March 2026 | Helle Bundgaard | Relevance Beyond
We tend to explain rising stress levels through speed, complexity, and constant change. But these are surface explanations. Beneath them lies something more fundamental.
When we experience ourselves as relevant and our relevance feels secure, we can navigate uncertainty and change without losing footing.
The difficulty is that relevance has become unstable.
In earlier structures, relevance was reinforced by position, seniority, and accumulated expertise. Today, it must be continuously demonstrated. It is less anchored and more exposed. Relevance is rarely assumed — it is constantly tested. And relevance, like motivation, is individual and situational. There is no one-size-fits-all.
When relevance becomes fragile, we do not simply adapt. We protect. We try to secure our place and our value. That persistent effort to safeguard our relevance is not always visible — but it is psychologically demanding.
If relevance fuels energy, then threatened relevance drains it.
Perhaps this is why stress today feels harder to address. We keep adjusting workload, structure, and processes — but rarely speak about relevance.
- Yet relevance shapes energy
- It shapes resilience
- It shapes how we show up
Maybe what is missing is not another initiative, but a more honest conversation:
Where do we experience relevance?
Where does it feel fragile?
And what happens to people when it is constantly under pressure?
Until we have that conversation, we may continue to treat symptoms — while the underlying strain remains untouched.