An open letter to CEOs from our Co-Founder, George.
Hey CEOs, how are you doing out there? This year has been pretty tough, huh? I’m going to guess that you haven’t had a real day off or a good night’s sleep since February. With news of the pandemic, every decision has come with more gravity, every plan has been pushed back and every week has brought more changes that could impact your business. You’re doing all you can to lead your team and keep their jobs secure, putting a smile on with every Zoom call, even on those days when you don’t feel like smiling. But hey, that’s the reality, right? You do what you’ve got to do because your team needs you.
Well, what if I was to tell you that as much as your team appreciates you, they don’t actually need you to be there every single day? They’ve adapted to remote working, they’re meeting their targets, they’re thriving at what they do and the business will be just fine if you finally take some time off this year.
Our brains are like any other muscle in the body — you need to let it recover before you can go at full speed again. When you push and push without any rest, it becomes fatigued and burnt out (which explains the never-lifting brain fog you’ve been having lately). A few weeks rest would do your brain good.
“But…but what about my meetings?”
What about them? The world is moving at a slower pace and they’ll still be there when you come back — heck, they’re probably relieved that they have one less thing to do before Friday. Now is the time to take some time off and I promise it’s possible. Here’s how…
Remember the strengths of your team
Okay, this is the first time your business has faced a global pandemic, I’ll give you that one, but it is not the first time it has overcome a challenge. Think of all those times your team has worked things out. You’ve hired every person in that team for a reason and they all bring their own strengths to the table. Although this year is very different from anything they’ve experienced before, they’ve got this. It helps to take a sec to recollect on all the situations they’ve managed on their own over the years.
Struggling to let go? Read our guide on outsourcing for control freaks.
Appoint a second in command
65% of business owners admit to checking their emails when they’re meant to be on holiday, ‘just in case’ they need to give an answer about that thing, so no one’s waiting to move it forward. I get it, I’ve been there. The best thing to do? Appoint a co-pilot — someone you can trust who can give an answer for everything that would usually come to you. Your Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant or even a Virtual Assistant are experts at this kind of job.
Hire a virtual team
“This all sounds great, but what if I don’t have a team and it’s just me?”
Great question. That’s where a virtual team can help. A virtual team is a team of experts who just so happen to work virtually. So, pretty much like any other team working from home right now. With our ibLE experts, you only pay for the time you need, so you can have your time off covered without needing to hire an entire team of your own.
Make it official
Block it out in your calendar. Let your team know. Let your clients know. Choose your time and commit to it. It can make things way more confusing than they need to be if you keep switching your holidays.
Manage your time wisely
Okay, you have two more weeks until you take time off, that means you have just 14 days to cram in as much as humanly possible and then you can take your holiday. No no no no no. What’s the point in taking time off if you torture yourself beforehand? By the time you recover, you’ll be right back at your desk again.
With the help of a personal assistant (in-house or virtual) your time and the expectations of others can be managed for you, so you have a priority of things to do, without exhausting yourself in the process.
When you finally switch on your ‘out-of-office’ for the first time in 2020, I ask one thing of you. Please take some time just for you on your days off. It can be easy to feel like you need to make up for lost time with everyone, but you need a bit of space for real rest and recovery. Now go and enjoy your time off, you’ve been doing great.
Need some extra support? Get in touch to meet your new virtual team.