In our house with two school-aged sons, my wife and I experience the kind of stress that stems from deep love and concern for our children. As parents, we have done our best to help them navigate stressful times, most recently during the end-of-school-year sprint that included standardized testing, sports playoffs, and the all-important final class grades. We’ve had heartfelt conversations about trying their best, staying patient during tests, and using strategies like showing their work to help them uncover the answers. We’ve also made motivational cards for them, each one personalized with Fortnite images or my boys’ favorite athletes, to help them feel supported and encouraged. They’ve told us these cards help them stay focused and bring a sense of calm.
During the last months of the school year, we even introduced meditation before bedtime to help them sleep more restfully and wake up centered. Still, their stress sometimes bubbled to the surface, showing up as forgetfulness, nighttime fears, or simply feeling overwhelmed. And of course, their worries become ours.
The Impact on Work
When you’re concerned about your kids, it doesn’t stay neatly boxed in the realm of home life. It follows you to work. It shows up in distracted thinking, lower energy, and difficulty being fully present with clients or colleagues. For me, that’s meant moments where coaching conversations require extra effort to focus, or when administrative tasks that once felt easy now feel mentally exhausting.
But just as we coach our kids through pressure, we can coach ourselves. As we return to a busier fall cadence, with the sharp return of school routines and business acceleration, here are five leadership strategies I’m leaning on to lead well at work even when parenting feels emotionally heavy:
1. Name the Stress and Share the Load
One of the most powerful ways I’ve managed this stress is by talking openly with my wife. We make space to share not just updates about the boys, but how we’re doing emotionally. These conversations lighten the psychological burden and remind us that we’re not alone in this. Being candid with a partner or friend can also spark new ideas for how to improve things for our children and for ourselves.
In the workplace, this practice translates into psychological safety. As a leader, naming issues and concerns (appropriately and professionally) creates space for others to do the same. That openness fosters empathy, encourages transparency, and builds trust. You don’t need to overshare; just lead with humanity.
2. Shift the Focus to Long-Term Growth
We remind ourselves that we’re not just helping our kids get through a test or win a game. We’re helping them build resilience and life skills they’ll need for years to come. These are the seeds we hope will grow into deep-rooted confidence and self-awareness. That perspective doesn’t erase stress, but it gives it purpose.
The same holds true for leading teams. When business feels high-stakes or pressure is mounting, great leaders remind their people that development is the goal. It’s not just about the quarterly results, it’s about who we’re becoming as professionals and as collaborators.
3. Be Interruptible
Kids don’t schedule their vulnerability. They won’t wait until you finish that email or wrap up that meeting. When they come to you, be interruptible. Those moments when they’re nervous or overwhelmed or just need to talk are where real parenting happens. And they don’t last forever.
Being interruptible at work means staying human in your leadership. Team members need to feel like there’s space to be heard not just in 1:1s, but in real time, too. The best leaders allow space for the “unscheduled” Those are the quick touch base check-ins, talking through moments of frustration, or brief “I see you” moments that foster connection. You don’t have to solve every problem. You just need to be present.
4. Bring Grace to Work (and Home)
You’re not going to be at 100% all the time. Some days, your brain will be divided. Some nights, sleep will be short. But even on those days, showing up matters. Authenticity matters. And sometimes, when you’re honest about what you’re carrying, it builds deeper connection with your colleagues or clients, not less.
Grace is a leadership skill. Extending grace to yourself and others builds a culture of resilience. When people see that they can be human, even during hard seasons, they’re more likely to stay engaged, committed, and loyal. As a leader, modeling self-compassion gives others permission to do the same.
5. Plan for Storms, Not Just the Sunshine
Now is the time to prepare, as fall routines take hold and the next cycle of schoolwork and business demands ramp up. What routines ground you? What helps your kids decompress? What support systems do you want in place when the first school tests hit?
The same goes for teams. Great leaders plan not only for strategy and execution, but for well-being. What rituals help your team decompress after a heavy lift? What practices support sustainable performance?
If we only build our coping strategies during stressful times, we’re always behind.
Parental stress is real, and it doesn’t come with a clean separation from your professional life. But it can be managed, with grace, perspective, and community.
You don’t have to do it alone. And neither does your team.
As we move into fall, I invite you to take a moment to pause and plan.
- What helped you and your family feel supported last year?
- What rhythms or rituals made a difference for your team?
- What small adjustments would make this fall feel less overwhelming?
