Great leaders take breaks, often.
April 25, 2021
Photo by Morgan Housel on UnsplashLeaders don't take breaks (1). It does not take long to recognize when a leader overworks. There are many signs, from the meetings taken during lunch, the emails sent at midnight, and the rapid response on the weekend. Is this belief that leaders don’t take breaks useful? I think it is not. I also think it's not true, but we're conditioned to worship leaders who sacrifice all available time to the cause they lead. This concept is abundant in Western corporate norm and labor laws. Our standards for taking a break are low and evident in the minimal vacation days and lack of federal maternity and paternity leave policies. We as a nation are fearful of slowing down, and we are paying the price for it.
As Carl Honoré says, our Western viewpoint of time is the origin of our need for speed: “time is linear; therefore time is finite and scarce as a resource.” (2) Therefore we believe our security and success center on how much we can transform time into money.
Honoré points out that the global backlash to speed is found in the rise of slow movements. This movement is busting the myth that you can not afford to take breaks to be productive and successful. The slow movement in leadership flips that narrative and says you can't afford ongoing work if you want to be effective.
Some may point to the trend of sabbaticals as an exception to the myth that leaders don’t take breaks. I'm curious why we only accept rest at the onset of physical or mental exhaustion? It is a norm in high-stress and growth-centered corporate cultures for people to complain-boast about working 60+ hours a week. A Stanford study has debunked the payoff of working more hours by showing that peak productivity is achieved at 55+ hours a week (3). A leader who can sustain their work over long periods, with frequent and routine breaks, is proven to be more effective than the work benders we celebrate. There are ongoing experiments and campaigns to shorten the workweek to four days to pursue work/life balance.
When it comes to putting this into practice, why would the peak productivity rule apply to others but not the leader? Therefore, the need of a leader working long days without a break weakens as there's little evidence the output justifies the approach. I believe the dependence on overworking protects our fear of being inadequate and failing. If I am always working, how could the people who depend on me accuse me of not trying hard enough when things go wrong. A leader who allows themselves to take breaks is setting a brave example that it's ok to be human and need rest. We are not the 24/7 online machines we carry in our pockets, we are nature, and nature is slow and effective. From the viewpoint of nature, time is circular, ever replinshing and infinite. We can afford to slow down and rest when we’re not racing to use time up before it’s gone.
2020 has been an unexpected turn in public interest and demand for breaks. Business shutdowns and the move from office to home pushed leaders to rethink work/life balance. Our humanness has become much more evident in this challenge condition. Flexible schedules and regular breaks are one way to counter the expectations of being connected 24/7 as teams communicate through video and online message platforms. I believe the emergence of leaders from this era will be the ones who embrace rest as an essential tool for resiliency.
Now I take frequent breaks during the workday to be still and listen to the birds outside. I can't imagine returning to a work culture that didn't see my stillness contributing to my productivity and creativity.
Honoré points out that the global backlash to speed is found in the rise of slow movements. This movement is busting the myth that you can not afford to take breaks to be productive and successful. The slow movement in leadership flips that narrative and says you can't afford ongoing work if you want to be effective.
Some may point to the trend of sabbaticals as an exception to the myth that leaders don’t take breaks. I'm curious why we only accept rest at the onset of physical or mental exhaustion? It is a norm in high-stress and growth-centered corporate cultures for people to complain-boast about working 60+ hours a week. A Stanford study has debunked the payoff of working more hours by showing that peak productivity is achieved at 55+ hours a week (3). A leader who can sustain their work over long periods, with frequent and routine breaks, is proven to be more effective than the work benders we celebrate. There are ongoing experiments and campaigns to shorten the workweek to four days to pursue work/life balance.
When it comes to putting this into practice, why would the peak productivity rule apply to others but not the leader? Therefore, the need of a leader working long days without a break weakens as there's little evidence the output justifies the approach. I believe the dependence on overworking protects our fear of being inadequate and failing. If I am always working, how could the people who depend on me accuse me of not trying hard enough when things go wrong. A leader who allows themselves to take breaks is setting a brave example that it's ok to be human and need rest. We are not the 24/7 online machines we carry in our pockets, we are nature, and nature is slow and effective. From the viewpoint of nature, time is circular, ever replinshing and infinite. We can afford to slow down and rest when we’re not racing to use time up before it’s gone.
2020 has been an unexpected turn in public interest and demand for breaks. Business shutdowns and the move from office to home pushed leaders to rethink work/life balance. Our humanness has become much more evident in this challenge condition. Flexible schedules and regular breaks are one way to counter the expectations of being connected 24/7 as teams communicate through video and online message platforms. I believe the emergence of leaders from this era will be the ones who embrace rest as an essential tool for resiliency.
Now I take frequent breaks during the workday to be still and listen to the birds outside. I can't imagine returning to a work culture that didn't see my stillness contributing to my productivity and creativity.
Credits:
1. Diaz, Cameron. “10 Myths of Leadership.” Leadership Institue, August 6, 2018. https://www.leadershipinstitute.org/news/?NR=14041
2. Carl Honoré. “In praise of slowness.” Filmed July 2005 at TEDGlobal, video, 4:40, https://www.ted.com/talks/carl_honore_in_praise_of_slowness#t-281769
3. Chopra, Deepok and Sehgal, Kabir, “Stanford professor: Working this many hours a week is basically pointless. Here’s how to get more done—by doing less.” CNBC, March 20, 2019. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/20/stanford-study-longer-hours-doesnt-make-you-more-productive-heres-how-to-get-more-done-by-doing-less.html
1. Diaz, Cameron. “10 Myths of Leadership.” Leadership Institue, August 6, 2018. https://www.leadershipinstitute.org/news/?NR=14041
2. Carl Honoré. “In praise of slowness.” Filmed July 2005 at TEDGlobal, video, 4:40, https://www.ted.com/talks/carl_honore_in_praise_of_slowness#t-281769
3. Chopra, Deepok and Sehgal, Kabir, “Stanford professor: Working this many hours a week is basically pointless. Here’s how to get more done—by doing less.” CNBC, March 20, 2019. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/20/stanford-study-longer-hours-doesnt-make-you-more-productive-heres-how-to-get-more-done-by-doing-less.html