The five steps to rejuvenate and bring in the best of yourself
Taking a sabbatical from work has transformative powers.
Summer is my preferred time to take a sabbatical. It can last anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks. This year, I opted for 6 weeks. It is not a luxury for me; it’s a necessity. Not annually, but whenever it is essential. This year, it was essential.
For many managers and leaders in business, realizing that necessity is quite another matter.
When I first started taking sabbaticals, they were simply for leisure, travel and relaxation. Now it is the key to reinvigorating and meeting the objectives for the remainder of the year.
On a sabbatical I make every effort to invoke the 5 Rs of sabbaticals. Release, Rest, Reflect, Realign and Reengage.
For me, it went like this.
Release
Releasing is a time to disconnect from work – physically, mentally, emotionally, and digitally.
As I prepared to travel to Europe, I packed, reviewed the agenda, and connected with my hosts in various countries.
Making that all-important disconnect from home base was the focus of week one.
Rest
Rest was my focus for the next four weeks. It was a time to appreciate different foods, accommodations, cultures, and the vitality of the people I engaged with as I moved from city to city
I was on a mission to connect with as many strangers as I could. I wanted to hear and learn about their stresses and burnout, their perspectives on risks, and how they cope with it all. We met in bistros, on boats, in local squares, but never in a place of business.
Every conversation was generous, yet to my amazement, only about one in five or six people I talked with gave indications and shared their experiences of feeling stress and/or burnout.
The majority did not see it as a major issue in their organizations. The ease and sincerity with which conversations flowed were gifts from each person I encountered.
Reflect
With each stop I made (12 cities and 8 countries), I reflected on the differences between the North American way of living, working, relating, and stressing and the European way.
Even in large cities, the pace was visibly more moderate than I’m used to.
Based on the many dozens of conversations (a small sample, I grant you that), I had the opportunity to reflect on the vast gap between North American and European statistics on the topics of mental health, stress, burnout, productivity and risk.
On average, nearly 40% of the workforce in North America suffers from some form of stress, burnout or mental health challenge. All factors that hinder productivity and engagement. This compares poorly to the average across 8 countries in Europe, which runs at approximately 17-18%.
My time in reflection tells me that things must change. I have several ideas and possible approaches to solve this problem.
I recognize that it takes a shift in mindset to make transformations that will benefit the people working in our organizations. Are you ready to make some changes?
Realign
Being in different environments and cultures illuminated for me just how little thought business leaders and managers actually give to the options we have to change these circumstances.
Whether those circumstances involve business, family or community, every day offers us an opportunity to evaluate how we respond to pressures.
While I take the time to realign the products and services my company offers to businesses, I encourage everyone to consider how they can align their organizations to what truly matters and what counts toward having an engaged and productive business community.
Reengage
It’s now the 6th week, and it’s time to get the headspace back to business.
Fully rested, reignited and inspired by the learning during this short sabbatical.
Short or long, matters less, than the insights that have come from it.
During the coming weeks, I’ll be releasing new insights that will be reflected in the programs we help our clients implement – all designed for effective strategy execution, managing change, managing risk, resulting in raising the bar on performance, productivity, and problem-solving.
I’m sure you’ll see something that will help you raise the bar. Until next time. To inquire about any of our programs, reach out to us directly.
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