It's mid-morning on a Sunday and I'm at the office of a supplier, sitting across the table from the president of the company. "Do you want me to fire him?", he asks.
I'm halfway through a 2-week work trip that was supposed to last 3 days. I was the latest in a string of folks that had been onsite at this particular supplier for weeks to help shepherd them through some product development challenges. The resolution of the challenges largely hinged on the efforts of one technical expert. He kept plugging away through one challenge after another, despite being hounded daily to make timeline promises he couldn't keep and then being badmouthed for not keeping them. He was asked to put in long hours week after week. The week in question, he'd already put in a full day on Saturday. He was asked if he would be working on Sunday or not - for logistical planning. From my point of view he was perfectly within his rights to claim Sunday as a day with family - in hindsight, I'm sure he felt like his only option was to say that he would be working Sunday, particularly given the management style of folks that had been there before me. So, rather than having the day to myself, I went into the office. Our expert didn't show up and didn't answer any calls, which is how I found myself sitting across the table from the company president who was asking me if he should fire the guy.
I can't speak for what my management would have done in my place, but they'd sent me instead of coming themselves. I was the boots on the ground that day and I responded in the way I knew was right - firing the guy would have absolutely been the wrong thing to do, for many reasons. First and foremost, the guy needed a break. Additionally, firing him or burning him out was not going to get us through the challenges faster - it would in fact bring everything to a screeching halt, creating new problems. Was I annoyed that I was working on a day I could have been resting? Absolutely, but I had not been working weekends for weeks on end and I could sacrifice one weekend. I was seriously concerned for our expert though. He was clearly tired and dragging. Nobody's at their best under those circumstances. Add to that, he'd been bullied from here until next month about not getting to the solution faster.
I told the president that firing the guy would cause more harm than good. He looked at me and said, "Well, your management is going to expect you to give me an earful about this. I'll help you write the email." So, we sat there together writing the nastygram that I would ultimately send him, with my management on copy. Once the nastygram was written and the email was sent, I had one more request. Other than a brief conversation about breaking his word about coming into work that day, I didn't want the expert to be reprimanded or punished further.
Our expert came in the next day looking partially refreshed - he was going to need more time off than that to fully re-charge. Having had a brief break, the expert was able to get past our set of challenges in a few short days, allowing me to get back home by the end of the week. Honestly, I'm convinced it would have taken longer to get to the solution had he shown up to work that Sunday.
In our society, people have been conditioned that being overworked and constantly busy is a sign of success. As a result, many are afraid or don't know how to prioritize taking time to rest and recharge. That means we need to pay attention to the health of our team members and nudge them into taking a break from time to time.
It is my contention that people are our most valuable resources. Taking care of them needs to be our highest priority, first as human beings and second, for betterment of the team/organization. I often say that if we hire, grow and retain the right people, the business will take care of itself. It's my observation that people-focused leaders have the highest performing teams with the lowest turnover rate. You're not going to convince me that it isn't the best thing for the organization.
This applies to you as the leader as well! Leadership is rewarding but exhausting work. In order to show up and advocate for our people, we need to make sure we're also taking time away from work to re-charge. It has the added benefit of setting a good example for our team.
Have you checked in with your team members lately? Are they balancing life and work well or are they overdue for time off? Have you checked in with yourself lately? Are you maintaining a good life/work balance or are you overdue for time off?
I'd love to hear from you. Please comment below or send me a note via the Connect section of the home page.