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JOMO: The Joy of Missing Out
I am always looking for new ways to describe my leadership style. Last night, while talking with some friends, we ended up talking about amazing managers we’ve had.
One of my friends talked about how his manager has no expectation to be contacted for every small thing that happens. She doesn’t want late-night texts. She won’t read emails after she leaves the office. And she doesn’t want to be called for permission to do things that are parts of people’s jobs — but will respond in the morning when she gets to the office.
She framed it as the ‘joy of missing out.’
And I realized that this describes my expectations as a supervisor.
Embodying the JOMO Philosophy
In 2020, CEO Tanya Dalton wrote a book called The Joy of Missing Out: Live More by Doing Less. More of a lifestyle manual with activities that women can use to evaluate their priorities and productivity on their own terms, the philosophy has a broader application.
Whereas FOMO, or the fear of missing out, is embodied by the fear of not being included in something (such as an interesting or enjoyable activity) that others are experiencing. That fear can lead someone to always want to be included, even when the inclusion is overwhelming or unnecessary. And the fear can lead to anxiety-related…
