Rachel London

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Rachel London

Executive Director
Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council

There are as many as five generations in the workplace currently. All are very different in needs and the way they communicate. How do you lead through collaboration with all generations and the strengths you find in each one? In particular in the new workplace normal we are working through now how are the generations coming together differently to succeed as a team?

My strength in leadership starts with an acknowledgement of everyone’s different needs and desires. Staff is empowered from the outset to communicate what they need and how to make sure their needs are met. Together, we work to identify the best way to communicate while acknowledging and respecting generational differences and using different modes, as appropriate. That may mean more calls and less emails for some team members, or Zoom meetings followed by written notes for others. During remote work, it has been more of a challenge, but we’ve learned to have the hard conversations, and as restrictions ease, we try to get together for play as well as work.

Self-care connects everything in life: career, interactions and one’s personal life. Is this something you are doing well or is this a goal? What are your secrets if you are succeeding and what are you goals if this is a focus area where you want to learn from others?

A work life balance is critical, and something I stress to my team. Since we should lead by example, I intentionally and actively engage in self-care, and encourage my team to as well. As a single mom, I have some weekends to myself and I maximize those opportunities to recharge and reenergize. I find peace in nature. Self-care for me is hiking with my dog on trails around Maryland, or driving to visit horses owned by a friend on the Eastern Shore.