The Fewer Leaders You Have, The Better They Have to Be (09/09/2025)

September 09, 2025

Happy Tuesday!

This week both things I wrote are tied to trends we are seeing in the workplace that affect our organizations and our leaders.

Both are worth your time, and avoiding awareness and understanding of these trends will be detrimental to your progress and success.

Since your success – both as an organization and as an individual – is our main concern, make sure you take us up on our annual offer.

This is the fifth annual Virtual LeaderCon – where we bring top thought leaders for you to learn from and interact with. We don’t believe there is any other event quite like it that combines world-class ideas with high quality interaction. If you haven’t yet registered (for free), now is your chance. I’m willing to bet that joining us for some of this live event will be one of the most meaningful things you do for your development as a leader (or the leaders in your organization) this year.

Make it a great Tuesday and remember …

You are Remarkable!

Kevin 😊

When Flexible Becomes Infinite

One of the outcomes of the work-from-home practices driven by the Covid-19 pandemic was that many people were able to flex their workday to fit around their life. This was seen as a positive result from most perspectives. I believe, if you ask my team, that the flexibility we provide is one of the things they value highly as a member of our team.

For context, as you read my thoughts, we allowed/created a very flexible approach long before Covid – in part, because we were largely remote prior to that time as well.

As is often the case, when things are good, we lean into them further – often turning something good into something less so.

Such seems to be the case here.

I don’t know if you have heard of the phrase the “infinite workday”. If not, I am sorry to bring it to your attention, because it is an insidious idea. On the other hand, it is easier to avoid something, once you know it exists.

As far as I can tell, the phrase emanated from Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Annual Report released in April.

While the report talks much about the uses and promises of AI to transform work, it shares some pretty dire trends about when and how much time people are spending working (based on their usage of MS software products).

While there is plenty I could unpack from their findings, I want to stay with the data about when people are working. Here are just a couple of nuggets:

  • 40% of people who are online at 6 am are reviewing work email.

  • Meetings after 8 pm are up 16% year over year

  • 29% of people are in their inboxes after 10 pm.

  • Nearly 20% of employees are checking email before noon on Saturday and Sunday.

The phrase “the infinite workday” was spawned from this data.

I have done all those things (no after 8 pm meetings – except when delivering training globally), and much as I wish my team hasn’t, I’m betting they have too. But being able/choosing to do it is vastly different than it being a habit or an expectation.

“I can” is flexibility.

“I must” or “I’m expected to” is something different, and in this case, something that needs to be questioned.

If you are a leading a team, ask yourself these four questions:

  • Do I know when my team is working, and why they are doing so?

  • If people are working in the evening to get uninterrupted time, why aren’t we giving that to them during the regular workday?

  • Do I want/expect my team to work the way I do? (If not, chances are they are anyway.)

  • If we are working more, not just flexibly, are we getting more done (remember activity isn’t accomplishment)?

If you are a team member, and feeling like you must work more times of the day, ask yourself these questions:

  • Are you sure it is expected, or are you placing this on yourself?

  • Have you had a conversation with your boss and/or team about this creeping length of the workday? (If not, please consider it.)

  • If this extended day, as a regular course of business, is the expectation, is this what you want from your work? (If not, start building a plan to find a different role.)

I hope you are modeling, expecting or living in a working world that feels like an infinite workday. If you are, I urge you to make sure it is a conscious choice you are happy with – and that it is truly helping you reach your goals.

Unfortunately, I believe most that find themselves in this situation have arrived there unconsciously, and unaware that this approach rarely achieves more and nearly always has negative consequences for results and employee health and satisfaction.

The Fewer Leaders You Have, The Better They Have to Be

If you are a leader, you may find yourself with more direct reports.

That’s what the trends seem to show.

Organizations, large and small, are taking out layers of middle managers, not replacing managers who leave.

The biggest reason you hear is “we need to become more agile”. While that may be true, it is also true that in uncertain times, organizations want to reduce headcount – and doing that in the management ranks is a popular option.

Thanks for reading. Please reply at any time with questions or feedback for our team.

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