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Create a Happy Holidays Mood at Work

Cathie Leimbach • December 20, 2022

It is the holiday season. We talk about this being the season of joy and peace. Yet, as leaders, how well are we modeling joy and peace at work. 

For many of us, the Thanksgiving to New Years’ period is the busiest season in our personal lives.  Family, friends, and the community often put more demands on our time. In the retail and food service industries it is also the busiest season at work. Businesses with a December 31st year end want a lot of loose ends tidied up the end of the month. These overlapping pressures can cause added pressure rather than offering us a time of joy and peace.

Great leaders are alert to the needs of their employees and take actions that create an uplifting environment where people feel valued and appreciated, limiting their workplace stress during this holiday season.

Here are a few things leaders can do to enable employees to feel joy and peace during this busy time:

  • Prioritize work-life balance. If this is not the high demand season for your business, don’t require or even request your employees to work overtime. If your client demands require long hours this month, ask employees when their special family and friends events are likely to take place and make every effort to not schedule them at these times.
  • Make time to connect with your team. Make a point of having 1-on-1s with all of your direct reports to thank them for a couple of things they are doing well at work and to ask about their personal celebrations. Don’t take phone calls or respond to texts during these conversations.
  • Create a festive opportunity at work. Decorate the office and/or have a special employee event so the workplace team can have some fun together.

As leaders, we have the power to enhance the mood at work, impacting employees' satisfaction on the job and in their personal lives. During this holiday season, let’s be intentional about leading in a way that helps out team members experience joy and peace.   

The Perils of a Bad Boss

By Cathie Leimbach • April 1, 2025
Bad bosses aren't just a nuisance – they're an epidemic. A staggering 70% of employees report that problematic managers are commonplace in today's workforce. This reality has serious consequences for both workers and companies alike. What drives employees to pack up their desks? Unethical behavior tops the list, with 62% of workers citing it as a reason to quit. Following closely behind are hypercritical managers (54%) and those who burden their teams with unrealistic expectations or excessive workloads (54%). While some managerial shortcomings are merely frustrating rather than deal-breakers, they still damage workplace morale. Disorganized bosses frustrate 33% of employees, micromanagers irritate 29%, and unapproachable or inflexible leadership styles bother 27%. Perhaps most concerning is the communication breakdown: 72% of employees wish they could openly discuss workplace concerns with their managers, but 59% fear retaliation if they speak up. How might these issues be affecting your organization? High turnover rates don't just disrupt workflow – they devastate your bottom line. Between recruitment costs, training expenses, lost productivity, and institutional knowledge walking out the door, each departed employee can cost between 50-200% of their annual salary.  Ready to understand what turnover is truly costing your company? Click Here for access to a free Cost of Turnover Calculator.

Achieving Commitment in Team Decisions

By Cathie Leimbach • March 25, 2025
When leaders make decisions or teams vote on changes, not everyone automatically supports them. However, getting everyone's commitment can be crucial for team or organizational success. Two key factors create real commitment: clarity and emotional buy-in. Clarity means removing all confusion about what's changing and why. Everyone needs to understand exactly what they're being asked to do. Emotional buy-in happens when people want to support the change rather than just following orders. To build both clarity and buy-in, talk openly with your whole team. Encourage questions about how changes will work and when things will happen. Listen to concerns instead of ignoring them. Remember that feelings—whether worry, resistance, or excitement—strongly affect how people respond. Don’t be surprised when change doesn’t happen. Use a team engagement process that helps leaders understand and increase each team member’s readiness.  Good leaders know they can't force real commitment. Instead, they build it by including team members in conversations about why and how to make changes work. This turns "their decision" into "our project," creating the team commitment needed for successful change.
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