The Leadership Skill No One Talks About: Unplugging.

It’s so easy to work on vacation.

You think, “I’ll just keep up with my email” so you don’t have to deal with an accumulated amount of email when you return.

You’ll attend a meeting virtually so you don’t appear to be – not committed? unavailable? so essential you have to be a part of every conversation? 

It’s absurd. 

Take a break.

And I say this admonishingly because I have done it a million times.

I’ve worked on almost every vacation I’ve taken – trying to keep up with the inbox while attempting to keep up with the vacation activities. Sneaking in emails, checking off the little tasks that seem innocuous. 

But all of those little work activities take a big toll on a vacation. And on your mental health. 

Cutting it off, absolutely, makes a huge difference. 

UNPLUG. Your brain needs the break. You need the break.

No matter your position, people need to figure out how to make decisions without you. 

If they can, that makes you a great leader. 

You can’t be effective if you aren’t balanced. A real vacation gives you the balance. 

And your people will follow your lead – if you’re working on vacation, they will feel obligated to do the same. (And feel exhausted instead of refreshed.) 

And if you work for a company that can’t embrace this? Rethink your corporate culture. My boss was pretty adamant that I take a break and not work. (I feel so blessed.)

I followed my boss’s advice when I traveled with my family to Costa Rica. And it’s a directive that I instill in the people who work with me, too. We work so hard – do so much – make such an impact – our family time is precious. 

Brain dump, delegate all the tasks, be clear about your expectations – and don’t check in. 

Turn on your out of office and CHECK OUT.

You’ll feel better personally – and professionally, you’ll be back ready to take on all the tasks when you return.

Cheers to avoiding burnout, ya’ll! Here are some fun places to vacation –

• Costa Rica for a family adventure
• Paris for a fancy getaway
• Charleston, SC for a foodie weekend
• San Francisco for dim sum + Irish coffees
• Napa + Sonoma for the ultimate wine adventure
• Rural Virginia for a glamping Tipi excursion
• Boston for the Americana experience

Here’s the video of Costa Rica that inspired this post /