Operations have returned to normal, but life at home is definitely not normal for many people. Leaders allow people flexibility to balance work and life. Great leaders inspire a cohesive unit climate even while some people work remotely and others carry on as usual.
All in Trying Times
To effectively guard work-life balance, leaders need to be aware of their workers’ lives away from work. Too many organizations pretend employees have no life outside the workplace. During these trying times, work has never been more present in people’s homes, so leaders cannot limit their attention to the office.
Leaders who care for people as they struggle to manage professional and parental responsibilities at home will foster better organizational performance than those who demand business as usual.
Deciding between a vision of normal life, or of a new and different life, is every leader’s challenge during a global pandemic. Leading others to a sense of normalcy can be reassuring, but it can also be dangerous. Perhaps the best way to achieve our normal purpose is to embrace new attitudes and behaviors.
Lead people through these trying times by building a shared understanding of the present and inspiring a shared, livable vision of the near future. This is a leader’s work, and it’s never been more necessary than right now.