#4. The day I called everyone back

Since COVID, remote work has become our normal. And with it, so many of the things I value, like flexibility, autonomy, and space for life, came with us. But over time, I started to notice something change.

The culture felt flatter.
Decisions slowed.
Collaboration dulled.
Innovation… paused.

Eventually, the cracks showed in our results. Financially. Operationally. Emotionally.

As a leader, I felt torn. I did not want to be the person who reverses a progressive structure. The one who asks for more.

I worried about how people would react.
I worried about losing great talent.
I worried about being misunderstood.

But underneath the worry was something else: truth.

The truth was that we were no longer operating at our best.
The truth is that connection is not just nice to have. It is essential to performance.
And the truth is that my role is not to protect people from discomfort.
It is to lead them through it.

On the first of May, I could not hold it in anymore.
I gathered the entire team. I shared what was happening. The data. The feedback. The reality of where we stood.

And then, I made the call.
Back to the office.
Five days a week.
One clear shift for all of us.

I did not make the decision alone.
I leaned on my leadership team.
I asked for their backing.
And together, we set the tone.

Within a month, everything changed.

We brought back daily stand-ups. Focused. Human. Energised.
We tackled every customer pain point in real time.
And in just thirty days, we hit our highest guest ratings in five years.

Not from pressure.
From presence.
From rhythm.
From the spark that comes when people are in it together.

The Bigger Realisation

This was a leadership moment and also a parenting one.

Because what I have learned, both at home and at work, is this.

People, whether they are your children or your team, are quietly hoping you will make the right call, even if they do not like it.

They want to know someone is watching the horizon.
Someone who will choose what is needed over what is easy.

That day, I stopped trying to protect people from discomfort.
I chose to lead instead.

Where in your life or work are you avoiding a hard call? And what would happen if you made it with truth, care, and clarity?