What Stepping Away Says About Your Agency
Behind the Beach Auto-Reply: Keeping Culture Strong When You’re Away
Summer vacations are on the horizon.
Maybe you’ve already set your out-of-office message. Maybe you’re trying to squeeze in just one more thing before you go.
Either way, stepping away from your agency—even for a few days—can be both freeing and revealing.
Because how your business holds together in your absence says a lot about the culture you’ve built.
➡️Do your people know what decisions they can make without you?
➡️Do they feel empowered—or just temporarily unsupervised?
➡️And when you return, are you stepping back into momentum—or into a mess?
You don’t need to over-engineer your time away.
But a few intentional moves can go a long way in supporting your team and strengthening trust.
3 small signals that build culture while you're out:
Set context, not just coverage.
Let your team know what success looks like while you're away—not just the tasks, but the bigger picture behind them.Assign a point person.
Even if they don't have all the answers, having a clear lead keeps progress moving and uncertainty low.Debrief when you return.
A quick post-vacation check-in shows your team their leadership mattered—and invites shared learning.
Taking a break isn’t a leadership gap—it’s a leadership opportunity.
Because the way you step away can actually strengthen your culture.
You’ve got this!
Coming next week:
I’m kicking off a summer blog series designed to help you build a business that doesn’t rely on your constant presence. We’ll start with: The Foundations of an Elevated Agency.