What Makes Taking Time Off So Difficult?

On learning to let go so your team members can develop as leaders. Second in our series on the importance of taking time off, in which we examine (1) Why it’s so hard for us to stop working, (2) What we can do to help ourselves, and (3) The benefits of taking a break.

Leadership is often rooted in a sense of responsibility, and that’s admirable, but taking responsibility can quietly become control. Many leaders hold beliefs they’d never say out loud: Everything depends on me. No one will do it as well. I’ll deal with the consequences when I return. While these beliefs can feel like an appropriate sense of responsibility, oftentimes they’re limiting.

Great organizations are built on shared ownership, not heroic endurance. Every vacation becomes an opportunity to strengthen others. Delegation is an important way to develop leaders in your organization, and when you place trust in your team members, it builds their confidence. And a temporary absence can reveal strengths that your constant presence never allows to emerge. One of the greatest gifts leaders can give their teams is the opportunity to lead without them.

Before your next vacation:

• Identify the few decisions only you can make.
• Delegate everything else.
• Tell your team you trust them—and mean it.
• Resist checking every email.
• Return asking, “What did you learn?” instead of “What went wrong?”

If your goal is to prove you’re indispensable, what does that say to your team about their contributions, about their opportunity to grow as leaders in your organization? A better goal for long-term sustainability is to build an organization that thrives because leadership is shared.

Reflection

If your team cannot function well for one week without you, what system—or leadership habit—needs strengthening?