How to take a break

How to take a break

With the Christmas holidays approaching, are you confident that you will be able to take a break without compromising your business?  So often we hear stories from people who are taking calls from work almost daily during their holidays and ‘firefighting’ from the beach, the snow or even overseas.

The need to recharge is critical for wellbeing and that in turn makes it critical for the success of a team. Resting and recharging gives our body and brain a break and much needed thinking time.

In so many businesses and teams, Managers think their role means they must take responsibility for everything that the business or team does. Of course they have ultimate responsibility, but an effective team is one where all team members ‘own’ the processes, communication and teamwork, not just the Manager or Team Leader.

When team members take responsibility for the way the team works they are more able and likely to deal with problems as they arise, but do you know how to create a culture within your team that enables this?

We have committed to ourselves that when we take a break we will literally “take a break”. This means we will not ring, email or text. We will let the person enjoy their break and thus truly relax and recharge. We will ensure the job gets done effectively during their absence.

How is this possible? We trust each other. Completely. We know each of our team will do what they say they will do. So what does trust look like?

Put simply, trust is about being clear in your communications. That means setting standards and making your expectations clear. It also means being consistent in your behaviour. We all understand that if we are inconsistent in our communication or our behaviour there are consequences.

People do amazing things when they are clear about the task and feel trusted and valued. We consciously create this environment every day in our team because not only does it create a successful working environment but it enables us to take a break. And we love taking breaks!

It sounds simple but it isn’t always easy. Let us help you create an environment where you can “take a break” and be confident that all will be well upon your return.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *