Productive Pause

When was the last time you took a vacation? And I mean a true vacation when you disconnected from work and enjoyed your time away.

As firm leaders, we tend to hesitate from "going off the grid" to relax. I get it; it's hard to ignore a client's email or phone call when you're on vacation. You don't want them to think they aren't important to you, and what if it's an emergency?!

But the thing is, it's important to recharge your battery by taking a step back and letting others take the lead. The client that sent you that email will get your out-of-office reply and, if urgent, will contact the person you told them to contact. If they don't, they can likely wait until you return.

Now that I've got you thinking about your next beach vacation and relaxing on a beach somewhere, I'm going to throw a curve ball at you. When was the last time you took time to pause and intentionally think? Meaning, when was the last time you blocked out everything going on around you and took the time to think about the ideas you've been scribbling down, about ways to improve efficiency or ideas that have been suggested to you by your team? Have you made time to step away from the day-to-day and think about the future?

As important as it is to "unplug" and relax, it's equally as important to "unplug" to think about your thoughts and ideas in an uncluttered way.

As I write this, I can honestly say I have been guilty of not following this advice in the past. It wasn't that I didn't believe in taking a sabbatical or simply unplugging for a time; I simply didn't have the discipline to put it into practice. It wasn't until I went on sabbatical myself that this concept really set in.

I will tell you, it wasn't easy at first. I've heard stories from partners I have talked to that it took them days or weeks into their sabbatical to “feel” they were away. Even when I have been on vacation, it's taken me the first 2 or 3 days to feel like I am on vacation, but after a couple of days of relaxing, I start thinking about having to return.

The truth is, it's not about how much time you take; it's about being able to disconnect completely.

I had a conversation with a partner of a firm I work with, and he told me how he promised his family that he would be home every night by 7 p.m. And over the first few months, he has kept that promise. One night he was running late; he called his wife to apologize and let her know he'd be home by 8. Once he was home, he was all in. Spending time playing with his kids, and when it came time for bed, his little boy asked him if he could work late every night. You can imagine his surprise at this question, and he asked his son why. His little boy responded by telling him he had much more fun this night than usual. That was because he genuinely disconnected once he was home. On normal evenings when he would get home by 7 p.m., he still checked his phone and did other things. He was not actually all in with his family. In that one night, when he spent 30 minutes or so with his kids, he became the hero.

Now that you have a good sense of how truly disconnecting can benefit you personally, how does it benefit your firm?

Well, for starters, you'll come back refreshed with new energy, new ideas, and maybe even new goals. This also gives others a chance to lead. Let's face it; you're not going to be leading your firm forever. When you are truly away, others will have to step up, and you will see that you're not the only person who can do what you do. And that is a good thing!

The future of your firm depends on its future leaders. You may still be 10 or more years away from retirement, but don't you want to identify the people who can lead when the time comes? This is a great place to start so you can begin to coach and nurture those future leaders so that when the time does come, you feel confident in letting go.

Productive pauses, in whatever time duration, can help determine if your bench is ready to take on your firm's succession plan.

Are you ready to take a pause? If the idea still scares you or you need time to plan, consider intentionally disconnecting in the evenings or on your next vacation. Remember, it's not always about how much time you take away from your firm but how you use that time to unplug and recharge.