Creating a Culture That Values Downtime

7 ways great leaders navigate after-hours work: (What your team really needs from you) Work-life balance doesn’t wait for a convenient time. It doesn’t care about deadlines, projects, or promotions. In those moments, leadership isn’t about rules. It’s about understanding. Here’s how great leaders approach after-hours work when it matters most: 1️⃣ Recognize the Nuance Blanket bans create resentment. Understanding creates balance. ➜ Acknowledge the complex relationship with technology. ➜ Be clear about expectations, not prohibitions. ➜ Focus on individual needs and roles. Flexible leaders create engaged teams. 2️⃣ Simplify Communication Over-communication fuels anxiety. Clarity reduces it. ➜ Define the preferred communication methods for after-hours. ➜ Eliminate unnecessary pings—when everything feels urgent, nothing is. ➜ Keep requests simple and direct—no jargon, no fluff. In after-hours, clarity is crucial. 3️⃣ Encourage Closure People don’t need constant connection. They need resolution. ➜ Be mindful of “window closing” tasks. ➜ Reassurance comes from completed tasks. ➜ Back up flexibility with respect for downtime. Productivity comes from balance, not burnout. 4️⃣ Strengthen Boundaries Teams don’t crumble. Habits do. ➜ Fix work habits, policies, and expectations. ➜ Give people the autonomy they need to disconnect. ➜ Protect personal time where possible. A weak understanding of boundaries won’t hold under pressure. 5️⃣ Model Healthy Habits Your actions become your team’s culture. ➜ Demonstrate healthy boundaries, even when busy. ➜ Make people feel valued, not just available. ➜ Create a supportive environment so downtime is respected. They’ll follow your lead. Make it balanced. 6️⃣ Balance Productivity & Well-being Short-term productivity matters. So does long-term well-being. ➜ Support today’s tasks. Protect tomorrow’s energy. ➜ Recognize the value of rest and rejuvenation. ➜ Keep the human element in sight. Great leaders hold both perspectives. 7️⃣ Leadership is Understanding, not Demanding After-hours leadership isn’t about control. It’s about creating trust. ➜ Absorb stress so your team can recharge. ➜ Offer flexibility, not just expectations. ➜ Build an environment of respect for personal time. Work-life balance doesn’t wait for the perfect leader. But your team will remember the one who understood. Support their well-being. Guide them forward. Because leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about asking the right questions.

Last week I advised a client to not pursue a grant opportunity. Not because the mission didn’t align. Not because they couldn’t put the funds to good use. But because the reporting requirements would’ve overwhelmed their small team. When we let “mission first” become “people last,” we build cultures that quietly break even the strongest people holding mission up. And if we say yes to mission at the expense of people, the mission eventually suffers too. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽 𝘄𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼: We tell ourselves we’re doing important work. And we are. But somewhere along the way, that noble purpose can get twisted. Rest is selfish. Burnout is the badge. We’re 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 unless we’re 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. That mission matters more than health, relationships, sleep. Here are five warning signs that mission-first has quietly become people-last: 1. You feel guilty when you schedule down time. (Your team will notice and it becomes culture). 2. You’re constantly exhausted, but you rationalize it as needed for your mssion. 3. Your team mirrors your stress. 4. You postpone rest until “after the next big thing.” 5. Noone wants your job. In fact, they tell you they couldn't do what you do.     You’re not failing if you want to change. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵. Success isn’t working 70 hours a week to keep the lights on. It’s building something that lasts, something the leaders coming behind you want to take up. That can look like: • Set realistic work hours. There will be weeks where you have to dig deep, yes. Those can be rare, not the norm. Try something like my capacity calendar for a clear visual of your work flow (image). • Say no to “good” opportunities that come at a cost to team well-being. • Protect time for deep work. • Schedule real vacations. With real boundaries like no email. • Lead your mission in a way you'll still 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 to five years from now. • Build time into your weekly calendar for your health and wellbeing. And show your team that you value it. • Create a leadership position that other people want to take up.    It’s not perfect. you'll still overwork sometimes. But you can notice. And course-correct. Because you can lead a mission without losing yourself. Or building a culture of burn out for your team.

Vacation Vibes - OOO this week - Yeah! 🌴 Leaders, It’s Time to Normalize Vacation and Unplugging! 🌴 For many who have worked with me for many years, taking a fully unplugged vacation is my Achilles heel. Earlier this year I tried to take several fully disconnected vacation days and ended up taking "just one video call" which ended up being five calls by the end of the week. As leaders, we set the tone for our teams. One of the most impactful ways we can lead is by normalizing the importance of taking vacations and truly unplugging from work. When we take time off without checking emails or “checking in,” we demonstrate that rest and rejuvenation are essential for long-term success and well-being. Taking a break isn’t just about recharging our own batteries; it’s about setting a powerful example for our teams. By showing that it’s okay to disconnect, we encourage a healthier work-life balance and foster a culture where everyone feels empowered to take the time they need. Here are a few tips to help you (and hopefully me) to properly disconnect from work and social media while on vacation: ✔Plan Ahead: Complete as much work as possible before you leave and delegate tasks to ensure smooth operations in your absence. ✔Set Boundaries: Inform your team and clients about your vacation and set clear expectations that you will be unavailable. ✔Use Out-of-Office (OOO) Messages: Set up an out-of-office email response and voicemail message to manage expectations and provide alternative contacts. ✔Schedule Downtime: Plan activities that help you relax and disconnect, such as catching up on reading, some classic gaming (my favs - Uncharted, Batman Arkham Night, FIFA World Cup), biking, house projects, and the most important spending time with loved ones. ✔Limit Social Media: (hard one for me on this platform): Set specific times to check social media or consider a complete digital detox to fully immerse yourself in your vacation (let's see how this goes ;-). Quick tip: Zoho or Hootsuite are great platforms for scheduling posts while you are out enjoying some R&R. Also, LinkedIn has a "Set away message" feature, I think I will try it. Let’s lead by example and show that taking time off is not only acceptable but necessary for our health and productivity. Until next week.... #Leadership #WorkLifeBalance #Vacation #Unplug #Wellbeing

Rest isn’t a weakness. It’s a leadership signal. Too many workplaces reward sacrifice, not health. ❌ Working through illness ↳ Rewards presenteeism, not productivity ↳ Sends the message: “You’re only valued when you suffer” ❌ Shaming time off ↳ Trains people to fear self-care ↳ Creates a culture of quiet burnout and invisible stress ❌ "No days off" culture ↳ Burnout disguised as ambition ↳ People break down before they ever speak up ❌ Praise for exhaustion ↳ Leaders celebrate depletion, not resilience ↳ Turns surviving into a badge of honor instead of a warning ✅ Rest is a performance strategy ↳ Brains need downtime to deliver insights ↳ Creative thinking and problem-solving demand mental recovery ✅ Sick time is a boundary ↳ Protects teams from cascading burnout ↳ Signals that people are more important than short-term output ✅ Recovery is part of the job ↳ Without it, performance always plateaus ↳ The best teams are built on sustainability, not sprinting ✅ Leaders normalize wellness ↳ By modeling it first ↳ Culture follows what leadership permits—and what it prioritizes If someone feels guilty for being sick… That’s not a them problem. That’s a culture problem. ♻️ Repost if you’re done glorifying burnout. 👋 Follow me (Dr. Chris Mullen) for practical strategies to build healthy teams. Image credit: Adam Grant