Over two decades, Niki Leondakis watched as her two sisters, both mothers to several children, had to lie to their employers about spending time with their kids. “They would take a sick day when in reality they were chaperoning a field trip,” she recalls. “They were being good parents.”
It made a big impression on Leondakis, CEO of Commune Hotels & Resorts, a collection of boutique luxury and lifestyle brands including Thompson, Joie de Vivre and Tommie hotels. Leondakis oversees more than 40 properties and 3,500 employees around the globe.
As an employer and a businesswoman, she believes that when people live balanced lives, they’re better at work. “When your family is happy, when you’re healthy and well, you’re in a better place,” she says. “You’re going to give 115 percent for those seven hours at work, instead of 60 percent over eight to 10 hours.”
Leondakis, who does not have children, says this goes beyond parenthood. “When you give permission to people to be their best selves, they will give us more, they’ll be more productive and we’ll attract better talent.”