“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
-Anne Lamott
Vacation Days. Holidays. Paid Time Off. Annual Leave.
Whatever you call it, we all need to disconnect. From our phones. From our email. From our work. Really disconnect.
I am all about work ethic, but a vacation, for some reason, is this thing we “sneak in.” At MCFA, we are building a culture that encourages time off, not just tolerating it. For whatever reason, we wear the “busy” badge with honor. But the truth is, busy is not necessarily effective. Busy is not always productive. And if you are tied to your email, are you really disconnecting? As leaders, we need to encourage time off so our teams can reset and recharge.
The best way to do that?
Take time off ourselves! Tell people about your upcoming vacation and ask them not IF but WHAT their vacation plans are for the summer. And when they answer, be genuinely excited about it. Celebrate their time off!
Yes, hard work is critical. Being responsive to customers is important. But taking a true vacation, totally disconnecting, forces our organizations and us to be proactive, build redundancy, plan ahead, and manage our workload—all positives. And then, when you get back to work, you are that much more engaged. Don’t believe me? Check out this article on why vacations are good for you and boost productivity. In fact, Bill Gates believes in disconnecting so much that he takes a “think week” twice per year.
I don’t care if it’s going north or south. To the beach or the breweries. International or intercoastal. Turn off your phone, shut down your email, and change up your environment! And if you are a leader at any level, tell your team to do the same.
So…what are your vacation plans this summer?
BJ Kraemer, President