September 2025
When Extended Leave Becomes a Leadership Test
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Twenty years ago this year, in 2005, I stepped away from my job as a cube-dwelling IT Analyst at Walt Disney World for sixteen months. I wasn’t moving to another role, going back to school, or even taking a sabbatical. I was deploying to Afghanistan with the U.S. Army.
Leaving my career behind for that long was a daunting prospect. I wondered what it would mean for my future at Disney. Would my team be supportive? Would I come back to the same opportunities? Would my employer see me as a disruption rather than a contributor?
To this day, I remain deeply grateful for how Disney handled that season of my life. They didn’t just comply with the letter of the law; they embodied the spirit of support. They smoothed my transition out of the company, ensured my family was cared for while I was away, and welcomed me back with open arms when I returned. There was no sense of penalty for stepping away. Instead, there was respect, appreciation, and an intentional effort to reintegrate me smoothly.
And I will never forget my colleague, Fred, who literally gifted me a week of his vacation time so I could spend more time with my family before I left.
That experience cemented my loyalty to Disney and shaped how I think about leadership. Extended leave, whether military, medical, family, or otherwise, isn’t just an HR exercise. It’s a cultural moment… it reveals what an organization truly values and how leaders truly lead.
| | President & CEO, Turknett Leadership Group | |
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DEMI GRAY, TLG CONSULTANT
How can moments of leave - whether parental, medical, or bereavement - be reframed as opportunities for team growth or resilience?
People who are on leave present an opportunity to strengthen the team’s capability. When one person steps out, others often have the chance to stretch into new responsibilities, develop leadership skills or other attributes, or cross-train in new areas. With the right framing, a team can come out of the experience more resilient and versatile while supporting the leave.
It also gives leaders a chance to show that they value people as whole humans, not just as roles - reinforcing trust and loyalty. For example, at one mid-sized company I worked with, a director’s sudden bereavement leave forced the team to redistribute work. Instead of panicking, leadership framed it as an opportunity to test bench strength and gave employees stretch assignments. When the director returned, the team had grown in capability, and the business identified two employees who might be ready for promotions.
One of the key lessons is that moments of leave can reveal hidden talent and build resilience - if leaders approach them with trust and proper planning.
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Leave Management: The Ultimate Guide
Kristy Synder, Kelly Main, & Brette Sember, JD | Forbes Advisor
On average, the typical American takes 17.4 days of paid time off (PTO) a year. As an employer, having leave management policies in place can help you better plan for when employees use their vacation time. Whether they’re using simple PTO or a more complicated FMLA leave, employees benefit from leave management policies that help them keep track of used days. On your end of things, leave management helps you keep your company productive and legally compliant.
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We are thrilled to announce our next live virtual event!
Drawing on over 25 years of entrepreneur experience and passion for advocating for women-owned businesses in the U.S. and around the world, our featured guest will inform, inspire, and invigorate all who attend on how to break barriers, seize opportunities, and remain resilient in bringing purpose-filled ideas to lie – as an entrepreneur or intrapreneur.
Listen in as our speaker shares her unique experiences and insights.
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Facilitated by Anne Quiello, M.S., PCC
Senior Consultant & Host of Women in Leadership
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SHRM Atl Chapter Meeting at the College Football Hall of Fame
So grateful to have attended the SHRM-Atlanta Chapter meeting at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame. Huge thank you to SHRM-Atlanta for hosting such a powerful event!
The focus was on “Leadership Lessons from the Field to the Workplace,” with keynote speaker Rennie Curran - former University of Georgia and Tennessee Titans linebacker - sharing his journey from athlete to business leader. His story of resilience, vision, and authentic leadership inspired us all and underscored the qualities needed to develop the next wave of leaders.
A fantastic evening of learning, connection, and community with Atlanta’s HR leaders. Excited to carry these lessons forward!
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Vicki Abelson at the UGA College of Public Health
Conflict and negotiation are never simple - but they’re essential skills for future leaders in public health.
Last week, our VP of Leadership Development, Vicki Abelson, joined the University of Georgia’s Master of Public Health program as a guest lecturer. The students were incredibly engaged, diving into meaningful discussions and reflecting on their own approaches to conflict and negotiation.
A heartfelt thank you to the UGA Master of Public Health department for the opportunity to connect with such bright and thoughtful future leaders!
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InspirEdu Atlanta 2025 Inspire Gala
Thank you to Inspiredu for hosting the annual Inspire Gala, an unforgettable evening honoring the achievements, partnerships, and people who make their mission achievable. It was wonderful to reflect on a year of progress in digital learning and creating a more connected, accessible future.
It was more than a celebration - it was a night of connection, recognition, and inspiration, and we are so glad to have been a part of it.
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Military Influencers Conference
We’re proud to share that our President & CEO, Tim Huff, spoke at the Military Influencers Conference on the panel “The Future of Veterans in Corporate America.”
The discussion highlighted a critical shift in perspective: Veterans should not be seen as a “needy” class of employees - but as a needed class of leaders. Veterans bring unmatched discipline, resilience, and cultural impact to the corporate world, and their contributions are essential for organizations navigating today’s complex and uncertain environment.
A big thank you to the Military Influencers Conference for creating a space to amplify this important conversation and spotlight the tremendous value Veterans bring to the workforce.
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The Parental Leave Playbook: 10 Touchpoints to Transition Smoothly, Strengthen Your Family, and Continue Building your Career
The Parental Leave Playbook helps parents take control of their leave and make the most of what's considered a career timeout, but is actually a vital "time-in" for your life. If you're an expecting or new parent concerned about how your leave and return plans will affect your visibility, candidacy for promotion, work relationships, and performance (not to mention your identity and home life), this book will guide you into the smoothest transition possible. Most importantly, this book will help you as you grow and strengthen yourself and your family while remaining a professional.
In The Parental Leave Playbook, you'll learn Dr. Amy Beacom's innovative R.E.T.A.I.N. framework and the three-phase, ten-touchpoint model, to coach yourself through the leave process. Beacom identifies the critical points before, during, and after leave where parents and managers must work together, and explains how parents can facilitate success by finessing the way they approach their manager and colleagues. These models are supported by case studies from the author's work in the field with leading organizations like Microsoft, and supplemented by resources such as the evidence-based Parental Leave Transition Assessment (PLTA) sample report, leave action plan templates, reflection prompts, and development exercises to enhance self-awareness and skills.
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I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time
“Having it all” has become the subject of countless books, articles, debates, and social media commentary, with passions running high in all directions. Many now believe this to be gospel truth: Any woman who wants to advance in a challenging career has to make huge sacrifices. She’s unlikely to have a happy marriage, quality time with her kids (assuming she can have kids at all), a social life, hobbies, or even a decent night’s sleep.
But what if balancing work and family is actually not as hard as it’s made out to be? What if all those tragic anecdotes ignore the women who quietly but consistently do just fine with the juggle?
Instead of relying on scattered stories, time management expert Laura Vanderkam set out to add hard data to the debate. She collected hour-by-hour time logs from 1,001 days in the lives of women who make at least $100,000 a year. And she found some surprising patterns in how these women spend the 168 hours that every one of us has each week.
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Tim Huff
President & CEO, TLG
thuff@turknett.com
(770) 270-1723
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