Shifting your mindset around vacation

It’s summer, and you know what that means: everyone seems to be on vacation.

Does “everyone” include…you?

We’re not in the business of telling leaders what to do, but we’re going to make an exception when it comes to the vacation conversation. Because taking a vacation is one of the most responsible actions a creative leader can take, for several reasons:

• It distributes leadership. Sure, you can relentlessly work ahead, but there’s another risk associated with that: the inevitable pre-vacation burnout where you spend the first few days of your break trying to decompress from your prep time. Tapping a trusted employee—as long as you’re not overwhelming them—allows you to delegate and let someone on your team flex their leadership muscles.
• It increases productivity. This Harvard Business Review article is from a few years ago, but the findings were no less impactful: when this company scheduled a mandatory vacation—everyone taking off the same amount of time at the same time—creativity went up 33%, happiness levels rose 25%, and productivity increased 13%.
• It also increases innovation. The big, powerful ideas that move your businesses forward are rarely considered at work. They’re thought up at the summit of a mountain, on a sandy beach, or while you’re taking a walk around your block. Why wouldn’t we prioritize more opportunities to make sure those ideas find their way into our businesses?

We also know that as small business owners and creative entrepreneurs, it can feel downright daunting to not only go on vacation yourself and have everyone else in the office taking time off, too. So, how can you balance the desire to give people time to decompress and the need to keep your business running? Head to our latest blog for our top three tips.

Leading your team through election season

To say we’re in a “politically fraught landscape” these days is a wild understatement—and as we get into the final few months of the 2024 presidential election cycle, you might be wondering how to make sure the divisiveness doesn’t upend your own company culture.

It’s something worth wondering about. Every day—every hour!—it seems like there’s a new piece of breaking news that creates heightened emotions, and it’s tough for your employees (and you, for that matter) to just shut off those feelings and go to work.

That said, here are a few strategies that might help:

Share non-partisan resources and voting information: Websites like factcheck.org or organizations like the League of Women Voters (here’s the link to the New York chapter ) are all about increasing understanding of major public policy issues and helping to curb misinformation. These resources are especially helpful for your Gen Z voters, many of whom might be voting in their first presidential election.

Encourage civility over stopping conversation: Co-workers are going to talk to each other about politics, which is why it’s so tough to mandate something like “no political conversations at work.” Something you can do, however, is to provide training and resources for your employees on what to do if they feel a conversation has turned unproductive or heated. And, it might be helpful to give your business lawyers a call about this as well, as the National Labor Relations Board changed the laws in 2023 around workplace conduct .?

Focus on what unites you. It might sound saccharine, but in divisive times, it’s critical to get clear on what. As this Fast Company article says, “Everyone on your team has chosen to be there because they believe the team can help them accomplish something worthwhile that they can’t do on their own.” Continue to emphasize that shared purpose, and as a leader, help people remember while there might be noise “out there,” there are plenty of allies “in here.”?

Listen to Jeanne on The Big 4 Transparency Podcast!

Earlier this month, Jeanne was a guest on?Dominic Piscopo, CPA 's Big 4 Transparency podcast, where they talked about:?

?? The challenges of scaling a creative business

?? Why there’s been an increased demand for accounting advisory services (and how Jeanne thinks about meeting that demand for her clients)

?? The ROI of outsourcing financial tasks

?? The biggest business challenges creatives face

?? Underrated employee retention tactics

Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts !?

Sum Stuff for Your Radar

TINYpulse

What it is: A tool for gathering continuous and transparent employee feedback .

Why we like it: The platform creates quick, one-question surveys and sends them to your employees each week. An easy and fast way to understand how your employees are feeling.

Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI

What it is: Wharton professor and author of the popular“One Useful Thing” Substack Ethan Mollick gives the definitive playbook for working, learning, and living in the age of AI

Why we like it: Instead of the “AI will replace us” narrative that’s been prevalent over the past year, Mollick urges a different approach: engaging with AI as a co-worker, teacher, and coach. A great read on what it means to think and work together with smart machines—and why it’s critical to master that skill.

Adding it all up...

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" ~ Mary Oliver?

The summer months inevitably make us think of the last line of Mary Oliver's poem "The Summer Day."?

Somewhere along the line, Oliver's wise words have been co-opted into a narrative about hustle culture, where we need to take hold of our "wild and precious" lives and not waste one minute more. Oliver would undoubtedly not be excited about this use of her words.

Her poem (head?here to read it in its entirety ) was about the exact opposite: taking the time to contemplate who made the world, especially the grasshopper who has landed on her hand, eating sugar out of her palm and gazing around with enormous, complicated eyes.?

Amid the art you're creating, the impact you're making, and the gifts you bring to your audiences, don't forget to take some time this summer and just...notice. After all, you might notice something that becomes your next focus.?