Let me give you a day!

Using time off for reflection

Are you under stress? Is everyone making demands on you? Tell the truth: are you ready for a breather even if the year is only a few weeks old? You know what: I’m sending you on a holiday. I’m serious: Let me give you a day!

I’m willing to bet anything that for the last three years, you, your boss and your customers haven’t missed February 29th – so why should this year be any different? The calendar knows what a leap year is and adds an extra day to February every now and then, as it will this year. But that’s no reason for us not to get along just fine without it. So take this opportunity: Skip work and do something crazy! Something that blows the cobwebs from your brain, something that relaxes and inspires you. 

Because I’ve learned one thing, you see: managers are terrific when it comes to doing business. They’re persistent, flexible, focussed, innovative and motivated. They stay on the ball and don’t lose sight of their goals. But where they really need some coaching is the topic of relaxation. You should definitely learn that phases of tension are followed by times of regeneration – otherwise, the body gets sluggish, there’s no food for the brain, and your inner balance suffers.

This risk is real, as we can see almost daily in the news. One particularly spectacular example was Harald Krüger’s breakdown: the 49-year old had only been Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW for five months when he collapsed during a presentation at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. He fainted and fell on the floor. After that, he cancelled all his appointments. Nothing serious, he said later; it was just the combination of tension, excitement, and the concentration of so many different work topics. But rarely do we see such a visible and public example of how much pressure managers face – and how much they sometimes suffer from it. Miriam Meckel, who was then a professor at the University of St.Gallen, broke a taboo in 2010 by publishing a book on the burnout she experienced. “Brief an mein Leben” (“A Letter to My Life”) met with great respect and probably served as a wake-up call to a few managers to pay more attention to their own needs – or at least be more open about their own burnouts. 

As a professional boxer, I learned early that sustainable success is only possible if you allow for regular relaxation – not just for your own body, but also your team and the whole organization. Anyone who performs at a high level needs periods of reflection, and countless studies show that this is as true of business as it is of sport. More than 50% of today’s managers worry about suffering burnout at some time over the course of their careers. 

That makes it even more important to change the way we think. Here and there we can already see a few employers who do more than just make demands of their employees; they also grant them time off. Large consulting companies were among the pioneers in this trend, enabling their employees to take sabbaticals without a lot of bureaucracy or hurdles. Thanks to the nature of project business, consultants can take several months off, regardless of whether they want to complete a Ph.D., travel the world or just spend more time with their families. Companies such as Linde, Microsoft or 3M, on the other hand, free their employees to spend time on social projects and other types of projects, though with very different time budgets for the purpose. Microsoft grants its staff “3 Days Off” (the name of its volunteer programme) every year in addition to their annual holiday leave. The technology company 3M is much more generous, allowing its employees to use 15% of their work time for their own projects and ideas. 

To some people, that may sound like a luxury, but behind it is the simple realization that only free time produces innovative ideas and inner motivation. So take a look at your own company and see what kinds of time off are possible for your employees. There’s no need to start with big ambitions like 3M, but when your team has won an important contract, reward them with a free afternoon. Or, if there’s not much happening between two projects, encourage your staff to spend their time on social commitments. The opportunities are numerous and varied. Maybe you can give the idea some thought when you take a holiday on 29 February and let your spirit roam free. Just like your employees. I’m sure you’ve earned it!