Showing up sick isn't a sign of strength.It's a red flag.

📅 Monday Morning.

My youngest son starts coughing.

By Tuesday, my oldest daughter joins the chorus. Then comes the fever, the sleepless nights, and the realisation that neither can go to school for the rest of the week.

My first thought?

But here's what happened instead:

My company didn’t just accommodate the situation — they made it clear:

No guilt.
No pressure.
No “quick check-ins while they nap.”

Just: “Do your best, and take care of them.”

The anxiety melted. The work got done. The team kept moving.

But here's the shocking part:
Most companies still get this completely wrong.

🧨 The Problem Most Leaders Miss

We celebrate the wrong heroes.

• The one who works through illness.

• The one who replies at midnight.

• The “dedicated” one who never takes vacation.

After years in the trenches with real managers and their teams, here’s what I’ve learned:

Sick employees make expensive mistakes.
Burned-out teams implode.
And the “heroes”?
They're often your biggest liability.

🔁 The Contrarian Framework: Values That Actually Work

Forget posters with “Integrity” and “Excellence.”

Real team values need 3 things:

1. A clear principle (what we protect)

2. A specific alternative (what we do instead)

3. A business reason (why it matters)

I’ll show you one powerful example. But every manager needs to do this exercise for real — adapted to what their team desperately needs right now.

🛑 Value #1: Health First

• Principle: No one works sick. Period.

• Alternative: Manager covers urgent items. No “quick check-ins.”

• Reason: Sick teams break faster than slow ones.

🔕 Value #2: Clear Communication

• Principle: No late-night pings. Focus time is sacred.

• Alternative: Draft at night. Send in the morning. Block 2-hour focus windows.

• Reason: Rushing without clarity = mess.

💬 Value #3: Honest Feedback

• Principle: Feedback is direct, kind, and timely.

• Alternative: Every 1:1 ends with “Start / Stop / Continue?”

• Reason: Unspoken issues kill teams.

🛠 Your 30-Minute Action Plan

Don’t assume. Ask.

Here’s how:

1. Schedule a 30-minute team session.

2. Ask: “What do we want to protect, no matter how hard things get?”

3. For each value, define:

   • The Principle

   • The Alternative

   • The Reason

4. Print them. Post them. Reference them weekly.

5. Make it a ritual. Not a plaque.

🚀 Bonus Tool for Subscribers

I’ve created a Team Values Workshop Template to guide this exact conversation.

It includes:

• ✅ 15 real team values that actually work

• 🧠 Question prompts to get honest answers

• 📊 A system to check if values are alive or dead

• 📅 Monthly templates to keep values in action

(Premium subscribers only.)

👀 What About You?

What’s the most expensive mistake your team made…
Because someone felt they “had to push through”?

Hit reply and tell me.
I read every response — and I often share the best (with permission).

P.S. Forward this to a manager who needs a culture reset.
They’ll thank you.

This isn’t corporate fluff. It’s what real leadership looks like, week after week.
The Boring Manager — Don’t Be One.