Life Doesn’t Check Your Calendar - Is Your Business Ready for Real Life?

I’ve been sitting with a question lately.

Are you ready?

And not ready for growth, or a new quarter, or the next big opportunity.

I mean —
are you ready for life to change?

Because life doesn’t usually ask permission.
It doesn’t check your calendar.
It doesn’t care what’s going on at work.

It just shows up.

I had no idea how much my life would change when my mother-in-law moved in with us.

She has dementia and can no longer live on her own. And I want to be really clear — none of this is bad. She’s a wonderful person. She’s pleasant. She’s kind. We’re grateful she’s with us.

But life looks very different now.

Making sure she takes her medication.
Making sure she eats.
Paying bills.
Reworking Medicare.
Finding new doctors.
Scheduling appointments.
Driving to those appointments — sometimes more than once a week.

It’s like having a toddler again.

Everything takes a little longer.

Not because something is wrong —
but because life has changed.

And when life changes, it doesn’t stay neatly contained at home. It follows us into work. It changes how we show up. Our energy. Our patience. Our focus.

If you’re a business owner, a leader, or someone responsible for others, those changes affect your business whether you acknowledge them or not.

Most of us tell ourselves we’ll “adjust quickly.”

I’ve handled hard things before.
I’ll figure it out.
This will settle down.

And maybe it will.

But what we don’t always account for is that even manageable situations still require space. And space is not something business naturally allows for — unless we intentionally build it in.

One of the biggest things life transitions impacts, and we don’t talk about this enough, is mental load.

It’s not just the tasks.
It’s the remembering.
The tracking.
The planning around unpredictability.
The quiet concern running in the background of everything else you do.

That mental load doesn’t disappear when you sit down at your desk.

And when leaders pretend it doesn’t exist, the cracks show up. Usually subtly. Shorter responses. Less patience. Delayed decisions. Less presence.

Even when you think you’re hiding it, your team can feel that something is different.

Now let me say this clearly.

I am not saying leaders should overshare their personal lives at work. You don’t need to explain everything.

But there is a difference between privacy and silence.

Sometimes all that’s needed is something simple and grounded:

“I’m going through a personal transition right now. Everything is okay, but it does mean I’ll be adjusting my availability a bit. I’ll keep you informed.”

No details.
No explanations.
Just clarity.

And clarity is incredibly stabilizing.

And not all life transitions are hard.

Some are actually really beautiful.

Sometimes the kids move out.
The house gets quieter.
Your calendar opens up.
And you realize — I can travel again.

Not squeezing something into a long weekend.
Not feeling guilty for being away.

But real time off. Real experiences. Real space.

And in that season, work doesn’t matter less — it just matters differently.

Time off becomes precious.
Flexibility becomes motivating.
Freedom becomes a priority.

This is where many businesses miss the mark.

Because time off isn’t just a “nice benefit.”
For many people — especially in this season of life — it’s the most treasured one.

What motivates someone at 30 is often very different from what motivates them at 55 or 60. And when leaders fail to recognize that, they lose really good people — not because of money, but because of rigidity.

Time off stops being a perk and starts being a retention strategy.

Which brings us to policies.

When life changes, policies are often where things quietly break down.

On paper, most companies say they support their people. They say they value family. They say they care about balance.

But the real question is:

Do your policies actually allow for life to happen?

Not in theory.
In practice.

Because life doesn’t show up neatly.

Someone needs flexibility for doctor appointments.
Someone needs time off for caregiving.
Someone needs to leave early — again.
Someone’s energy is lower than usual.

And in those moments, people don’t read the handbook and feel reassured.

They ask themselves something else entirely:

Is it safe to ask for what I need here?

Policies don’t just protect the company.
They send a message.

They tell people whether this is a place where life is acknowledged — or something they’re expected to hide.

And people remember how they were treated during a difficult season. Long after the season passes.

So, I’ll leave you with this.

Life transitions don’t make you less capable.
They don’t make you less committed.
They don’t make you a bad leader.

They make you human.

And leadership isn’t about pretending life isn’t happening.

It’s about knowing how to lead when it is.