Making the most of down-time shouldn’t be hard, but it’s essential. These tips from the CEOs and top leadership coaches can help.
By Andre Abram, Julia Nenke, and Greig Schneider
The holiday season is upon us. For many organizations, the time between Christmas and New Year’s provides a rare period when work activity slows, making it possible for leaders to take an unofficial—or even official—break.
However, when you’re at the top of the house unplugging can often feel difficult, if not impossible. Do you take phone calls when you are at a movie theater? Check email during family dinner? If so, this article is for you.
We asked our top coaches as well as C-suite executives of multi-billion-dollar organizations for their best advice on how to make the most of down time and wanted to share their insights.
It Starts with Mindset
We want to be clear: We are not so pollyannaish as to think that total disconnection is always possible. One CEO told us: “I don’t think it’s helpful to tell people to unplug in our jobs because you can’t really.”
This is indicative of a mindset we see all too often. There is a sense that “As CEO I’m supposed to be always on, always at my post,” and that unplugging is a dereliction of duty. Put another way, they feel it is wrong to disconnect, so why try? A related unhelpful mindset is that the CEO must always be in the loop and on top of things the team is working on, necessarily making unplugging a mistake.
Our view is not only that you can, but that you must unplug. There is ample evidence that poor energy management can negatively impact leadership effectiveness and lead to poorer decisions, and energy management requires some degree of unplugging. But it starts with giving yourself permission, and that is hard for some.
To battle the mindset challenge, our coaches have some recommendations. The first—which is a good leadership practice generally—is to be clear about what only the CEO and no one else can do. As a rule, if someone else can do it, it should be delegated. In a vacation/break scenario, very few things truly must be handled in a given timeframe. Trusting one’s team and rigorously considering, “Is this something only I can and must handle right now?” can help.
A second relates to examining, and re-framing, the story you are telling yourself. If the objective is to be the best leader you can be, making the best possible decisions, ask yourself: When am I at my best? When am I thinking most clearly? When am I most effective at inspiring my team? For most leaders, part of the answer relates to not being overstretched. Remind yourself that unplugging is not letting down your organization, it is the opposite: an investment in better leadership.
Advice from the Experts: 4 Ways to Effectively Unplug During a Break
Once you give yourself permission to unplug, the next step is to learn how to be better at it. When we asked top leadership coaches and C-suite executives of very large organizations for their best advice on how to make the most of downtime, four themes emerged:
1. Slow down. Former Egon Zehnder Chair and CEO coach Jill Ader advises her clients “to give ourselves permission to slow down and clear our heads,” resisting the urge to substitute intense work for an intense break. Rather than a particularly aggressive workout, she recommends experimenting with relaxation—yoga, Pilates, creative activities such as drawing or writing—and taking note of “the differences this can bring in their bodies and nervous systems.”
Bestselling author and co-founder of Mobius Executive Leadership Erica Ariel Fox agrees. In a recent post she notes: “The inspiring leader you want to be in January needs you to savor the next few weeks to shift gears, pivot your attention, and use unplanned time and space to achieve an inner reset.”
The CEO of a $45 billion consumer company told us he goes to a cabin in the mountains for an “annual spiritual retreat,” with two books to help him reflect. Jill notes that some CEOs (including some running companies with revenues in the tens of billions) now plan ahead before the holidays and schedule a coaching session out of the office to step back, acknowledge the toll the job can take, and get perspective.
2. Take yourself out of your routine. For some, unplugging requires getting away. Being at a familiar place can lead to lapses into familiar habits, while going somewhere new or doing something one has never done before can engage the brain and provide a break.
A CEO of $100+ billion consumer products company told us he combines a relaxing activity (golf) with travel to different parts of the world. Others echoed the value of being in a place that signals to them “the purpose of being here is to relax.” A massage or spa can also help.
3. Have a system. Those who believe they have to stay “on” often have not developed good systems for turning off. They say things like: “I’ll still be working while I’m out, so don’t hesitate to call me if anything comes up.”
Don’t do that. Do not be shy about taking a break and have a system for screening out the non-urgent. A good assistant can screen email. A strong team can handle most issues. Most constituents will respect time away, if asked. Having a clear approach for how someone can contact you (if it is urgent and only something you can do) and where to go with non-urgent items can make a big difference.
The CEO of a $7 billion company told us that “a good vacation relies on the confidence of having a good team.” He has such a team and annually takes more than two consecutive weeks off over the holidays to recharge.
4. Be present with those who matter most. Virtually everyone we contacted noted that a key to recharging was being with those who matter most in their lives—family and close friends. While somewhat obvious, some good tips emerged:
○ Don’t assume good connection will happen. CEOs are used to having people adjust their schedules as needed for them; friends and family not so much. Make sure those you care about are included in the plan.
○ Have real conversations. Being proactive about having meaningful interactions can make them more fulfilling. One coach recommended using discussion cards at meals to generate deeper connection or exploring each other’s core values.
○ Phones away. If you are checking your phone, your kids and friends will too. Being present includes not being distracted by technology. Again: obvious, but important.
○ Connect to deeper meaning. Make space to remind yourself of why what you do matters—to you, to your organization, and to society. Such connection can get lost but can be a deep and resilient source of energy.
As Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer AG, puts it, “I see work as a great source of meaning in my life—not something I need to unplug from. I want that same feeling for everyone on our team! I find peace and strength in my faith, in time with family, and in knowing that what we do serves a greater purpose.”
You can do this!
Perhaps it is helpful to look at “break-taking” as a skill that many C-suite executives need to grow. Our holiday wish for you is to recognize the importance and value of getting better at not going full out, try some new techniques, and see what happens. You and your organizations will be better for it.
Andre Abram, a partner for Egon Zehnder and certified coach based in Sao Paolo, leads the firm’s Developing Leadership Services.
Julia Nenke, a partner for Egon Zehnder and certified coach based in Sydney, is a leader in the firm’s Global Leadership Advisory Practice.
Greig Schneider, based in Boston, is a partner and former leader of Egon Zehnder’s Global Leadership Advisory Practice