The summer is an opportunity for everyone to take a break, whether you consider yourself a leader or not. And, according to leadership expert Drew Povey, those people who insist on never taking a proper break could be missing out on the chance to have their best ideas.
Povey, who was in charge of Harrop Fold School in Salford when it featured in the popular 2017 Channel 4 documentary Educating Greater Manchester, believes that Summer gives people the chance to ‘return better than they were before.’
Drew, the founder of the Drew Povey Consultancy, explained: “Leadership never takes a holiday, but leaders should. Summer gives us an element of space, which we don’t get a lot of the time. What we want leaders to do is reset, recharge and reframe, so that when they return, they are better than they were before.”
Here are Drew’s ideas on how a good leader can use a summer break to reset and return better than before.
Design the disconnect
A lot of people feel guilty about taking time off particularly if they are in a leadership role but it’s very important for our physical and mental health to take a break. In our perhaps overly connected world where our phone can beep at any time with messages, there is a temptation to not really disconnect, and as well as being unhealthy it can also be confusing for your team back in the office.
This is why I recommend getting real clarity before you go on holiday by putting a plan in place. Do you want a full detox? Or a check in for 20 minutes every morning? Or a couple of days off before you might be online for critical issues? There is no right or wrong to this, but it needs to become a choice.
Communicate with your team
A good leader needs to know themselves and if you are one of those people who needs to have their finger on the pulse then realistically you aren’t going to stick to a seven day total detox. So when you’ve made that choice, communicate it to your team and your boss. If you don’t, and they know you as a control freak, they’ll be messaging you thinking they’re helping. So rather than get that drip of notifications and that horrible dread of that returning chaos and fear of the bulging inbox that you can very often get, choose your plan and tell others.
Put down the laptop and pick up a book
Sun loungers are no place for a laptop. They’re somewhere you should pick up a book.
I often encourage people to read something that they’re interested in, or read a topic that challenges how you think about people and performance, because it’s in these moments, when you pause, in these moments of stillness, that you can get some great ideas.
It’s also a time when you can get some insight, and you can think deeper about yourself and how you operate. This isn’t about ticking off a book on a to-do list, but it’s about trying to give us a bit of a spark, maybe even light a fire for when you return.
Don’t just recharge – reflect
Having that time away does create space, but it should create space for some deeper questions. I love asking leaders just to think about a couple of things while they’re away.
How’s this year gone so far? What have I learned? Where am I growing? Where am I coasting? Just think about the kind of leader you’d be ideally when you return. Because very often, the biggest breakthroughs people have don’t come in a boardroom, it could come from when you’re sitting on a balcony watching the sun set.
Get away from your devices
It’s really important that we intentionally take time away from our devices. Just as there is a clamour for schools to ban smartphones, we need to spend time away from being connected with the rest of the world.
When I go away I make a point of locking my phone in a safe, even if it’s just for an hour. You will feel a real difference, I promise you. Whether it’s listening to the sea or just not listening out for the noise of an incoming message, it helps you to see things differently. This is where your mind wanders and it’s in these lazy moments that you can produce gold.
Revisit your ‘why’
When you have holiday time, it’s the perfect time to reconnect with why you bother doing what you do because a lot of people forget that. People know they go into something because it’s a calling rather than a career, particularly in parts of the public sector.
Why did I get into education? Why did I get into politics or why did I decide to become a doctor or a nurse? You’ve got to remind yourself, why did I even start this journey? What impact did I want to have? Use this time to reconnect with what drove you in the first place and to get back to that purpose.
Return with intention
It’s not just about coming back but coming back better. People come back with loads of energy, but then go back to the very things that depleted their energy in the first place. So set the intention to come back smarter and with more clarity.
Above all, make sure summertime isn’t just a pause in leadership, but a powerful progression. It’s about resting well, reflecting deeply and returning ready.
