• About
    • Our Story
    • All About Congruence
    • Client Testimonials
  • Coaching
  • Workshops
    • Build Congruent Teams with Horsemanship
    • Build Congruent Teams On Site
    • Congruent Calendars
    • Myers Briggs Training
    • Custom On-Site Training
    • Year of the the Team
  • Pricing
  • Contact
    • Subscribe
Arrants McSwain
  • About
    • Our Story
    • All About Congruence
    • Client Testimonials
  • Coaching
  • Workshops
    • Build Congruent Teams with Horsemanship
    • Build Congruent Teams On Site
    • Congruent Calendars
    • Myers Briggs Training
    • Custom On-Site Training
    • Year of the the Team
  • Pricing
  • Contact
    • Subscribe

Stories to Engage Team

Vacation Makes Better Leaders

8/14/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
My mom and I went on a cruise to Alaska this summer. We saw whales and seals and glaciers. We looked across the Pacific Ocean and had deep thoughts. We ate great food, and we met interesting people.

Some of our time was action packed when we took excursions. But there was a lot of time we just sat around. With little to no WiFi access on the ship, we couldn’t create much distraction. There was nothing to do but relax. My mind had nothing to occupy it – I just sat and looked out at the scenery.
 
It’s hard to get relaxed at home. Even when I’m not working, my mind tells me I should be. It has all kinds of thoughts about what I could be getting accomplished. Sometimes that’s helpful motivation, but often it’s just an unreasonable pace to keep.
 
That’s why vacations are important. Big ones that require saving up and making plans AND small ones – little weekends away or even pleasant afternoons in a park.
 
The US is the only developed country that doesn’t require employers to provide paid vacation leave. Compare that to Brazil with a total of 30 paid work days a year or France with 36. And even those who have access to paid vacation don’t always take it. In 2015, we left a whopping 658 million vacation days unused.
 
This is especially interesting considering that vacation actually makes us more productive and more efficient.
 
Fear is a main reason employees don’t use vacation, and 80% of employees in one study said they would take vacation if they were supported by their boss. 
 
Here are some things you can do to integrate and celebrate vacation as a part of a healthy workplace.

  • Expect the last day at work before vacation to be spent setting up for your time away. Clean off your desk. Leave things organized so when you walk back in the door, you can find what you need to get into the rhythm of work.
  • Communicate with clients and other co-workers about current projects and how vacation will affect their timeline. Set auto replies on email and web content. Change your voicemail message. At Arrants McSwain we unapologetically state what we’re up to so others know where we are. Not only does that clearly communicate when they will hear from us, but it’s our little way of normalizing the culture of vacation. Here’s what our last message said, “Thanks for your email. We’re out of the office to travel and spend time with family over our summer break. We’ll be back bright and early Friday morning, June 30, and will get in touch with you then.”
  • When you’re on vacation, whether it’s in a far off place or literally sitting around in your own backyard, don’t work. Don’t check email. Don’t check voicemail. Don’t check on projects. Don’t work.
  • Spend the first day back from vacation just getting back. Reset your email's auto reply and change your voicemail message. Take time to organize your calendar and prioritize projects. Return calls and emails. Some of them you can take care of right away. Some you’ll have to explain that you’ve been out of the office on vacation and will be able to respond more fully on Tuesday or whenever else.
  • Talk about your vacation. Celebrate your time away. Bring in pictures or souvenirs or something to remind you of that special time away. If you were the one in the office while someone else was on vacation, listen to them talk about it. Celebrate the experience with them. You’ll get your turn, and in the meantime, you can relish in the pleasure of working with an inspired and well rested co-worker.
 
At the end of my vacation last month, I got on a plane back to Canton, Ohio with a phone full of wild Alaskan pictures and an In Box full of email. I was thrilled about both. I hope your next vacation ends the same way.

 
Talk About It
  • Describe a meaningful vacation you took, either as an adult or as a child.
  • What sorts of things do you and your team and your supervisor do now to build a healthy culture of vacation? What do you wish you and your team and your supervisor would do?
  • What would be your ideal next vacation? What do you need to do now to make that happen?

1 Comment

    lead a  better meeting

    We offer these stories for leaders to use in meetings because shared stories build strong teams.

    Each entry is original content written by Celia King. who's not only our lead consultant, but also an English major who owes her parents the chance to put it to use.  

    Subscribe to Stories to Engage Team and get one email a month with our newest story and some other stuff.

    Subscribe

    Archives

    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016

    Categories

    All
    Attribution Theory
    Define The Problem
    Gratitude
    Intention
    Mindset
    Morale
    Negative Thinking
    Perception
    Personalizing
    Positive Thinking
    Problem Solving
    Trust-building
    Vacation

    RSS Feed

Home
About
Contact

What We Do

We help Congruent leaders build strong teams.

Subscribe

Arrants McSwain Leadership Development
1329 23rd St. NW
Canton, OH 44709
330.904.4177
  • About
    • Our Story
    • All About Congruence
    • Client Testimonials
  • Coaching
  • Workshops
    • Build Congruent Teams with Horsemanship
    • Build Congruent Teams On Site
    • Congruent Calendars
    • Myers Briggs Training
    • Custom On-Site Training
    • Year of the the Team
  • Pricing
  • Contact
    • Subscribe