I have worked as the Executive Director of a community mental health, substance misuse, housing, and abuse recovery agency for the past fourteen years. Presently the organization I work for has just under 100 employees, multiple local partners, and a very significant and daunting mission. It is a demanding job with an agency that is making a difference in our community. For those of you in similar positions you know that being in charge comes with challenges. As the years have gone by I find myself filing away simple little principles for my behavior that help me do my job more effectively. They are things I tell myself when I feel like taking a shortcut. Some of them apply to how I represent our agency. Some apply to how I make decisions. Some apply to how I treat others. None of them are terribly earth shattering but if you tuck then away and use them as reminders they can help keep you on track.
It is better to be overdressed than underdressed.
It is better to over-communicate important information than under-communicate important information.
It is better to over-plan an intervention or change than under-plan an intervention or change.
It is better to over-prepare for a presentation than under-prepare for a presentation.
It is better to be early for an appointment or meeting than late to an appointment or meeting.
It is better to leave more-than-enough time to get a project done than not enough time to get a project done.
It is better to go overboard with thank-yous and appreciation than under acknowledge or not acknowledge people’s contributions and generosity.
It is better to listen for a long time without speaking than to not listen long enough.
It is better to get advice and perspectives from many people than fail to get enough advice.
It is better to err on the side of generosity than fail to extend grace, mercy, or resources to someone in need.
Recently on a Saturday I wrote this in my journal, “Today I started out with a long workout at the YMCA, moved on to reading several chapters in J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, and concluded by making and baking three pecan pies. I feel relaxed and reenergized.”
Now, what does this have to do with being a leader? Well, this…being in a leadership role, as wonderful as that may may sound, is often mentally, emotionally, and physically depleting. If you are a manager, administrator or in any way a leader of an organization you need to make sure you are taking rest very seriously.
Why am I writing this now? For the past three weeks I had been grinding out my job with little reprieve. The weeks included several late night meetings, various big projects with imposing back to back deadlines, orienting new staff, strategic planning sessions, all on top of the normal day to day work that is typical in my role. By the end of completing the last large project I felt like I had been running on fumes and the fumes were gone. My mind and body had collapsed before arriving at the gas tank and I was crawling. One of my personal warning signs that I am stretched out way too thin is acid reflux. It was raging. I am usually able to manage it through a combination of keeping my carbohydrate intake really low, frequent aerobic exercise, and getting eight hours of sleep. During these past three weeks I had developed a bout of reflux that was unrelenting despite my diligent use of diet, exercise and sleep. I could sense deep inside what I needed was a total break from my work and responsibilities. I needed a Sabbath rest.
Providentially, Jane and I had planned a long weekend out to visit our daughter and son-in-law in Indiana. We were going to stay at our favorite bed-and-breakfast, enjoy time with family, and just chill. I wouldn’t have time to think about work, or teaching, or planning, or administrating. I intended to visit, read, and hike, all of which equal rest for me. What surprised me is that after day one my reflux was back under control. It was like magic. Just a couple days before, despite my typical stress management routine, the reflux would not go away, But just like that, one day with total mental, physical, and emotional space away from work, and it was better.
Day to day stress management is essential but what this experience reinforced is that periodically we also need a lengthier, more intentional rest. The concept that keeps coming to my mind is Sabbath rest. This is an idea out of the Jewish tradition. Yahweh [in Jewish tradition this is the personal name for the true God] directs people to take a weekly rest from work. Yahweh also directs that there are routine lengthier times of rest from labor. Not only for people but also for livestock and even the land they farm.
Rest is a built-in hard wired necessity. Resting our mind, our bodies, and our spirit from the work we do is essential to the human soul. If we do not rest, both weekly routine rest and periodic lengthier times of rest (possibly our concept of a vacation) then we burn out, become irritable, less productive, and are less able to accomplish our personal mission. In our society, where technology makes work accessible 24/7 this kind of rest must be intentional.
So my friends, those of you who are in any type of leadership role, find your rest. Plan a Sabbath rest. Disconnect completely from your work. Connect or reconnect with the people in your life, immerse yourself in your favorite hobby, get outside, go hiking, go camping, read a book [not work related], or do a home project you’ve been wanting to do. You know what gives you rest and fills you up emotionally and a spiritually. Whatever it is, engage it. Chances are you’ll come back better ready to do the work that the Maker of Work has given you to do.
