Three months ago I made a decision I never wanted to make again - I needed to step away from work to focus on my health. Coming back from medical leave and diving into a big team is like trying to hop onto a moving train — the momentum is real, and so is the wobble.
I’ll be honest: the first day back, my instinct was to prove I could “catch up” immediately. Inbox triage, chat archaeology, design files that evolved without me… it’s a lot. But here’s what I noticed: the urge to catch up can actually distract from what’s needed most — showing up. Consistently.
Projects move forward without us - that’s healthy! What matters when you return isn’t sprinting to reclaim lost ground, but asking the questions only fresh eyes can bring:
Where are we heading?
What assumptions are still serving us?
What can be simplified now that the dust has settled?
What’s “for now” vs. sustainable?
That shift — from “make up for lost time” to “add unique value today” — turned overwhelm into contribution. Because the overwhelm froze me just hours into my first day back.
💡 My takeaway for leaders: when someone rejoins after leave, give them space not just to catch up, but to notice what the rest of the team has stopped seeing. That perspective is gold.
Have you ever rejoined a project or team midstream? What was your approach?