-term waste.
- Productivity is a leadership outcome, not a personal efficiency trick.
- When the question changes, productivity follows.
- Motion without direction is the most expensive form of work
- Sustainable productivity comes from decision quality, not urgency.
- Busy teams aren’t always productive teams.
- The fastest way to lose productivity is to optimize the past.
- Productivity improves when effort aligns with what will still matter tomorrow.
