Open Letter to our global Digital and Tech teams, Fall of '20

The pandemic has had an indelible impact on our lives, and we have all personally been through the phases of reacting, adapting and responding. Collectively, we have unleashed new energy, untiring efforts, and tremendous resilience. On the other hand, we have blurred our personal and professional lives, are living through an increasingly complicated world, and see more overall fatigue.

In an effort to be more pragmatic about this, I have taken actions already that support my family, my colleagues, and importantly, me. For instance, I recently made the family decision to relocate, I block weekly time for my family on my calendar, I am taking more “walking” breaks in my business day, I no longer send emails after 6pm Friday so as not to perpetuate more weekend emails, and we are looking to implement two no-meeting days every month.

My point is two-fold. First I think it’s important to make the changes you need to set up for long term success. Second, by clearly communicating your working style, protected times and expectations, you allow the teams around you to get more from you. It can’t be over emphasized how important this is - I grew up with an “always-on” expectation mindset, but the more I have studied this, the more I have realized how wrong I have been.

Today I was on a call with Doris Kearns Goodwin, presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize winning author of Leadership, and she talked about how Abraham Lincoln went to the theater more than a hundred times during the Civil War. Franklin D. Roosevelt actually went away on a long fishing trip right in the middle of this huge struggle for Britain in the World War. In the middle of turbulences of historic proportions, these presidents took the time to get away, get centered, and then make decisions that since changed history.

So I end this note by saying this. Be pragmatic, and make sure that you take care of yourself. Ask the people around you how they are doing. Check in with your colleagues. Take care of your family. Now, more than ever, we need to support each other. Stay healthy, and be safe.