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.   

Listening Is Key to Effective One-on-Ones

By Cathie Leimbach • September 15, 2026
Tom walked into his one-on-one feeling relieved. For a week, he had been struggling with two critical assignments. His supervisor had delegated them without much context, and Tom wasn’t clear about the desired results or how to get started. Surely, he thought, we can sort this out today. Fifteen minutes later, Tom walked back to his desk just as confused. His supervisor had done nearly all the talking—reviewing priorities, sharing updates, and reminding Tom that the two assignments were important. But he never asked the question Tom needed to hear: “What do you need from me to be successful?” When One-on-Ones Become One-Way Conversations This happens more often than we might think. Leaders enter one-on-ones with a list of things they need to communicate. They talk through the list, ask if there are any questions, and move on to the next meeting. But a one-on-one should do more than transfer information. Its purpose is to help the employee succeed. That requires conversation—and conversation requires listening. Ask what the employee wants to discuss. Listen for what is getting in the way. Do they need clearer expectations? More training? Better resources? Help making a decision? Encouragement that they are headed in the right direction? Then determine together what each of you will do next. Try This in Your Next One-on-One Instead of starting with your agenda, begin with one simple question: “What would be most helpful for us to talk about today?” Then listen. You may discover that the most valuable thing you contribute to the meeting isn’t what you say. It’s what you learn. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ If this has you thinking about the conversations you have with your team, join me at the Workplace Conversation Clinic on September 21 . Bring a question about your one-on-ones or a conversation you’re finding difficult, and let’s work through it together. RESERVE YOUR SPOT HERE

Are you Supporting Your Employees to Overcome Hurdles?

By Cathie Leimbach • September 8, 2026
For weeks, Mary had been frustrated with frequently occurring delays in shipping. During her one-on-one with her supervisor, she finally told him what was going on. He listened, asked questions, and said he would look into it. She left the meeting feeling encouraged. Maybe this situation would finally get resolved. A week later, her supervisor started their one-on-one by asking “So, what do you want to talk about today?” He didn’t mention what he had learned about the problem in shipping. “Of course not!,” she thought. “Nothing is going to change.” So, she sadly replied, “Nothing really. Everything’s fine.” Sometimes employees stop talking because experience has taught them that speaking up doesn’t make any difference. One-on-ones are an opportunity to change that. Give the employee a voice in what gets discussed. Help them address bottlenecks. Follow-up on your to dos from the conversation. It can be as simple as: “Last week we talked about the shipping problem. I checked into it, and here’s what I found out. A possible solution would be this .... How do think that might work? ... What other ideas do you have?” The message is clear: I heard you. I remembered. What you have to say matters. And when employees believe their concerns and ideas matter, they’re more likely to keep speaking up. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ What Workplace Conversation Are You Struggling With? Maybe an employee has stopped talking. Maybe you’re dealing with accountability, conflict, attendance, performance—or simply a conversation you’re not quite sure how to approach. Bring it to the FREE Workplace Conversations Clinic on September 21. Join Cathie Leimbach and other leaders to talk through real workplace people challenges, hear different perspectives, and get ideas for moving forward. Register Here