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Leaders today are stretched to the breaking point. Many managers enter their roles wanting to coach and care for their teams. But in todays workplace, that vision is colliding with a lengthening list of competing pressures: performance metrics, shifting workplace norms, and the unrelenting emotional labor of guiding teams through crisis after crisis. As one manager told me, I want to be an empathetic leader and support my team, but we still have to make the numbers. Mostly, I just stay later myself. Another admitted, Last year I ended up in the hospital. Newly released workplace data from Gallup reflects this worrying reality. In 2024, global engagement declined for just the second time in the past 12 years. It fell in 2020, as the pandemic swept across the globe, and it fell again last year. Importantly, Gallup reports, the drop in engagement was not due to worker engagement levels. It was entirely due to declining engagement levels among managers. The rise and fall of manager engagement So why are managers feeling less engaged on the job? Gallup cites workplace disruption over the past five years due to the pandemic, a hiring boom and bust, workplace restructurings, supply chain challenges, and changing expectations around technology and flexible work. The political and social upheaval of recent years has likely also taken a toll, particularly as managers are often tasked to pull teams together through fractious times. In a 2024 survey by mental healthcare provider Headspace, 98% of employees reported that global events affect their mental health at work. According to a recent report by mental health benefits broker Lyra, 85% of human resources leaders agree that managers are an integral part of our workplace mental health strategy. Unfortunately, just 39% also agree that they provide those managers with resources to support mental well-being at work. The disproportionate stress that managers face, the report adds, is due to high expectations for supporting workforce mental health paired with limited resources. We can observe demographic differences in who is the most impacted, too. Notably, Gallup found the steepest declines in engagement among managers under 35 (down 5%) and female managers (down 7%). In my experience, these are also the managers most likely to absorb emotional labortaking on additional responsibility for their teams mental health while struggling to set boundaries for themselves. Its a recipe for leadership fatigue. How managers can overcome leadership exhaustion So where does that leave todays leaders, especially those torn between showing up for their teams and preserving their own capacity? The answer isnt to dial down your empathy: Its to practice that empathy in ways that are sustainable. That means setting boundaries, protecting your own energy, and modeling healthy leadership. Here are a few ways to start. Stop fixing and start coaching. Its natural to want to help when a team member brings a problem to you, but jumping in with solutions can create dependency and drain your reserves. Instead, respond with curiosity: What have you tried so far? or What do you think would help? This approach empowers your team to develop resilience and creative thinking while also preserving your bandwidth. They may even come up with some great solutions that hadnt occurred to you. Structure routines to preserve your own energy. Theres no rule that says good leaders need an open-door policy or a standing Monday meeting. If your current routines are depleting you, change them. Could you cluster one-on-ones into two days a week? Shift updates to asynchronous channels like email or Slack? Your energy is a finite resourcestructure your week to protect it. Interrogate urgency. There are some emergencies, but not everything is an emergency. Preserve your energy for when you really need it. Start asking, Does this need to happen now? and Whats the worst that happens if this waits? Helping your team (and yourself) reset expectations around urgency can relieve pressure and improve decision-making. Pursue your own goals. Your identity is not just the person holding everything together. Leaders need renewal, too. Whether its training for a marathon, learning to play the piano, or pursuing a professional certification, make sure you have something on the horizon thats just for you. These personal goals restore energy and remind you that your needs matter, too. Delegate and celebrate others strengths. Delegation isnt just efficientit builds trust and engagement. Maybe youre not great at spreadsheets, or memo-writing, or icebreakers. Somebody on your team probably is. Hand over those responsibilities and praise mightily their superior expertise in the areas you despise, both to them and in front of others, so theyre recognized for that work. Identifying where others excel and delegating effectively can alleviate pressure and allow others to shine. Leading with presence and compassion isnt easy, but it shouldnt be unsustainable. Empathy isnt a blank check on your energy or availability. By setting healthy boundaries, modeling sustainable practices, and protecting your own well-being, you can lead with strength and compassion over the long term. Start with one small shiftsay no to a nonessential meeting, delegate one lingering task, or block an hour for something that restores you. Your team doesnt just need you to care. They need you to last.
