I remember I had an acting teacher who used to tell us about fear: “There’s scared, and you do, and scared and you don’t, you are going to be scared anyway so you might as well do.”

As I watch all the articles, posts, and overall handwringing on whether, as the pandemic continues, employees should have to work from home or work from the office, I can’t help but think to repurpose his quote for the new world order: Work from home, work from the office, work is going to happen anyway. 

Ultimately the way leaders handle the decision affecting where their employees work will be reflective of their values, what they actually do and being thoughtful about the best way to achieve their mission for their organization.

That being said, the backlash to the back to the office announcements in industries such as banking and law was a surprise to me.

Just read the angry comments when this lawyer shared his point of view about his firm’s choice to return to work in the height of the pandemic.

All I could think was, well, what did you expect?

The culture and values of those who lead these institutions are reflected in how they show up and how they want their employees to show up. It certainly did back when I was a young lawyer.  I can still hear the old joke: “If you don’t come in Saturday don’t bother to come in on Sunday.”

We joined those firms as a rite of passage and a notch on a perceived pedigree that would further our careers in a hard-driving profession. And I suspect most of us expected those long hours in the office because there was a history of showing up that way for all incoming generations (think of poor Bob Cratchit and Bartleby the Scrivener reimagined in eighties power suits).

A few days ago I came across Ian Sohn’s, CEO of Hawkeye, compelling message to his team about how he expects them to show up for work.  It’s a manifesto about what he values in them and his expectations that they show up, wherever that may be, as the human beings that they are. His call to action is completely reflective of who he is as a leader. It’s also the ultimate guide for those who are ready to engage their employees like the committed adults they are in making decisions about how they can best show up.

The work from home, work from the office debate misses the whole point of showing up for work.  It’s not about where you do it, but how you show up when you do it – purposeful, energized and ready.

Leaders who are wrestling with how to address the needs of their organization with the needs of their employees should take the time to focus on:

1. Their own core values and leadership mission

2. Their employees’ values and needs and their role, and

3. Those they serve and impact

When they do they’ll be making a decision of how and where they want their employees to show up, based not on how it used to be, but based on leadership.

Outlaw Leaders show up for work by paying attention to what’s important at the core, for themselves, their employees and those they serve.