Time away helps leaders gain fresh perspective

Today is my first day of leave. I’ll be out of office for twenty days which is just long enough to mentally and emotionally feel like a mini-sabbatical.

In addition to pure, unadulterated rest and relaxation a good break also gives you a bit of distance from the everyday hustle and bustle of work life. And with that distance comes perspective.

Perspective is a powerful force. Leaders need it to make good decisions. Well rested eyes see things tired eyes don’t. And being able to look at your work from 10,000 feet helps you figure out the most important next steps.

Make no mistake, seeing what’s next and figuring out strategic priorities is not just work, for leaders it’s critically important work. I like how Basecamp’s Ryan Singer puts it:

“The work of figuring out what the RIGHT work is ... IS work. Some people worry that if they're not making a wireframe or writing code, they're not doing real work. Shaping is work. Two people breadboarding in a room are working.”

So today I’m flying to Italy to spend some time with a couple of friends. Then my wife and I are taking our daughters to see Cape Town for the first time. During this time my e-mail and Slack will be completely switched off so that when I get back I can be completely switched on.