About two months ago, my husband and I sent our only daughter off to college and found ourselves as empty nesters.
Knowing this day was coming, I knew it would be hard and I wanted something to look forward to post drop off. So it got us thinking, what's on our bucket list and is it time to start crossing some things off?
Enter our “empty nester moon” and two fully unplugged weeks for both of us (yes, he works a corporate job!). The itinerary was Venice, Florence, Rome, Santorini, Athens.
Back in the office today, I’m reflecting on 6 lessons learned from taking 2 fully unplugged weeks away from work…
1️⃣ Hire people and allow them to rise to the occasion. You are not as important as you think and there’s freedom in that.
2️⃣ Disconnecting is easier when you have new and interesting things to discover. As trips to Rome and Athens proved, new and interesting ideas are always in demand and shareable. But you need to make space to discover them.
3️⃣ People are more supportive of your time off than you think. Remember, everyone desires freedom and joy at some level.
4️⃣ Nothing is truly that urgent (Ask Europeans 😊) and you don’t need your work email app on your phone.
5️⃣ Fully unplugged time away makes you realize how much you react to versus what needs to be responded to. It allows the unimportant to fall away and gives you space to get clear on what truly matters.
6️⃣ New places, customs, systems and rules are always overwhelming, but the best way to beat the overwhelm is to just get into action and figure it out vs sitting and trying to overthink it 🙃
At the end of the day, we are coming back refreshed, content and focused.
Shouldn't we all have this type of freedom - to trust the people around us so we can take the rest and recovery we deserve?
How can you plan for some unplugged time and what leadership lessons can you learn from it?
(Pic: Santorini, Greece sunset view)
#womenleaders #confidence #careers #leadershipdevelopment #wellbeing
Sustainability leader at Deloitte. Connecting for climate and social impact. 🍃 TEDxSeoul Speaker 🎙️Vice chair supporting women’s empowerment and ESG at BCCK
1moLooking forward to seeing you today 😃