Leaders need to consider taking a break from leadership seriously.
When was your last decent break?
No, I mean real restful, peaceful downtime. I don't mean the standard 'take two weeks with Christmas but run around after everyone else' kind of break.
I had an epiphany recently - in the shower, where I do most of my best thinking.
I felt drained leading up to Christmas 2023. I couldn't understand why I was more depleted than the usual end-of-year.
It dawned on me that it is ten years since I started my business, initially as a side hustle, and a full eight years since I launched into full-time working for myself.
What struck me was that if I were still someone else's employee, I would be due for extended service leave about now. Now is the time that I would be taking a decent break from my work.
Every decade, I have taken some form of extended rest time in the last thirty years, be it a sabbatical after a redundancy or a long trip to immerse myself somewhere different.
It is how I have been able to replenish, rest, be at peace with the world, and ponder, with curiosity, what comes next.
Is it any wonder I got to Christmas time and felt like I needed five or six weeks away from my desk? I had to get back in touch with ME.
Leaders frequently feel guilty about taking such a long break. What if something goes wrong and I'm not there? (A bit vain, aren't we? People will be OK without us.)
It has been a revelation to stop and recognize that it's my 'long service leave' time. And I am glad I took a long break over January to restore myself and bring my 'A' game back for my clients.
Leaders need to consider taking a break from leadership seriously.
Whether you are like me, running a business, leading a team, or the head of an organisation - it's essential to reflect, recuperate and rest, not simply take short breaks throughout the year
It is extraordinary that leaders think they can keep on going, month after month, year after year, without proper recovery. Yet so many people do.
It's necessary to stop, breathe, and notice what you are feeling, doing, and saying - especially to yourself - in that order.
If you didn't do this over Christmas, when will you?
Is it time to book your 'long service' recess from leadership?
