Vacations are important: If you lead a company or even a department, you may never think about taking time away from work and that’s understandable. As a leader, you need to think about what is going to happen when you’re gone as well as what will be in store for you when you return. This is too much of a headache for you to take.
Your work is critical, and your company/department relies on it. So, how can you go on a holiday? You can because your team/employee are more than capable of handling things in your absence. Workplaces have put workaholics on such a pedestal that many Americans fail to time off from work even when they are entitled to it. This happens a lot at the managerial or executive level.
While no one can argue that organizational leaders have many responsibilities to fulfill and many employees to take care, the benefits of taking time off from work far outweigh the drawbacks. Let’s dig deeper into why it is critical for business leaders to take vacations or some time off from work.
Why Taking Some Time Off from Work is Critical for Business Leaders?
According to a recent study by Harvard, CEOs worked 70 percent of vacation days with an average of 2.4 hours on those days. If you fall in this category of CEOs or business leaders, then you need to change your ways. It is great that you’re passionate about your work and company.
However, working several years without taking a vacation will eventually cause you to break down. If that happens, you’re not the only one who’s going to suffer; your work, team/employees, and company will suffer as well. So, do yourself and everyone else a favor by taking a vacation or some time off from work. Following are some of the ways a vacation will benefit you in both the short-term and the long run.
1. Avoid Burnout
Like everyone else, leaders need a break to avoid burnout. If you continue to work for months and months without taking a break, then you will eventually start to lose your vision, perspective, creativity, effectiveness, and most important of all, well-being.
Burnout is one of the most common issue among business leaders. Often, this results in leaders making rash or illogical decisions which affect the profitability and growth of their company. It also has a negative impact on employee development and growth. By taking a vacation, you will avoid burnout and in doing so, keep many problems at bay.
2. Recharge Your Batteries to Boost Your Body and Brain
You will get mentally blocked if you slog away at work day after day without a break. Step away from your work or business if you want to avoid a creative or mental block. You will give your body and brain a reboot by stepping away from your business and your daily routine at work. After your return from your vacation, both your mind and body will be refreshed, and you will have a renewed focus and energy.
Not only is taking a vacation good for your own mental and physical health, but it is also critical to the success of your department/company. If you allow yourself to tire physically and mentally, then it will ultimately translate into a poor customer service and loss of business.
3. Gain Perspective
It is easy for business leaders to feel insecure and vulnerable when they take some time away from work. After all, they are the ones responsible for the daily functioning and well-being of their department or organization.
However, the best leaders are not those who are constantly worried about how their department/business will function without them. Instead, the best leaders are those who spend time on envisioning the future and making long-term plans for their employees and the organization.
Unfortunately, doing this is not possible when we are stuck in our daily affairs. Therefore, it is critical for business leaders to break free from the office and daily work to have an opportunity to reflect on what they’ve accomplished so far and what they’d like to achieve in the future.
By taking a vacation or some time away from work, you will give yourself the chance to think. This does not mean that you spend your entire vacations thinking about work. Instead, it means that you should use your vacations to get perspective and return to work with a better idea of where your team/business currently stands and where you want it to be; this will improve your chances of achieving your organizational/team goals.
4. Give Others a Chance to Lead
Do you want to test the leadership capabilities of your employees or team members? Then take some time away from work. All year round, your employees/team relies on your guidance, support, and decision making to perform daily duties and deal with challenges as they arise. By taking some time away from work, you will provide your employees/team an opportunity to flex their muscles and prove their leadership capabilities.
The more chances you give your employees to prove the leadership capabilities, the more chances you will have to take some time away from work in the future. Also, you will be able to identity people in your organization with leadership potential.
Even if you currently don’t have any leadership roles to fill in your company, you will need more leaders in your organization in the future as your business grows. By taking a vacation, you will be able to spot these leaders while providing them with an opportunity to gain valuable leadership experience which may come in handy in the future.
As seen above, there are many benefits for business leaders to take some time away from work. As a business leader, taking a vacation will allow you to recharge and return to work stronger.
by Bobby J Davidson
We love our company and we love what we do. Check out the ‘Why Percento‘ page to learn more: Love of Technology and Business! As the President of Percento Technologies International, I provide day-to-day leadership to the company’s senior management and I am personally involved in the strategy, business development and sales activities of the firm.
The company was founded in 1999 with the purpose of providing a one call source for organizations in need of Enterprise IT Consulting and Management. We also provide a line of products in the boutique Cloud Server space with a touch of high-end website strategy consulting and design services. We personalizes the IT Service experience with a team approach, working with clients from diverse sectors of industry, including energy services, financial, legal, entertainment, healthcare, hospitality, retail and general and/or corporate business. percentotech.com/contact