Want to succeed as a leader? Invest in your people

If you take pains to make your job look easy and not let your team see the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, you're doing them a disservice, writes Julie Winkle Giulioni, who recommends sharing your challenges with them, asking for help and celebrating the hard work your team displays. "It took me years to recognize that the strongest leaders aren't the ones who never struggle; they're the ones who are honest about the process and use that process in service of others," Winkle Giulioni writes.

Put it into practice: When you acknowledge your hard work, that can normalize making extra effort which can inspire your team to be persistent and want to learn more, Winkle Giulioni writes. "In short, they create a culture where people feel safe and supported and where they can thrive."

In 2025, honest communication has become a critical component for CEOs aiming to inspire trust and retain employees -- almost 70% of employees surveyed said they're more likely to stay with a business that communicates openly, according to PwC. As workers and consumers increasingly demand transparency, leaders are moving away from vague corporate language and instead engaging in straightforward conversations, particularly during challenging times like layoffs, writes leadership expert Cheryl Robinson.

Put it into practice: CEOs who weave values and purpose into their communications earn the most respect from their teams, Robinson writes. "Whether talking about earnings, launching new products or responding to challenges, they remind everyone what their company stands for."

It's easy to get stressed out in this time of turbulence and uncertainty, but Steve Keating offers nine ways to cope, including setting boundaries with news consumption, maintaining healthy routines and seeking support from social circles. Additionally, Keating recommends practices like physical movement, reframing challenges, gratitude exercises and talking with a professional counselor or mentor.

A study in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society suggests that supernovas near Earth may have caused two ancient mass extinctions by eroding the ozone layer and exposing life to harmful radiation. The researchers found that the timing of the supernova events matches the late Devonian and Ordovician events, which saw significant losses of marine life.

When I was leading the spiritual community that I founded fifteen years ago, nobody knew exactly what it took for Sunday morning to look so easy for me. I worked seven days a week, splitting time between this full-time job and the community job. On Saturdays, I would do my final prep for Sunday, rehearsing music, putting the finishing touches on my talk and other duties. During the week, I would meet with members in need, take care of arrangements to rent out our building and attend events we had scheduled throughout the week.

It was exhausting. No wonder I completely burned out on the job after 13 years. When I retired and left the job to my board, they had no idea how much behind-the-scenes work I did to make the job look effortless. As Julie Winkle Giulioni points out, that was a disservice to them. I should have let them see me sweat. I should have let them in on what kind of effort it took to make it look effortless. In just over a year, they had to close the community. Even with three or four of them trying to replicate my job, it was overwhelming for them.

This was a leadership failure on my part, but it can serve as a lesson for you if you're trying to make your job look easy while grinding away in the background to do so. As Winkle Giulioni advises, let your people in on the hard work you're doing. Talk about the challenges and (this was a big one for me) ask for help when you need it.

If you show how hard you are working and recognize and reward the hard work of others, you'll grow a culture that embraces effort, not just outcomes.

As Winkle Giulioni notes: "Authentic leadership isn't about making things look easy -- it's about making things real."

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