Happy start to the new school year for many of you! For a few of us, particularly those in the northeastern US, the summer still has a few weeks left. Around the start of August, I was fortunate to spend some time sitting on the beach on the island of Grand Cayman during a family vacation that had been in the works for quite some time. It was what we all needed, and I spent quite a bit of time at the beach and in the pool, enjoying the island life. The trip also allowed me to reflect on what a change in scenery, and travel in general, can teach us about leadership. Below are four lessons that this trip helped to highlight for me.
Be prepared for the unexpected
Even when we think we are ready for anything, we rarely really are. It isn’t that we don’t know how to be flexible, but rather that sometimes what life brings is so bizarre that we couldn’t even have anticipated it. For instance, we had to reschedule this trip at a moment’s notice, as a surprise flight cancellation left us with no way to get to Grand Cayman and, due to airplane issues, no way to book confirmed tickets until after we were supposed to return to the US. Happily, we were able to make everything work, but it took some creative thinking and a lot of agility. Leadership is like that, too. We simply have to remember there is no way to be prepared for everything and instead, recognize that we should be prepared for being unprepared. The office I work from was recently flooded, and we needed to move several staff members to remote work quickly. It took some time and flexibility, but ultimately, we got people set up with what they needed to continue their work. Ideal? No. Okay? Yes. By recognizing that we will never know everything that is set to come our way, we become better equipped to meet those challenges head-on.
Slow things down
The Caribbean operates on a different schedule. Things move more slowly, including people, processes and products. You might want what you want, and you aren’t going to get it until people are ready. Coming from New York, this requires a bit of a reset. Things in New York tend to move pretty quickly. Call it a lack of patience or call it efficiency. It ultimately doesn’t matter. We can learn a lot about the value of slowing things down from those who live at a slightly slower pace. On vacation our meals were significantly longer. This gave us more time to engage and interact with each other. What might have been a one-hour meal became a two-hour one. And that was lovely. There are connections here to our working world as well. While we praise efficiency, sometimes we simply need to give our work more time to mature. There is so much we can learn by taking the time to understand people and how we all operate; why not allow ourselves the time to build deeper relationships, become more active listeners, and create more iterative products? Seems like a smart plan to me!
Revel in the small moments
On our last day in Grand Cayman, I was enjoying a cup of tea outside our home rental when I heard some repetitive scratching sounds. I turned my head and saw a sizable lizard crawling up the window screen. I took a few minutes to watch it as it slowly and methodically inched up the screen towards the roof of the home. It was only a few minutes, and yet, I was able to lose myself in the simple wonder of watching. Our lives have all these moments simply waiting for us to give them the time they deserve. A “good morning,” or a “thank you,” or a willing ear to help troubleshoot a challenge… all of these can literally be just minutes of a given day. However, due to their “size,” we tend to spend less time considering them. Why is that? We should revel in the small moments both as a means to ground ourselves in the humanity of the work we do and to encourage those we serve to never lose sight of all the small pieces to help to make us, and our work, whole. Recognizing those small moments and amplifying them is a simple leadership move that we should never ignore.
Carve out time for you
Beach vacations can be very relaxing. In fact, I’m writing this on a beach chair steps away from the ocean, while the rest of my family is out and about somewhere. Wherever we are, we must carve out time for ourselves. As leaders, we spend the vast majority of our time in service to others. And we should. And, we also need to set aside time in service to ourselves. We shouldn’t feel guilty about this. In fact, we are modeling effective leadership when we take vacation time, spend time with friends and family, and allow ourselves a bit of alone time. Everyone needs it, and we all need different amounts. The point to remember is that if we don’t give back to ourselves, then who can we count on to give back to us?
Four simple ideas. Four big impacts. While my vacation was a wonderful experience away, it was also a great opportunity to get back home to myself. As you start the year anew, make sure you keep these ideas in mind. Each school year provides us with ample opportunity to grow and help effect positive change. We can do that best when we give ourselves the space and time to enjoy the small moments and remain open to whatever comes our way. Enjoy the start of the school year.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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