5 strategies to unleash your team's leadership potential

As a leader, it's vital that you communicate the importance of your team taking their paid time off, making it "part of the holistic employee experience, just like your paycheck or health insurance," says Johnna Muscente, vice president of communications and PR at The Corcoran Group. By modeling PTO-positive behavior and setting boundaries against hustle culture, you can foster an environment where employees feel comfortable taking necessary time off.

Put it into practice: There may be some hard workers on your team who don't want to take time off, but you should normalize taking vacations as a mental health imperative, Muscente says. "No one should feel pressured to work without rest or take pride in not taking time off."

Effective leadership relies on the three C's of challenging people, building confidence and coaching employees to achieve their best, writes Paul Thornton, the author of "The Leadership Process." "Each new challenge, especially the big ones, often requires some tailored coaching and affirmation to ensure a strong start," Thornton writes.

Enabling employees to be their best selves is essential to BILL founder and CEO René Lacerte, who emphasizes authenticity, humility and passion as crucial leadership values. "I want people to bring their experiences into work so that we have different perspectives because I always try to avoid groupthink. Having people be able to share and feel comfortable is super important to me," Lacerte says.

Holiday train rides inspired by "The Polar Express" can get you in the Christmas spirit this year by offering unique experiences, from the immersive theatrical recreation on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado to the scenic Napa Valley Wine Train in California. Each train offers festive activities, such as Santa visits, holiday lights shows and themed meals, making them a perfect holiday outing.

There's nothing like mentioning being an introvert that makes the introverts come out of the woodwork! Yesterday, I confessed my introversion and how leaders can bring out the best in their introverted team members.

Robin M. wrote in to say that the article was a revelation. Robin, like me, can appear extroverted being "adept at public speaking." However, after reading my note, Robin reflected on noticing a feeling of "needing to come down" after such presentations. "Mentally and physically, I tend to feel odd, perhaps overstimulated. Sitting in a chair and just staring at a wall for a few minutes seems to help. I never thought of that feeling that I am calling overstimulation as an indication that I am really an introvert."

Yes, Robin, welcome to the introvert club!

Tony J. wrote to share how he realized why being in a crowd is so exhausting for him: "I think that it is all the work required to listen to the verbal communications and to watch body language to fully understand what others are trying to communicate and then trying to analyze what is new and truthful information, whether it comes from the speakers' experiences or emotions, both of which may be valid."

And William B. says that while interactions with others have become natural, it "is soon personally exhausting." He's found a silver lining, though, writing: "I have more time for reflection, planning, and so on, so perhaps I'm more thoughtful about my work environment."

Thanks to Robin, Tony and William for sharing their experiences as introverts. We genuinely do have many strengths to offer to our workplace and the world, but realizing that we need time alone to recharge can help us be even more productive and helpful when we are out in the world.

If this newsletter helps you, please tell your colleagues, friends or anyone who can benefit. Forward them this email, or send this link.

What topics do you see in your daily work that I should know about? Do you have any feedback you'd like to share? Drop me a note. And while you're at it, please send me photos of your pets, your office and where you spend your time off so we can share them.