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Parental leave is often treated as a checkbox issuehandled quietly by HR, focused on paperwork, and confined to a narrow window of time. But Amy Beacom, founder and CEO of the Center for Parental Leave Leadership and author of The Parental Leave Playbook, is reshaping that view. With over 25 years of experience in executive coaching and organizational development, Beacom, who has an EdD degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Columbia University, partners with leading companies to transform parental leave into a strategic advantage for retention, equity, and leadership growth. In this conversation, Beacom unpacks some of the biggest misconceptions about parental leaveand shares best practices and innovative strategies for companies of all sizes to better support employees before, during, and after this critical transition. What are some of the biggest misconceptions organizations still hold about parental leave today? First, that parental leave is solely about paid time off, administration, and compliance. When seen only through this limited lens, leave remains siloed in HR, and its broader potential is overlooked. In reality, parental leave can be a powerful driver of talent retention, employee well-being, DEI-B goals, leadership development, organizational culture, brand reputation, risk mitigation, and more. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/acupofambition_logo.jpg","headline":"A Cup of Ambition","description":"A biweekly newsletter for high-achieving moms who value having a meaningful career and being an involved parent, by Jessica Wilen. To learn more visit acupofambition.substack.com.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/acupofambition.substack.com","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}} Second, that parental leave begins when a child arrives and ends when a parent returns to work. The full employee experience often spans over a yearstarting before leave is announced and continuing long after the return. Without meaningful support across all three phasespreparing for, during, and returning from leaveorganizations risk losing talent and falling short of their intended ROI [return on investment].And third, that parental leave is only about moms. Leave benefits should be offered equally to all parents, not just mothers. Parental leave also impacts managers, teams, clients, and HR. When its seen not as a personal issue for moms but as a professional experience many employees will face, it becomes clear that leave is a standard part of the employee lifecycle. What are the core best practices every organizationregardless of sizeshould follow when it comes to supporting employees before, during, and after parental leave? Treat this time as unique and sacred, because for your employees it is. Begin with generous, gender-neutral paid family and medical leave benefits to create a strong foundation. Create a clear, centralized, and well-communicated intranet webpage that includes anything and everything leave-related. Include your policy, all benefits, expectations, assessments, coaching, training, templates, resources, etc. Provide structured guidance and planning support to both the employee and their manager before, during, and after leave. Train managers to understand the law, but just as importantly, train them how to confidently navigate the leave and return process with intentionality, empathy, and clarity. Normalize parental leave and return as a predictable part of the workplace experienceone that warrants consistent support and unlocks valuable opportunities for learning, growth, and leadership developmentnot as a disruption. Larger companies often have more resources. What innovative or exemplary approaches have you seen from bigger organizations when it comes to parental leave planning and reintegration?At the enterprise level, we help organizations integrate parental leave into leadership development, link manager support to performance goals, and use data to track and improve leave experiences across teams and regions. In some cases, we’ve scaled manager training across dozens of countries; in others, we’ve leveraged our digital coaching hub to build community and learning at scale. One of the most impactful and growing strategies we recommend is coachingusing certified RETAIN Parental Leave Coaches to support parents through leave and return, administer perinatal mental health screenings, and connect them to resources. Weve also helped organizations implement peer-based support like leave buddies and return-to-work cohorts to foster connection and ease the transition back to work. One area were currently focused onalongside several large companiesis designing effective leave coverage systems that double as developmental opportunities for high-potential employees or team members. We’re also exploring new ways to structure compensation and performance metrics that feel both fair and motivating. These arent just perkstheyre strategic tools for driving retention and performance Smaller organizations often cite resource constraints. What creative or low-cost strategies have you seen smaller employers use to support parental leave well?At the root of it, employees want to know they matter, especially during unpredictable times, and that simple act doesnt have to cost anything. The smaller employers we work with often shine through personalization and flexibilitythey use recognition in ways that feel meaningful and genuine. I also recommend using tools like shared planning templates and checklists for leave transitions, designating an HR point person to act as a leave concierge, and holding team-based planning sessions so responsibilities are clearly handed off and reintegrated. A warm, proactive conversation and a culture of support go a long wayeven without a big budget. Managers are often the linchpin in a parents leave experience. What support or guidance do they need?They need clear expectations, practical tools, and a safe, judgment-free space to ask questions. Most managers have never been trained on how to handle parental leave and return transitions and are afraid to say or do the wrong thing. Our evidence-based trainings provide communication frameworks, timelines, compliance essentials, and emotional intelligence skills. On top of training, the most impactful support we recommend is one-on-one coaching with a certified parental leave coach. When managers have confidential access to expert guidance, they feel more secure, parents feel more supportedand both are more likely to stay engaged and avoid burnout. Given the current political and cultural climate, what trends are you seeing in the future of parental leave policy and practiceand what might organizations need to prepare for?Theres growing recognition that leave is more than a benefitits a driver of long-term organizational health. Thirteen states plus D.C. have passed paid-leave legislation, and momentum is building toward federal standardization, and risin employee expectations are prompting companies to act ahead of mandates. Were also seeing a shift toward intersectional strategies that connect leave to leadership development, career growth, mental health, and caregiver support. Organizations that treat leave as a core talent strategynot just a compliance taskwill be best positioned for the future. