Back to School: How to Lead When Everything's in Motion

August sneaks up on us.

The pool days start to dwindle. The sun slips away a little earlier each night. Calendars fill up with back-to-school lists, work deadlines, and that creeping feeling of “routine” returning after a summer that felt, if only briefly, a bit freer.

This is a season of change. And while change is natural, it isn’t always easy.

Whether you're a parent watching your child board the bus for the first time, or a leader helping your team shift gears after a looser summer schedule, you’re navigating transition; personally and professionally. And so is everyone around you.

Change Brings Loss (Even the Good Kind)

It’s tempting to charge into fall with productivity hacks and new routines. But let’s not skip over something important: change often comes with grief.

• Grief over the slower mornings that summer allowed.

• Grief over a child growing older, needing you differently.

• Grief over daylight slipping away or projects that didn’t get done.

• Grief, even, over a season ending that felt safe, soft, or joyful.

As leaders—of families or teams—we need to normalize that. Change isn’t just an adjustment in the calendar. It’s an emotional shift. And when people resist change, they’re often not resisting the new—they’re mourning what they’re leaving behind.

So How Do We Lead Through Change?

Name It

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is say what’s already true.

“I know this time of year can feel overwhelming.”
“It’s normal to feel a little off as we settle back into the swing of things.”

When you name change, you remove shame. People feel seen. And when people feel seen, they trust more deeply.

Give People Time to Recalibrate

Don't expect peak performance on day one. Whether it's your 9-year-old melting down after school or a team member missing a deadline post-vacation, remember: transitions take time. Create buffer zones. Offer grace. Ease people in, just as you would after a long flight or a major life shift. Change fatigue is real, even when the changes seem small.

Anchor in Purpose, Not Pressure

It’s tempting to motivate with urgency: “We’ve got a lot to catch up on!” But what people need is purpose: Why does this work matter? Who are we becoming as we move forward? Remind your team or your family of the “why.” Instead of just saying, “We’re back to routine,” say, “We’re getting back to the rhythm that helps us grow, contribute, and feel grounded.”

Model Flexibility

Not everything has to snap back into place. Maybe meetings don’t have to be scheduled back-to-back. Maybe your family can still eat outside once a week, even if school’s back in session. Maybe your team can start the fall with a walking 1:1 instead of a formal status update.

Change doesn’t have to mean losing what worked, sometimes it means carrying the best of the last season into the next.

Change Isn’t the Enemy…Disconnection Is

People can handle a lot of change. What they can’t handle is feeling alone in it.

Whether you’re a parent, a team leader, a partner, or a friend, this is your moment to lead not with control, but with connection. To ask how people are doing, to share how you're feeling, and to build the kind of culture, at home or at work, where seasons can shift without people falling apart.

Summer may be ending. But something new is beginning. Let’s help each other walk into it, with compassion, clarity, and care.