By the time people hit the end of December, tanks are empty. (If this is you: hi 👋 , I see you.) Even when business is good, most people are ready for the year to end.

This year seems harder than most.

More people are looking for jobs.
More workers are disengaged.
More companies are struggling.

But as a leader, there is a right way to show up for your team during the holidays.

Be the leader you wish you had

Here are tips I’ve accumulated over the years for supporting my teams through the holidays:

1. Don’t confuse a holiday break with relaxation. Holidays have a tax, especially for parents, and for some, it could be a time of more pain than celebration. Skip the, “Did you have a relaxing break?” line, and instead find a more neutral opener.

2. Skip the holiday day text. Even if you have an informal relationship with your direct reports or manager, I recommend skipping any holiday communication. It can be stressful to receive a ping from your boss. Instead, wish your team member a happy holiday when they return, or in a scheduled message.

3. Speaking of scheduled, use the “schedule send” feature in Slack and email. Unless you work in crisis communications or are on call, you do not need to send a note on a holiday about a work topic. It can wait until after break.

4. Encourage your team to set-up an out of office message. Appearing “always on” promotes poor boundaries. Set an example by setting up your out of office and encouraging your team members to use one, too.

5. Set an example. One of the best ways you can show up as a leader is from leading by example. Sign out from work and enjoy the time with your friends and family. Or if you’re trying to escape family, at least do work that is offline so you’re not inundating your team with notifications.

6. Show gratitude. It has been a helluva year. Most people have worked through incredible hardship to show up for the business this year. Take a moment to acknowledge their effort. Even if the results don’t reflect it on the scoreboard.

The right way is usually the authentic way that’s true for you. Use what resonates and delete the rest.

Speaking of deleting…

This holiday, give yourself permission to delete.

That email you’ve saved that you definitely won’t read.
Those frameworks you bookmarked that you probably won’t revisit.
That Instagram ad you kept without any intention to go back and purchase.

It’s okay to keep what you need and delete what you don’t.

If you enjoyed reading this newsletter, go ahead and delete it! If you want to save the tips, awesome. Save them! But if not, go ahead and make your inbox a little bit lighter.

Delete after reading.

Happy holidays, friends.

x, Kat