It’s summer, and hopefully you have planned to take some well deserved time off. (And I mean more than a long weekend, please!)
If so…here is a challenge…
I recently saw two out-of-office messages (i.e., email auto-replies) that made me smile. Paraphrasing a bit:
“I am on paternity leave (baby girl __ was born on ___). Out of the office until ___. Acting for me is ___.”
“I am in Disney World with my grandchildren. Contact ___ for assistance until I return on ___.”
I love how these leaders used their out-of-office messages as a vehicle to share a glimpse into their personal lives with their coworkers and clients. They could have just said, “contact so and so while I am out…” But instead they took the opportunity to keep it real. In sharing something personal, they are helping us see them as "whole" leaders, with lots of dimensions at work and beyond. Kudos to them for modeling authenticity and for keeping us honest with the notion that time off really means time away from the office, out of email, and unplugged.
Is this a new trend? If not, let's make it one. Do you accept the challenge?
If so…here is a challenge…
I recently saw two out-of-office messages (i.e., email auto-replies) that made me smile. Paraphrasing a bit:
“I am on paternity leave (baby girl __ was born on ___). Out of the office until ___. Acting for me is ___.”
“I am in Disney World with my grandchildren. Contact ___ for assistance until I return on ___.”
I love how these leaders used their out-of-office messages as a vehicle to share a glimpse into their personal lives with their coworkers and clients. They could have just said, “contact so and so while I am out…” But instead they took the opportunity to keep it real. In sharing something personal, they are helping us see them as "whole" leaders, with lots of dimensions at work and beyond. Kudos to them for modeling authenticity and for keeping us honest with the notion that time off really means time away from the office, out of email, and unplugged.
Is this a new trend? If not, let's make it one. Do you accept the challenge?
