How CEOs Get Behind ‘Back to School’
Most of us have not left our homes for what feels like an eternity, yet 2020 is already two-thirds over. Given how the year has gone so far, thank goodness that we’re in the home stretch and already thinking about a new year. At the same time, somehow September is here and our children have headed back to school.
| Education is the key to unlocking the world; a passport to freedom.
~Oprah Winfrey
As a CEO and as a parent of two children, this is an important time of year for me personally and professionally. It’s a time when employees look to their CEOs to demonstrate leadership – with empathy. In ordinary times, back to school is fraught with chaos and a frenetic energy that leaves parents scrambling. Everyone tries to squeeze out the last drop of the unofficial end of summer with jam-packed activities; all the things that we had hoped to do with our kids earlier in the summer but somehow never found the time to do until the week before the kids go back to school.
The last-minute frenzy to maximize what’s left of our holidays is coupled with the school requirements. Buy these binders not those ones, purchase only this brand of notebooks (assuming they are in stock), select a backpack, new shoes, new clothes and so on. The race to get it all done in time places parents under stress – assuming that the parent can meet all the financial obligations to get their children back to school. The pressure is that much greater for parents who are financially struggling to make it happen so that their children can feel confident starting a new school year.
But we are not living in ordinary times. The pandemic rages on and our children’s futures are uncertain. Parents’ futures are also uncertain. Many have lost jobs, been furloughed or had their hours reduced. Beyond the financial pressures, we now have the unimaginable scenario where we are sending our kids into the classroom – or adopting hybrid learning – or trying to plan for a school board decision reversal at any time. Our children are going to be mingling with other children which is putting them at risk. It’s putting us as their parents at risk. Some of our spouses may be teachers or professors who are now also at risk. This is creating enormous and unprecedented levels of stress.
As CEOs, we must acknowledge that back to school is a time of change – and stress. “Summertime sadness” is real as everyone laments the end of the season. For some, pumpkin latté season is finally here. For others, the thought is that winter will soon be on deck so morale can become a factor at this time of year.
But it’s also a time for a fresh start. The academic year has long ruled over startups because of the familiarity with a scholastic timetable that is inherent in the minds of most founders. So, this is a time to introduce new things, set new goals and lead our teams to move forward.
Most of all, as CEOs, we need to recognize that this is an exceptionally stressful time for our employees who are parents. We must lead with compassion and empathy. And, in this era of COVID, exhibiting these behaviors has become a leadership imperative.
Keep learning and growing,
Gunjan