Getting back into the swing of things at work after a vacation can feel jarring, so give yourself a gentle runway by blocking off the first half of your first day to ease in and get reacquainted with your workload and use the clarity of time away to audit your calendar and set new priorities, writes speaker and writer Alli Kushner. "Let your team meet the slightly softer, more present version of you. Let your calendar witness you ... rest. Radical, I know," Kushner notes.

Put it into practice: Carry one vacation habit back into your workday, such as midday walks or ten minutes of enjoying your coffee before checking your phone, Kusner writes. "Your OOO self had some (maybe not all!) good instincts, let one or two stick around."

Empathy is more than a soft skill leaders ought to have; it is a strategic asset that can help you connect authentically and build trust within your teams, writes LaRae Quy, who recommends creating an "empathy protocol" to define empathy, encourage active listening and establish healthy boundaries. "Empathy requires us to gain the perspective of a person who may be quite different from us. It means we become the learner as we listen," Quy writes.

Put it into practice: If "empathy" is too squishy a word to use with your teams, Quy suggests other phrases such as "building rapport" or "being on the same wavelength." "Whatever the term, it should be something upon which everyone agrees and understands. Of utmost importance is that these conversations bring value to the team."

If you're relying on AI to write emails or summarize meetings, you could be missing emotional nuances and team dynamics that can point to underlying frustration or disengagement among your teams, writes Debra Roberts, an interpersonal communications expert. "Your success as a leader still depends on how you listen, engage, resolve conflicts, give feedback and respond to questions. It will always depend on how you connect with others," Roberts writes.

Put it into practice: Don't let AI communication get in the way of having honest conversations with your staff, writes Roberts, who recommends teaching your team how to speak up, listen and handle conflict. "AI can enhance your systems, but it will never replace the relationships that hold your team together."

Senior leaders need to be "better overall athletes," says Kotter International President Kathy Gersch, who notes that generalists who have broad knowledge of a company will perform better in uncertain times. "You may not be able to see five years out clearly, and you won't scenario-plan your way to certainty, but you can start moving in the right direction. The key is creating the ability -- both in yourself and in your organization -- to navigate uncertainty with flexibility and focus," Gersh says.

Simulation theory, or the simulation hypothesis, is the idea that life might be a simulation. Leon Kirkbeck, co-creator of The Cryptid Factor and CEO of UFO Rodeo, explores this concept by drawing parallels between simulation theory and video games, suggesting that coincidences might be examples of "lazy code" in a simulated reality. Kirkbeck also discusses the implications of living in a simulation, such as the potential for user-generated content and the impact on human behavior.

Watch Henry Winkler talk about himself as Fonzie doing a literal interpretation of the Hein idiom.

I've worked for bosses who seemed to have an empathy deficiency. What mattered most to them was efficiency and getting the job done, no matter what. We all want to excel at our jobs, but working for bosses who never express any concern for the well-being of their workers leads to an exodus of talent. I've seen it happen. I've been one of those talented workers who left for more empathetic pastures.

That word, though, "empathy," can get a bad rap. It can be too woo-woo or squishy for some people, so LaRae Quy suggests using different language to achieve the same goal of feeling seen, supported and understood in the workplace. 

Quy suggests using phrases such as "being on the same wavelength" or "building rapport." Other phrases to use could include "listening deeply," "understanding" or "seeing through their eyes." In each instance, you're trying to get your team to think beyond their own perspective and take the feelings, thoughts and skills of others into account.

Essentially, you're embedding empathic behaviors -- listening, perspective-taking, relational awareness -- into the culture without relying on the buzzword.

As Quy puts it: "Empathy does not necessarily require kindness or softness, both of which are rarely baked into corporate cultures -- nor do they need to be. Instead, empathy is about genuinely understanding the needs and perspectives of other people."

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