Lessons from My 2024 Sabbatical

When I originally floated the idea of taking a month off, I kind of did it tongue in cheek.

The problem is that I said it out loud to my executive coach.

As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew a question was coming because that’s what great coaches do. 

“When will you put it in your calendar?”, he asked. 

“Ah…crap!”  was my answer. 

But then I settled on the month of July. Of 2023! (this conversation happened roughly in August of 2022) 

As much as I tried at first to wiggle out of taking a whole month off, I actually did it in July of 2023.

And that was the catalyst for taking the month off again in July 2024. 

It was such a learning and refreshing experience for me that I wanted to do it again. 

It’s still fresh in my mind as I write this blog article and I have so many lessons I learned from both years that makes me first say this:  I highly recommend taking an extended time off at some point in your career.

Whether that’s at a point when you feel you need to do a reset in your life and career or perhaps when you’re approaching some kind of inflection point.  One such point for a huge number of leaders right now in history is the Baby Boomer and Gen X generations. 

Most leaders of my generation (I’m at the tail end of the Baby Boomer generation), grew our careers with the mindset of “hustle, grind, and get it done”.  Now, I’m not knocking that because I still believe there is a place for that. 

What happens though, when you’ve been burning the candle at both ends and you finally run out of wax?  It’s called burnout! 

One thing that taking a month off of work has taught me is the huge value of allowing time for regeneration.  Prior to my first sabbatical in 2023, I would have never thought I really “needed” a month off. It really wasn’t even on my radar of possibilities. Nor was it something I thought would be beneficial. 

I told myself all of the stories of “I’ll fall behind on my projects”, “I can’t possibly maintain my clients”, “what if something comes up and I miss an opportunity?”.  There were plenty more that I wrestled with and that’s exactly what I had to do – wrestle with them. 

The reality is that I found a way to overcome each of those stories and seemingly insurmountable challenges.  It doesn’t mean, however, that I got away from still having the discomfort of those thoughts coming up while I was away. So I kept wrestling through the whole first week and maybe part of the second week. 

Yet all those questions or challenges seemed to tap out when I reminded myself what I had done to prepare and overcome each of them. 

If I were to prioritize my most important learning from my time away, it’s this: 

Anyone who is planning on retiring needs to take at least a month off to get a preview of what life will be like. 

Now, I’m not ready to retire and doubt that I’ll ever fully do that for a number of reasons.  However, not having a schedule, a set of tasks and goals in front of any professional is a bit disorienting.  At least it was for me!

As I have talked with a number of leaders who are thinking about what comes next and how they might transition, one of the things that they grapple with is what to do with their time. 

I think one of the reasons that’s such a struggle is because they’ve not thought about who they are without their work.  The question “who are you without this business (or work)” is a piercing one.  Listen, I’m not pointing fingers here because it’s a question that I’ve thought about lately.  

Some leaders think they’ll just do more of their hobby. While that is probably true, there’s a limit to that too.  It reminds me of my uncle who finally retired after three times of coming back to his work that he loved.  He told me once, “David, there’s only so much golf I can play!”.  I know some avid golfers who may argue with that but he’s been a dedicated golfer most of his life and even I was surprised by that statement. 

Who are YOU without your business or your work?  It’s an important question and one of great value if you’re willing to wrestle with it.  “What value do I bring to the world without my current work?” is another way to phrase it.  And I wish I could give you an easy and great answer but it’s something you’ll have to discover on your own.  Believe me, you DO have value without your work!

I’ve been working with some leaders in working that out and helping their team to be prepared for their eventual transition.  It’s not easy but handing off responsibilities to the next generation is the kindest thing you can do for them and for you as well.  Ask yourself, what might my successors need to know that I haven’t taught them yet?

Along with that thought about succession planning and retirement, the other learning is this phrase: Memento mori.

It’s latin for “remember, you must die”.

I think this is less morbid that a first thought may bring.  Quite frankly, I think it’s a phrase that I wish I had learned earlier in my life so that I thought more often about significance than success. 

Remembering that I will die helps me to create a more solid priority list. 

It helps me to take action when I don’t really want to. 

It gives me perspective in light of both victories and defeats. 

It also gives rise to the importance of preparing the next generation of leaders, which is a passion of mine.

Helping leaders to be prepared for leading teams, companies and other humans in the next season of life is still a focus for me and my team at Impact Leadership Consulting. 

As a matter of fact, I re-read the vision statement that I wrote out in 2023 during my sabbatical and it not only still rings true to me this year but it also re-energizes me to be more focused on the things that will move me forward towards making it a reality in the three-dimension world.

That’s another learning that surfaced while I was away too.  It is really important for every leader – and if you’re reading this, you’re a leader – to have a vision for their life, their leadership and their growth.  There’s an ancient text that says “without vision, the people perish”.  I believe that if you’re thinking of making a transition out of your business or out of your current role, you most definitely need a vision of what comes next – for you and those you lead.  Without it, mortem comes sooner than we’d like it to. 

One quick side note on having a vision statement.  Make sure that you read it often.  It’s one thing that I didn’t do enough of over the last year and I am committing to reading it on a regular basis – at least once a week.  I want that vision burned into the front of the mind so that it literally pulls me forward and helps me to be purposeful with my priority.

Rounding out my lessons from this year’s sabbatical, find ways to let your mind wander and daydream.  Being able to stare out a window or far off into nature is so therapeutic.  I can’t tell you how many times that a profound lesson or creative thought rose to the top of mind while I was allowing myself to daydream. 

One of the reasons that I like to get outside especially when I exercise is precisely for this reason.  There’s just something about nature that fosters creativity and clarity.  I spent a lot of time hiking and being in nature while I was away and then journaled about my time so that I could capture the thoughts and themes that surfaced.

So, if I summarize my major lessons, here they are:

1. Every leader needs to take time off. A month is fantastic if you can find a way to do it – and there is always a way!  But take whatever time you can and make it purposeful.
2. If you’re thinking of retiring or handing off the business to a next generation leader, be sure to take a “practice run” first for a few times. Getting used to not having a full schedule is disorienting at first and it takes a bit of getting used to.  I have a vision retreat process that can help you so please reach out if you’d like to learn more.
3. Keep things in perspective – success and significance usually are two different goals. When I remember the brevity of life and the fact that I will die someday, it helps me to create a clearer priority list. I can do everything I set my mind to, I just can’t do EVERY thing!  Choose and focus is the key.
4. Have a vision statement for your life and the next season that inspires you and pulls you forward. With a purpose and a vision that gives you energy, you will bring value into the world.
5. Allow the mind to wander and daydream. The wisdom and power of the subconscious mind only gets unlocked and unleashed when given a chance to really be free.  When you take time off, be sure to give yourself that opportunity for your wisdom to be surfaced. 

I hope this is helpful for you and I hope that it helps to inspire you to take some extended time off with a purpose.  It doesn’t take a month, although that’s really nice.  But we all need to reflect, rest and be recharged. 

That only happens when we disengage for a while.

Let me encourage you by saying that it is totally worth it!

If you have questions or want help planning out your sabbatical, feel free to reach out and find out about my personal VIP vision retreat. Schedule a short discovery call with David by emailing Karen at [email protected]