My first local TV job, I showed up in khakis and a blue blazer. That was the uniform. That's what I thought a reporter was supposed to look like. And I had the voice too. You know the one. The fake reporter voice that sounds like nobody you've ever met at a barbecue.

Four weeks into the trial, they let me go.

I wasn't lazy. I was working hard. I was just working hard at being what I thought success looked like, and I'd stopped noticing I was doing it. That's autopilot. And I've caught myself on it plenty of times since, way after I took the blazer off.

How do you stop living on autopilot at work?

The short answer: You stop living on autopilot at work by noticing it first. Skip the five year plan. Look at your last 30 days and ask yourself one honest question: based on how I showed up this month, would they rehire me? Then pick one thing to do on purpose today. For a team, the leader goes first, out loud.

What does autopilot at work actually look like?

Most people picture autopilot as somebody coasting. Camera off, counting down to Friday. Sometimes, sure. But in my experience the folks on autopilot are usually the busiest people in the building.

They're in every meeting because it's on the calendar. They send the same update the same way every week. They say yes to the project because they've always said yes. They're good at the job, and that's kind of the problem. I wrote this line in Stop Living on Autopilot and I still need to hear it: just because you're good at something doesn't mean you're supposed to be doing it.

And the modern workday makes autopilot pretty easy. Microsoft's Work Trend Index found that people are interrupted every two minutes during core work hours, 275 times a day, by meetings, emails, or chats. At that pace you're not choosing much. You're reacting to whatever pings next.

Why should leaders and HR care about autopilot?

Because autopilot doesn't show up on a performance review. It shows up as a team that's fine. Hitting most of the numbers. Not bringing anything new.

Gallup reports that as of May 2026, 31% of U.S. employees are engaged and 17% are actively disengaged. Do the math and about half the workforce is somewhere in the middle. Showing up. Doing the job. Not all the way there. That middle group is who I'm talking about, and to be clear, I've been in that middle group myself.

Those are good people. They just need a reason to wake up to their own work again.

How do you use your last 30 days to get off autopilot?

I like 30 days because big plans paralyze people. Ask somebody where they want to be in five years and they freeze. Look at your past thirty days and there you are. No story, no spin. Just the receipts.

I do this myself, and it's the same way I run it with rooms.

1. Ask the rehire question. Based on your last 30 days, would they rehire you? Your boss, your team, your customers. Answer it fast and don't clean it up. The messy answer is usually the right one.

2. Find your uniform. What are you doing because it looks like success, not because it's working? For me it was a blazer and a voice. For you it might be the meeting you run on autopilot or the inbox you treat like it's the job.

3. Ask what you've stopped noticing. What do you know that you've stopped noticing? Every team has a smart idea, a frustrated customer, or a talented person sitting right there that everybody walks past.

4. Put something on the calendar. Start learning something again, set a date that makes you a little nervous, and keep track of it. If it isn't on the calendar, it's a wish.

5. Make today count. This is where The 1-Day Method comes in. One question each morning: what will make today matter? Then three priorities, max. Thirty days gets you honest. One day at a time is how you actually change it. Both books are on my books page if you want to go deeper.

What can a leader do to get a whole team off autopilot?

Go first. I mean it. If you stand in front of your team and ask them to stop coasting, they'll nod and keep coasting. If you tell them where you've been on autopilot this quarter, the room changes. People will tell the truth once somebody with a title does it first.

Then make it a team question. Put the rehire question on the agenda for your next meeting. Ask everybody to name one thing they'll do on purpose in the next 30 days. And close the meeting by asking who did something worth noticing. Autopilot hates being noticed.

If you want a simple structure for the month after, I wrote about how to get a team's energy back in 30 days.

How do I work with organizations on this?

This is the heart of my keynote, Transform Your Next 30 Days. I open with the rehire question and the room usually goes quiet. That quiet is the point. After 400+ keynotes, it lands the same with a sales team, an association ballroom, or senior leaders.

Before I spoke for a living, I was a journalist at NBC, PBS, and MTV Networks. I still work like one. I ask the questions that change what you do next, and then I help people actually do it. Some organizations book a keynote. Some add an in person or virtual workshop so teams can work through their own 30 days together. Some keep it going with group coaching or one on one coaching for leaders.

You can see the talks and formats on my speaking page. And if you're worried about the energy fading the Monday after your event, I put together a 30 day plan for after the keynote you can use.

FAQs

Q: What does it mean to live on autopilot at work?
A: It means doing your job out of habit instead of on purpose. You're busy, you're getting things done, but you're not really choosing what you do or how you show up.

Q: How can I tell if my team is on autopilot?
A: Look for a team that's fine. Same meetings, same updates, no new ideas, no real pushback. Ask them the rehire question about the last 30 days. If the answers come back polished and safe, you've got your answer.

Q: Is Stop Living on Autopilot a book for individuals or for teams?
A: I wrote it for individuals, but leaders can use it with their teams too. The 30 day lens and the rehire question work great in a team meeting.

Q: What's the difference between this and The 1-Day Method?
A: Transform Your Next 30 Days helps people see where they've been coasting. The 1-Day Method gives them a daily way to show up on purpose: one question, the Essential 3, and five daily acts, Sweat, Connect, Grow, Tech Free, and Finish. A lot of organizations pair them.

Final Word

I didn't get fired from that TV job because I didn't care. I got fired because I was so busy looking the part that I forgot to show up as me. Most teams I meet aren't short on effort, they just stopped noticing.

So based on the last 30 days, would they rehire your team? If you're not sure, let's talk.