The Gap Between Who You Are at Work and at Home 👀
Plus, Coming Up in March: Managing Remote or Hybrid Teams
Coming Up Next Month: Remote Leadership
If you work remotely – and especially if you lead a remote or hybrid team – then you know that keeping teams engaged, accountable, and connected across distances isn’t always easy. Without face-to-face interaction, how do you build trust, measure productivity, or prevent burnout?
It requires a unique approach. But get it wrong, and remote work can quickly turn into a black hole of miscommunication, disengagement, and frustration – for both you and your team.
That’s why we’re kicking off a new series to help you master the key skills of remote leadership. We’ll begin with a challenge that equips you with the tools to lead with confidence – no matter where your team is working from. Then, we’ll dive into how to manage each personality Role (Analysts, Diplomats, Sentinels, and Explorers) in a remote or hybrid setting. Stay tuned!
Watch for a NEW 5-day Remote Leadership Challenge coming in March! Be sure you’re subscribed to participate.
Want to Submit a Leadership Topic?
Have a specific leadership topic in mind that you’d love to see us cover? We’ve opened up commenting so that anyone can share their idea(s) in the comments. We can’t promise to pick yours, but we do promise to review and consider every single idea.
Personal Leadership Challenge Check-In: Bridging the Gap Between Who You Are at Work and at Home
What did you think of our 5-day personal leadership challenge? Hopefully, it helped you strengthen the core skills of exceptional leadership while giving you more control over your personal life by applying them to yourself, not just to those you lead.
But maybe, even after going through the challenge, you still feel a divide between the leader you are at work and the way you manage yourself at home.
Maybe at work, you’re decisive and proactive, but in your personal life, things feel looser – tasks get pushed, personal goals take a back seat, and boundaries blur. Or maybe you hold others accountable with ease but struggle to hold yourself to the same standard. You might even feel like your leadership skills only seem to “count” when applied to others, not to your own habits, priorities, and well-being.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Work provides built-in structure, feedback, and expectations. At work, people rely on you. At home, there’s likely no clear-cut consequence for skipping a routine or putting off a tough conversation. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter.
You’re Not Two Different People
It’s easy to feel like there’s a clear divide: the work version of you who’s got things under control and the personal version who’s... less structured, perhaps. But in reality, those aren’t two separate identities. You’re the same person in both spaces – what’s different is the level of intention and accountability you apply.
At work, you don’t wait until you “feel like it” to follow through on commitments. You don’t tell yourself, I’ll just get to it when I have more time. You make time. You recognize that consistency builds trust. That discipline makes things easier, not harder. That sometimes the best choice is the one that gets things moving, even if you’re not 100% in the mood for it.
What if you applied that same mindset to your personal leadership? Not in a rigid, exhausting way – but with the same level of respect you’d offer anyone else you lead.
Leading Yourself Means Holding Yourself to the Same Standard
You don’t need external pressure to justify leading yourself well. The same skills that help you thrive at work – planning ahead, communicating clearly, making intentional choices – work in your personal life too. The difference is that it’s up to you to recognize that they matter.
So if you’re still feeling that gap, ask yourself:
Where am I waiting for external accountability when I could create my own?
What’s one leadership habit I excel at professionally that I could apply more consistently in my personal life?
How would I advise a team member who was struggling with the same thing I am?
The way you manage yourself shapes how you show up everywhere else. When you give your personal leadership the same care and attention as your professional leadership, you create alignment. And that’s what turns leadership from something you do into something you are.
Be sure to follow along with the rest of the personal leadership series! Next, we’re exploring how Sentinel and Explorer personalities can harness their natural self-leadership strengths while growing in areas that stretch their comfort zone. Stay tuned!