Imagine a workplace where people end the year energised, not exhausted.
Where holidays are taken to celebrate, not to recover.
Where work gives life instead of draining it.
This is not idealistic — it is simply uncommon, because many organisations run in a way that works against the brain, not with it.
Performance researcher James Hewitt reminds us that sustainable high performance is rhythmic. We focus deeply, then we recover. When recovery disappears, performance drops, creativity shrinks, and people either burn out (exhausted but still present) or check out (physically there, emotionally gone).
Recently, I worked with leaders in retail. This time of year is intense. Some are working 10–15 hours a day, including weekends, from now until February. I understand the business case — this is “harvest season.” But the personal cost is high: families strain, health fades, good judgment reduces. And once the culture accepts this as “normal,” it becomes very difficult to reverse.
So, my invitation to them was not to slow down, but to lead differently.
Small Shifts With Big Impact
- Reduce activities that don’t add value.
- Shorten meetings and include only essential people.
- Check only messages 4–5 times per day, not every few minutes.
- Close your door or work from another space when you need to think.
- Communicate intentionally — to the right people, at the right time.
Organisational expectations must support this:
- Aim to finish around 18:00 with 20:00 as a cut-off point — even during busy periods. Don’t award but rather rehabilitate those who do not adhere to the rule.
- If someone works a weekend, give recovery time in the week.
- If someone works late into the night, allow time to regain energy.
This is not softness.
This is steward leadership.
Stephen Covey reminds us that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.
The 80/20 principle helps us identify the few activities that drive most results. Once we know that, we can simplify, remove clutter, and allow people to focus where it truly matters.
Even AI can help — by taking the admin, formatting, or routine tasks — freeing leaders to think, coach, create, motivate and connect.
So, I propose: A More Humane Way to Work.
This is not about lowering standards.
It is about sustaining excellence and resilience.
People who are valued, supported and energised will go the extra mile — not once, but year after year — because they are not being used up, but strengthened.
So, as we plan for 2026, let’s add one essential question:
What will we do less of next year?
Not to shrink our impact,
but to protect our energy, clarity and humanity — so that our impact becomes greater, our happiness more, and our relationships better!
