The Turmoil of Work in 2022: Don’t Take it Personally

Post-Pandemic, transformation, high-growth Initiatives, workforce shortages, supply chain shortages, inflation, shareholder demands, COVID restrictions, stock market trends, war, remote work, return to work, blah, blah, blah….

What is a leader supposed to do in 2022? Stop the world, I’m ready to get off!

We speak to leaders every day. And, without exception, they are all under tremendous pressure from one or all of the issues above. Our advice is simple — leaders worth following do not take these personally.

What do we mean by that? A leader worth following is responsible for finding solutions to advance their organizations, yes, but a leader worth following takes care of themselves first. 

You must prioritize those areas of your life essential to your own well-being. Your own areas of peace should include your family, friends, health, happiness—things to bring stability and joy in your life.

It’s like the mask that drops from the ceiling in an airplane during turbulence, you can’t help others until you have securely placed the mask on your face, right?

Most leaders have enjoyed a great amount of achievement in their careers. Those achievements are much harder to come by in this turmoil of 2022. Faster, more, faster, more. 

Take it from someone who’s been there, it’s unsustainable. We will fly out of this turmoil eventually, but until then we urge you to care for yourself first — take your care personally.
Keep your perspective. This will allow you to lead others through the storms of 2022 and you can inspire others to care for themselves. At Handler, we believe this is a great attribute of a leader worth following.