Why Summer Reveals Leadership Habits (Good and Bad)

There is something about summer that changes the rhythm of work.

Schedules loosen. Vacations create gaps in the calendar. Some people are working remotely from somewhere with a better view, while others are covering for colleagues who are enjoying well-earned time away. Meetings may be fewer, decisions may take a little longer, and the usual urgency can give way to a welcome—and sometimes uncomfortable—pause.

And that is exactly why I think summer is such an interesting season for leaders.

When the pace slows down, leadership habits become easier to see.

During the rest of the year, strong systems, deadlines and organizational routines can mask leadership weaknesses. But when the structure loosens, we see what leaders naturally do. Do they trust their people—or do they feel compelled to stay involved in everything? Do they communicate clearly—or assume everyone knows what they need to know? Do they create connection—or disappear until September?

Summer is, in many ways, a leadership laboratory.

What happens when the leader isn't in the room?

Some of the most important leadership isn't happening in formal meetings or one-on-one conversations. It happens informally—in the hallway, on Teams, over coffee, in the quick question from a colleague, or in the five-minute conversation that helps someone see a problem differently.

That informal influence matters.

Recent Gallup research reinforces just how consequential a manager's everyday leadership can be. Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026 reports that global employee engagement fell to 20% in 2025, its lowest level since 2020. Even more striking: manager engagement declined from 31% in 2022 to 22% in 2025, and Gallup attributes most of the recent decline in employee engagement to lower manager engagement. (Gallup.com)

In other words, how leaders show up matters—even when they aren't “doing leadership.”
Summer can expose that quickly.

A leader who routinely checks in, asks thoughtful questions, recognizes contributions and makes time for people doesn't suddenly stop leading because half the office is on vacation.

Likewise, a leader who relies heavily on control, constant meetings or being the person with all the answers may struggle when the normal structures disappear.

The summer test: Can your team lead without you?

One of the best questions a leader can ask this summer is:

“What happens when I'm not here?”

Not as a test of whether everything falls apart—but as a measure of whether you have created enough clarity, trust and confidence for others to step up.

Great leaders don't create dependence. They create capability.

That means giving people enough context to make decisions, enough authority to act, and enough confidence to use their judgment. It also means resisting the temptation to swoop in and “fix” everything simply because you can.

This is particularly important as work becomes more distributed and increasingly complex. Microsoft's 2026 Work Trend Index describes a workplace in which AI is taking on more execution and humans increasingly have more agency to direct work, make decisions and own outcomes. (Microsoft)

That makes informal leadership and influence even more important—not less.

Use the lull to notice your leadership habits

Rather than trying to squeeze more productivity out of a slower season, consider using summer as a leadership reset.

Notice:

• What do I do when things aren't urgent?
• Do I trust people to make decisions without me?
• Who steps up when I step back?
• Where am I unintentionally creating dependency?
• What conversations am I having informally that may be more important than my formal meetings?
• What leadership behaviors do I want my team to experience consistently from me?

And perhaps the most important question:

If my team adopted my leadership habits, would I be pleased with the culture they created?
That's the real summer test.

Because leadership isn't only what happens when we're in charge, in the room, or on the agenda.

Leadership is the influence we leave behind when we aren't.

So enjoy the slower pace. Take the vacation. Let someone else run the meeting. Leave the office without checking email every 20 minutes.

And while you're at it, pay attention to what your team does when you step away.

You might learn something important about your leadership.