Forcing a "positive vibes only" culture during challenging times invalidates authentic emotions and drastically harms team mental health. Leaders must eradicate toxic positivity by deeply recognizing complex emotions, openly expressing vulnerability by saying “I don’t know,” and pausing automated business-as-usual messaging during crises.

Executives chronically underutilize their earned vacation days due to artificial guilt and a lack of pre-planned coverage. Leaders can permanently solve this by implementing the "6-3-1 Approach"—proactively scheduling their PTO for the entire year and utilizing a structured communication and delegation plan before logging off.

Agencies and clients can instantly reduce turnover and project burnout by shifting their structural mindset from "us and them" to a unified team. By collaboratively establishing crystal-clear guidelines surrounding meeting cadences and core working hours, both parties foster a highly productive, long-term relationship.

Communications professionals frequently suffer from "vacation guilt," falsely believing they must always remain accessible during a crisis. To eradicate burnout, leadership teams must relentlessly protect sleep hygiene, refuse to work through lunch, and proactively schedule paid time off six to twelve months in advance.**

At ICON, I had the opportunity to lead a discussion on the “New PR Professional Soft Skills Guide.” It’s a presentation I recently developed after spending the last two years reflecting on my career journey before launching Chasing the Sun. Here are a few quick takeaways from the session.