What might be possible if you brought that same intentionality to both your home and your team? And what if you treated both as equally sacred spaces for leader
In an era where the lines between work and life continue to blur, our collective struggle isn’t just about achieving balance – it’s about cultivating connection. The kind of deep, meaningful connection that enables us to show up fully, whether in the boardroom or the living room. I was very grateful to have some time with the incredible Helen Rickards, a leader in Global Culture and Belonging and an inspiring voice on the future of work. We explored how intentional rituals, especially structured one-on-one time, where we create space, can catalyse trust, inclusion and much needed adjustments in strategic direction. Helen shared a personal ritual that she runs at home that really got me thinking.
"We are all continually reacting to all of the injects the world gives us," Helen said early in our conversation. "Those injects might be meetings, messages or notifications – all of which pull us away from the present moment. We’ve become experts at reacting, but we’ve lost touch with how to connect."
Helen’s words strike at the heart of a silent crisis in modern leadership. In our pursuit of productivity, we often abandon presence. What suffers is not just our mental well-being, but also the cohesion and psychological safety of our teams.
At home, Helen has embedded a nightly ritual with each of her children.
"Each child has 10 minutes of one-on-one time every night. It’s protected. No interruptions. They use that time however they want," she explained. With her neurodiverse son, this time takes on various forms. Sometimes a walk, sometimes a quiet chat – but it is always their time.
This isn’t merely a parenting technique. It’s a masterclass in creating intentional space that invites openness and belonging. The power of this approach is backed by developmental psychology. Research from Harvard University shows that consistent, quality time between caregivers and children dramatically improves emotional regulation, self-esteem and trust. The principle is universal: when people feel seen and heard, they flourish.
And these benefits don’t stop at the home. Increasingly, research shows that the quality of our home life directly impacts our performance and engagement at work – and vice versa. This concept of work life balance has always jarred with me. I prefer to focus on work-to-life enrichment and life to work enrichment. Treating your life as a continuum and not separate entities, where work is the enemy and should be kept separate from ‘life’
According to a 2020 study by the American Psychological Association, employees who report strong, supportive family relationships are 34% more likely to feel confident, connected, and motivated in their professional roles. Conversely, high stress and poor relationships at work can significantly disrupt sleep, emotional availability and patience at home.
This interconnectedness underscores a profound insight: work and home are not separate spheres, but dynamic systems that influence and mirror each other. When we improve the relational structures in one, we often experience uplift in the other.
So should we consider our leadership practices at home as well? Why should we not strive for a high performing family? I say this with empathy and full knowledge of raising two boys through teenage years! Not always easy to consider the parallels.
What happens when we bring this same intentionality into the workplace? The effect, Helen argues, can be transformative. "The same way a child flourishes in a space where they feel they belong, a team member will thrive when they know their leader sees them as a whole person."
This isn’t just anecdotal. Helen is an expert in this area and well versed in global culture and inclusion. A study by Gallup (2022) found that employees who have regular one-on-one meetings with their managers are three times more likely to be engaged at work. Engagement, in turn, has a cascade effect: higher retention, better performance and stronger innovation.
But beyond productivity, one-on-ones are a vehicle for inclusion. "Creating protected space is especially important in diverse teams. If someone is the only woman, or the only person of colour, or the only neurodivergent team member, they may not feel comfortable sharing in large group settings. But a one-on-one – especially when the agenda is set by the individual – can unlock their voice."
Diversity alone doesn’t guarantee inclusion. As organisational psychologist Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson notes in Inclusify, inclusion requires that diverse voices not only have a seat at the table, but also feel empowered to speak and be heard. Structured one-on-one rituals are a practical and powerful way to enable this.
"The leader isn’t always driving the conversation," Helen emphasised. "It’s about listening more than speaking. Understanding more than directing. That kind of leadership builds affective trust."
Affective trust – the deep, emotional trust that stems from genuine care and connection – is a critical factor in high-performing teams. Research published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior found that teams with high affective trust were significantly more likely to engage in collaborative problem-solving and demonstrate resilience during high-stress periods.
One-on-ones, when approached with empathy and intentionality, create the conditions for this trust to take root.
Too often, leaders confuse being busy with being effective. Back-to-back meetings, rapid-fire Slack messages and 24/7 responsiveness can signal productivity, but they often come at the cost of human connection.
"Technology has driven us in a direction where we feel controlled by it, rather than using it intentionally," Helen reflected. "We’re always reacting. But what we really need is to pause and create space."
The cost of failing to do so is high. According to Microsoft’s 2023 Work Trend Index, 68% of employees report they don’t have enough uninterrupted focus time in the day. Worse, 48% say they feel emotionally disconnected from their team. In such a climate, a structured, protected check-in – even just 15 minutes a week – becomes a radical act of leadership.
Helen suggests that leaders treat one-on-ones not as administrative checklists but as protected rituals. The space should be:
When done well, one-on-ones become a microcosm of the culture you’re trying to build: inclusive, human, and psychologically safe. They signal to team members, "You matter. I’m here."
The impact of one-on-ones doesn’t end with the individuals involved. "When people feel heard in their one-on-ones, they’re more likely to speak up in team settings," Helen observed. "They carry that confidence into other spaces."
This has implications for innovation and problem-solving. Research by Cloverpop found that inclusive teams make better business decisions up to 87% of the time and make decisions twice as fast with half the meetings. Inclusion is not just a moral imperative – it’s a strategic one.
Structured one-on-one rituals can also surface undercurrents that may not emerge in public forums – interpersonal tensions, misalignments, or unspoken ideas. Addressing these early, in a trusted space, can prevent team dysfunction later.
Work and life are not separate lanes to be balanced, but deeply intertwined forces that enrich or deplete one another. Helen’s story offers a living example of work-to-life enrichment: the rituals that strengthen her parenting also sharpen her leadership. Her ability to listen, hold space, and adapt to different needs at home translates directly into how she fosters inclusion and belonging at work.
"When I started protecting space for my children, I realised how little protected space I gave my team," Helen reflected. "Now I bring that same level of presence and openness to my one-on-ones with them."
The relationship is reciprocal. Just as good leadership habits improve family life, positive team dynamics fuel emotional resilience and clarity at home. This insight forms the basis of a new leadership imperative: to intentionally design rituals that serve both domains.
As hybrid and remote work continue to reshape team dynamics, the need for structured connection grows. In distributed teams, spontaneous hallway conversations are gone. Leaders must be more deliberate in how they create space for connection.
"We’re designing rituals for the future of work," Helen said. "Not just tools for productivity, but rituals that centre humanity. That’s what enables belonging."
The invitation to leaders is clear: Create space. Protect it fiercely. Let people set the agenda. Be present. And trust that these small, intentional acts will ripple out to shape a culture of trust, inclusion, and shared growth.
The most profound transformations rarely come from sweeping strategies or grand gestures. They come from what Helen models: 10 minutes of undivided attention. One person at a time. One moment at a time.
What might be possible if you brought that same intentionality to both your home and your team? And what if you treated both as equally sacred spaces for leadership, listening and growth?
