Does it seem like a crazy time to take a sabbatical?
I’ve just returned from a 3-month break.
Glad to be back and ready to see new clients!
Why take a sabbatical when it should be all hands on deck?
My focus is on keeping the business thriving, considering the likelihood of a savage recession. Achieving goals in a recession takes energy! A LOT of energy.
Those who read my writing regularly will know that I’m a fan of Napoleon Hill. His work has been well adapted to the realities and values of our current times though few heed his words.
“Our only limitations are those we set up in our own minds” ― Napoleon Hill
Hill’s famous words: “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right” ring true in my head when I debate with myself if I should put off doing something because – (insert any reason here)
Instead of asking – “why do it now?” I prefer to think of ‘why not do it now?’ Like taking a sabbatical.
A sabbatical is a time out – time out to think about my business, regenerate, reflect and assess, learn, read, travel, reconnect, and achieve personal goals.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s never a total disconnect, but it is separation. The separation is something I hear about from many executives who crave it. Understanding the craving and acting on it, is what is missing.
“We refuse to believe that which we don’t understand.” ― Napoleon Hill
The result is refusing to believe that a break and some separation gives executives and leaders the opportunity to develop a fresh perspective around their business, themselves, and their priorities.
In turbulent times what we need most are fresh perspectives.
If executives and leaders don’t periodically refresh perspectives, blind spots develop that muddy up the warning signs that seem obvious to many. They may not recognize them, but their peers and teams do.
Blind spots prevent us from asking the right questions, identifying the wrong behaviours, or not seeing a situation as it actually is. This was explored in some depth in a study conducted by Strategy+Business.
The areas where leaders develop blind spots have warning signs. These warning signs are often obvious when we apply a different lens than we are used to. They are . . .
- Failed execution of strategy for a significant business objective, program, project, or initiative. This happens when capabilities (skills + capacity + taking action) have gaps. The primary gaps show up in communication and the use of people skills. Both result from excess fatigue, stress, or a myopic view of the business.
- Costly resources are squandered and ineffective because of operational misalignment of the people, processes, technologies, and financial resources. A measurable degree of performance is lost by ignoring the need for upskilling and adapting to changes in external and internal environments.
- Unexpected events that were not identified/recognized or accepted as possible risks to organizational priorities – this is a popular one!
Most identified risks are external, therefore mitigation strategies are not effective. It is preferable to focus on the uncertainties and impacts over which leaders can exert some degree of control.
This is still a challenge for boards and executives to understand fully. It is futile to focus on risks that cannot be mitigated.
As an example:
Climate change – A strategic risk (which is more of a problem than a risk) that is external to the company over which they have no control.
Instead, they should be focusing on identifying the risks brought on by climate change that may compromise their ability to effectively execute strategies and respond to the effects of climate change. This is where, through operational control, they can act.
The blind spots that occur in high-stakes areas mentioned above are rooted in three characteristics of leadership that should be a priority for boards and executives themselves – overly confident, overly positive and power fixated.
Think of driving a car on a two-lane highway. You want to pass the slower driver in front of you. Your goal is to arrive at your destination at a specific time and at this rate, you’ll be late.
You press on the gas (power), confident and positive that you’ll pass the car in front of you before the vehicle speeding from the other direction reaches you.
You must keep your eyes on the road as well as the proximity of the car you are passing.
At one point you have a blind spot – just as you’re thinking of moving back into your lane, the car alongside you accelerates!! Now what?
You must retreat into your own lane without having passed the intended car. You’re frustrated.
This happens in business regularly, but executives and leaders press on, and now with more stress and gusto.
So, how does taking a sabbatical help?
Executives and their teams have been going full out for the past 2+ years.
With transformations, business model changes, digitization, burnout, resignations, and remote work, shall I go on?
Now is an ideal time to take a sabbatical to reset. Yes! To Reset!
It’s not taking a vacation for a week or two – it is separation from the business to take the time to reset goals, expectations, wellness, mindset, and perspectives and to reconnect with why you want to come back. This is how commitment to the business is strengthened.
We face more uncertainty than many have ever known before.
I am ever optimistic that new objectives, strategies, solutions, innovations, capabilities, and outcomes will be achieved.
As long as we keep looking forward with new perspectives, we change the meaning of a recession – not something that will beat up a business but something that business will beat and thrive from.
There is more affirmation now than ever that executives and business leaders are ready to build the ‘know-how’ muscles that power organizational capabilities needed for the future.
At Uvidi Management Group we help executives and business leaders steer through the hell-fire of business and make sense of their approach to strategy, changes, organizational effectiveness and their dealings with risks.
Contact me directly to discuss how we can help you raise the bar on growth and effectiveness in performance. Dragica@uvidi.ca
In the meantime, I welcome your thoughts and feedback.
