At Collaboration, we strive to live by our core values each and every day — both in the office and in our personal lives. One of these values, ‘relentless learners’, means we are motivated to foster and develop a thirst for learning in ourselves and others. We’re always seeking new solutions and adding value for our clients, our company, ourselves, and our communities.
To that end, one of the most often overlooked aspects of being a leader is taking time for yourself. We recognize how hard this is to do — after all, leaders and business owners know that it’s necessary to put their ‘all’ into their companies. Little time is leftover to spend on themselves.
In my decades-long career, I’ve been there as well. I got caught up in achieving the next level of success and pushing myself to be the best. It worked, of course, but I always wonder if I could have achieved as much as I did in a less stressful way.
Now that I have a few years of leadership under my belt, I have a new perspective. Moving from the everchanging cold-to-humid Massachusetts weather to the almost always sunny Central California Coast climate has helped as well. I recognize now that leaders must carve out time for themselves to evaluate where exactly they are in life and in business.
I use my quiet time to review my personal and professional goals, and make decisions on what needs to evolve. I seek ways to get out of the day-to-day, and I treat this time as I would any client meeting: my phone is off, I silence my computer to prevent the urge to check and re-check emails, and I block the time on my calendar. I take some time each week to focus on myself; this could happen while listening to jazz music in my home office, or maybe going on a long hike overlooking the sweeping vistas of the stunning coastline, or even while enjoying a glass of Pinot noir from one of our amazing local wineries. I’ve found that this perspective helps me recharge and realign, which in turn helps me be the best consultant I can be for my clients.
Whatever environment you choose, slowing down and processing what’s going on in your day-to-day business and personal life is certain to lead to a refresh. Who knows, maybe the Next Big Idea is waiting to come to you during this me time.