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/acupofambition_logo.jpg","headline":"A Cup of Ambition","description":"A biweekly newsletter for high-achieving moms who value having a meaningful career and being an involved parent, by Jessica Wilen. To learn more visit acupofambition.substack.com.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/acupofambition.substack.com","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}}
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PECOS, TexasExtreme drought has diminished the flows of the Rio Grande and Pecos River, two of the most iconic waterways in Texas. The advocacy group American Rivers recently named the Lower Rio Grande one of its most endangered rivers, describing a near-permanent human-induced megadrought threatening all life that depends on it. On the Pecos River, there hasnt been enough water to distribute to irrigation districts below the Red Bluff Reservoir in recent years. While farmers and cities face increasing water scarcity, oil and gas companies use billions of gallons of water from these rivers annually. An exclusive Inside Climate News analysis found that drillers used more than 31,000 acre feet, or more than 10 billion gallons, of Rio Grande water for drilling and fracking operations in the Eagle Ford Shale between 2021 and 2024. Thats enough water to meet the needs of 113,500 Texas households for an entire year, based on average daily use of 246 gallons per household. At the Red Bluff Reservoir on the Pecos River, Daniel Arrant of Kingsley Water Company reports to have sold more than 75 million barrels of water, or more than 4 billion gallons, for oil and gas operations since 2016. Numerous Texas oil and gas companies have made voluntary commitments to reduce their freshwater use and shift to brackish or recycled water for use in fracking for oil and gas. But the water sales, like those reported by Arrant of the Kingsley Water Company, show that oil and gas drilling is still reliant on surface water from Texas rivers. Surface water sold for drilling and fracking is categorized as mining consumption under Texas law. Pumping water underground to drill or frack a well often permanently removes it from the natural hydrologic cycle, given the presence of chemical fracking fluids and natural toxins like arsenic following its use in the extraction process for oil or gas. Inside Climate News obtained Rio Grande water data from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) through a public information request. Kingsley Water Company, an oil field water services firm based in the Woodlands, a Houston suburb, was the top user of Rio Grande water for oil and gas drilling, followed by SM Energy Company, Segundo Navarro Drilling, and Select Water Solutions. Between the Rio Grande and the Pecos River, Kingsley has sold enough water for drilling to meet the needs of more than 100,000 Texas households for a year. Kinglsey and Arrant did not respond to multiple requests for comment. State Representative Vikki Goodwin criticized Apache Corp. for buying water from the Pecos River when, she says, recycled produced water from fracking was available. Inside Climate News independently confirmed the water purchase. Investments in projects to clean up and recycle frack water will dry up if oil companies dont opt to use the recycled water, Goodwin, a Democrat who represents Travis County, said. My hope is we dont wait until too late to make better decisions about our water resources in Texas. A spokesperson for Apache, headquartered in Houston, said the company minimizes the use of fresh water and is using non-fresh, non-potable water for fracking its oil and gas wells in Loving County near the reservoir. Eagle Ford Drillers Tap Rio Grande Tributaries in Mexico feed the Rio Grande in South Texas. But with Mexico behind on water deliveries to the United States, tensions on the river are high. The Amistad Reservoir, where water delivered by Mexico is stored, hit a historic low in July 2024. Extreme drought in counties like Webb and Maverick, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, is compounding the problem. Groundwater springs and tributaries are feeding less water into the river. Flows have decreased on the Rio Grande by more than 30% in recent decades. The Rio Grande is the sole source of drinking water for the city of Laredo in Webb County. Because of the drought, Laredo has asked residents to reduce water use for several consecutive years. Planners are considering costly alternative water sources to prepare for the day, projected to come around 2040, when the Rio Grande wont be enough to supply the city. Agriculture consumes the lions share of Rio Grande water, followed by municipal use. While groundwater is the primary source for oil and gas drilling, several companies still consume substantial volumes of surface water from the river. Webb County is at the heart of the fracking boom that took off in South Texass Eagle Ford Shale formation in 2010. The Eagle Ford Shale is now consistently one of the top three oil-producing basins in the country. Inside Climate News found that between 2020 and 2024, Kingsley Water Company used 12,363 acre feet of Rio Grande water, SM Energy used 11,379 acre feet, Segundo Navarro used 3,979 acre feet, and Select Water used 3,776 acre feet. An acre foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre of land to a depth of one foot, or 325,851 gallons. The companies did not respond to requests for comment. Rio Grande water rights are overseen by the TCEQ Rio Grande Watermaster. Water rights are adjudicated by the state