In the last two blogs we set the stage for two big ideas, pursuing a sabbatical strategy and establishing the Connected Leader in yourself through life’s learnings – and how these two ideas pair up nicely – like Dancing with the Stars. Sorry. I couldn’t resist. This is the TV show swirling and glittering on stage in the background as I write this; even on mute, it drove my husband out of the room. “How can anyone watch this?” he said. I guess I’m anyone.
And speaking as anyone tonight – I’ll respond to my wonderful husband in this blog. We tune into Dancing with the Stars or to the science fiction action flicks on the FX channel for a primary reason – to escape for a while. To ease up on the throttle and let ourselves go with something like a good story or comfort food style entertainment. Don’t even get me started on American Idol…
What does any of this have to do with a sabbatical strategy or leadership? A lot.
In a recent feature in the Atlanta’s AJC for yourSABBATICAL, Elizabeth Pagano emphasizes a valuable point. As sabbatical experts, Elizabeth and Barbara have come across over worked professionals that thought they needed a new job but instead what they needed was a break to regroup… refresh. It’s true that, in fact, we can actually become somewhat stale in our thinking about what is basically a tremendous career or job. Have you ever lost perspective because you’ve simply gotten too close to something? Same idea applies here. Pulling back in creative ways is key.
Last Wednesday’s WSJ highlighted this exact story for Chief Executive of First Pacific Advisors (an investment fund which recently ran about $8.5 billion in assets), Robert Rodriguez, who has announced he’s taking a one year sabbatical starting January 2010. Rodriguez sure sounds like a Connected Leader – a demonstration of his principally grounded attitude and self assurance came through in this WSJ article when it was mentioned he was frustrated that his institutional clients were leery about the high cash level his stock fund maintained. His reason for keeping the cash level so high was to protect investors from a declining market. It’s no surprise then that FPA is ahead of the market by eight points right now. Mr. Rodriguez also correctly predicted the credit crunch. The question is this: what is driving this spot-on professional and successful money manager to go away for a year? Two primary reasons it seems: one, because he can – he has capable people to run a well managed fund in his absence and two, because he needs time to, “contemplate how the economic landscape will look in coming decades…” as quoted from this WSJ article by Diya Gullapalli.
In some way, it gives me some peace that smart people like this –who, by all evidence, have it together to lead their industry correctly (God help us all from the Madoff’s in the world) – are capable and willing to take a sabbatical. It makes good business sense for leading thinkers to seriously slow down to regroup; a good point that just was highlighted in Barbara’s Sabbatical Mindset blog just posted, see http://yoursabbatical.com/the-sabbatical-mindset . Personally, I want the leaders that can keep sound industry practice alive and well – in all sectors – to be refreshed as they plot forward through these current economic shifts. Don’t you?
To back this point up, I think about an article months ago in the Financial Times where brewery chief and CEO Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen was interviewed about the tough decisions he must make every day to oversee Carlsberg. The FT article quote, “Being successful, Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen says, is not just being good at business, ‘It’s about not regretting what you have done and feeling satisfied [that you would not have made] different choices if you [had to] do it again.’ Two decisions have helped him in work and life. One has been to keep a broad circle of friends… The other was to take himself ‘out of the comfort zone’”. Mr. Rasmussen took time to study abroad. Specifically, one trip to work in a mining company in Johannesburg and another, a lonely and challenging assignment in Honk Kong.
I’m glad talented leaders are not only smart enough to run their organizations effectively but also to take time in their lives to pull away, slow down, and gain perspective.
To grow the Connected Leader inside of ourselves –we would do well to emulate the thinking of leaders like Rasmussen and Rodriguez. And from what I’m watching tonight on TV – should be easier footwork than Dancing with the Stars.
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