I’m just back from a lovely week in Croatia with my partner, his kids and his family.
The family are from Slovakia, so it’s fair to say there’s a bit of a language barrier, although I’ve been doing my best to learn some of the basics over the past few years! Building relationships in this way is definitely a challenge, and it’s prompted me (again) to re-subscribe to a language learning app with renewed determination to improve my Slovak.
It’s reminded me that relationships don’t depend on getting every word right. Patience, curiosity and a willingness to keep trying count for a lot.
Another first this holiday was that I didn’t take my work phone with me.
For some people, that probably doesn’t sound particularly remarkable.
For me, it is.
Previously, I’d have been checking it constantly, responding to emails and occasionally even taking work calls. Even with my out-of-office switched on, it wasn’t unusual for someone to receive the notification that I was on leave and then message me through social media because something felt urgent to them.
Looking back, I realise all of that blurred the boundary between work and personal time. It interrupted my thoughts, stopped me fully switching off and made it much harder to properly recharge.
I think we all have a responsibility to respect other people’s time off.
The reason I was able to leave my phone behind so confidently this year was because I have a hugely trusted team around me.
They have my personal number should something genuinely urgent arise, and I trust their judgement completely about when that would be appropriate.
As it turned out, I didn’t hear from anyone.
Which probably tells me everything I needed to know.
Creating space to think
That isn’t to say I didn’t think about work.
I did.
But it felt different.
There were quiet moments in the morning, sitting on the balcony with a cup of tea, wondering how my Scottish skin was going to cope with another day of 34-degree heat, where my mind naturally drifted towards ideas rather than tasks.
I’ve noticed this pattern for years.
Colleagues who know me well often joke that whenever I come back from annual leave, I’ll arrive with a notebook full of new ideas and things I’d like to explore.
They’re usually right.
It got me thinking about why that happens.
Why does stepping away make it easier to think creatively?
I don’t think it’s because holidays magically make us more innovative.
I think it’s because they give our brains the space they’ve been craving.
Busy isn’t always productive
Over the past year, I’ve deliberately blocked out time in my diary every week for strategic thinking.
Protecting that time has been one of the best habits I’ve introduced because it creates space to focus on the bigger picture rather than simply responding to what’s immediately in front of me.
Recently though, I’ve noticed that space starting to disappear.
My diary has gradually filled up with more operational meetings and day-to-day activity.
From the outside, it probably looks like I’m incredibly productive.
If I’m honest with myself, there are weeks where I finish feeling like I’ve been busy every minute of every day but haven’t really moved anything important forward.
I’m sure many leaders will recognise that feeling.
Being busy and creating value aren’t always the same thing.
When we’re constantly immersed in operational work, we lose some of our ability to spot opportunities, notice patterns and think strategically about what’s coming next.
Those are some of the things leaders are there to do.
Not because we’re more important than anyone else, but because it’s much harder to see the bigger picture when you’re standing in the middle of it.
Sometimes stepping back is part of the job.
A timely reminder
This holiday reminded me that if I want to do my best work, I need to create the conditions that allow it to happen.
That means protecting thinking time just as deliberately as I protect meeting time.
It means trusting other people.
It means recognising that constantly being available isn’t the same as being effective.
And sometimes it simply means giving myself permission to step away.
I’ve still got another week of annual leave before heading back to work.
Alongside the inevitable post-holiday washing mountain, catching up with family, tackling the garden and celebrating a couple of birthdays, I’ll also be investing some time in my own development. I’m fully immersed in my coaching journey just now, so there’ll be plenty of reading and a few webinars on the agenda too.
I will admit to one small lapse.
I couldn’t resist a sneaky look at my work phone.
There was one condition… I wasn’t allowed to respond.
Over 500 unopened emails later…
I very quickly decided I wouldn’t be checking it again until I’m back.
That said, the sneaky peek wasn’t entirely without reward. Buried amongst the emails was confirmation that I’d passed another few parts of my ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching and Mentoring Diploma. With only a small part left to complete, the end is finally in sight – and that was definitely worth opening the inbox for!
d’akujem za prečitanie!
(thanks for reading! 🇸🇰)