and then can be bought and sold by private parties. Rights holders are allowed to divert a pre-approved amount of water at a specific location. Most of these rights are held by cities, farmers, and irrigation districts. Oilfield companies hold a small number. Kingsley Water Company is a subsidiary of Kingsley Constructors, headquartered in the Woodlands. In 2011, Daniel Arrant led the purchase and permitting of the Rio Grande water rights, according to the website of Voyager, the Houston private equity firm where he is a partner. Arrant entered contracts to resell the water to operators completing wells in the Eagle Ford Shale. These deals have sold more than 235 million barrels, or 9.87 billion gallons, of Rio Grande water, according to the Voyager website. Select Water Solutions, headquartered in Gainesville, Texas, also resells Rio Grande water to drilling companies. The companys 2023 sustainability report states that it places the utmost importance on safe, environmentally responsible management of water. Select Water Solutions reported selling a larger share of recycled water each year between 2020 and 2023. But the total volume of freshwater sold also increased in 2023 to a four-year high of more than 97 million barrels, or more than 4 billion gallons. SM Energy, a Denver-based independent exploration and production company, does not have public sustainability targets for minimizing water use and protecting water quality. Neither does San Antonio-based Segundo Navarro Drilling, a subsidiary of Lewis Energy Group. TCEQ does not collect data on how oil and gas companies use the surface water they purchase. Drilling, well completion, and fracking are all different steps in the lifecycle of a well that require water. TCEQ spokesperson Ricky Richter said that between 2009 and 2023, annual surface water use for mining, which includes oil and gas operations, averaged 40,000 acre feet statewide, or about 13 billion gallons. TCEQ defines mining use as water for mining processes including hydraulic use, drilling, washing sand and gravel, and oil field repressuring. Martin Castro, watershed science director at the Rio Grande International Study Center (RGISC) in Laredo, analyzed water use in oil and gas operations for a 2021 report. He found drillers used 19 billion gallons of Rio Grande water between 2010 and 2020. Any reductions of the rivers water supply, when coupled with recurring droughts, will have disastrous consequences for Webb County and South Texas, Castro wrote at the time. Inside Climate Newss analysis found slightly higher annual rates of water diversions for oil and gas between 2021 to 2024 than rates noted in RGISCs report spanning the preceding decade. Castro was concerned that drillers are still using large volumes of Rio Grande water. Were not doing any better than four years ago, he said. Castro previously worked for TCEQ and observed water diversions used for fracking. But he said that, without reporting requirements, the true scale is unknown. Castro would like to see TCEQ collect data on how much surface water goes to drilling as opposed to fracking. He has also called on TCEQ to publish Rio Grande water diversion data, which currently is only available through records requests. There is no transparency, he said. RGISC collaborated with American Rivers in its campaign that named the Lower Rio Grande one of the countrys most endangered rivers. Castro said improving resilience on the river will require thinking outside of the box and increasing investment. The only way were going to improve conditions on the river is if we make serious federal investments, he said. Water rights downstream of Amistad Reservoir on the Rio Grande operate on a priority system, which ensures cities get their share of water during times of scarcity. Priority is given to municipal use, and municipal priority is guaranteed through a municipal reserve, said TCEQ spokesperson Laura Lopez. Water for mining use, as with irrigation and recreational use, is allocated to a water right holders account based on available storage in the system. Pecos River Water Sold from Red Bluff Reservoir The Pecos River begins in the mountains of New Mexico and flows through West Texas to meet the Rio Grande. An inter-state compact requires New Mexico to send Pecos River water to Texas, where it is impounded at the Red Bluff Reservoir. Reduced flows on the Pecos have lowered water levels at Red Bluff. On paper, the Red Bluff Power and Irrigation District, which manages the reservoir, holds rights to 292,500 acre feet a year of water. But its been a long time since there was that much water in the reservoir. Red Bluff sat at 65,000 acre feet in early May. Because of the low reservoir levels, Red Bluff is often unable to send water downstream to irrigation districts. Kingsley secured the mining water right in 2014 for up to 7,500 acre feet of water a year, about 2.44 billion gallons. The Red Bluff district told Inside Climate News that Kinglsey purchased 1,400 acre feet, or more than 450 million gallons, in 2024. District general manager Robin Prewit said the water sales to oil and gas drillers are a drop in the bucket. She said that even if the district did not sell water to Kingsley, because of evaporation and transportation losses, there would not be enough water to send to the irrigation districts. Im not having to choose one or the other, she said. What she said she could really use is more rain in the Pecos River watershed in New Mexico. Salinity is another challenge. The water at Red Bluff is salty enough to be considered brackish. Farmers in the area grow salt-tolerant plants. But to be potable for human consumption the water would have to be treated. Apache, which purchased water from Kinglsey early this year, reported using 98.2% nonfresh water in 2023. Water from Red Bluff would be considered nonfresh because of the salinity levels. Ernest Woodward, a rancher outside McCamey, opposes the water sales for oil and gas drilling. It should not be, he said. Its for irrigation. He gave up farming barley after several years without irrigation water from Red Bluff. You go to all the labor to get the land prepared, and then you dont get the water, he said. Woodward would like to see water flowing in the river again. We dont have enough water, he said. Were starving. This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News. It is republished with permission. Sign up for its newsletter here.
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