A Sabbatical Program Launches and No One Wants to Go. What’s Up?
In an initial consulting conversation this week with Jennifer, an individual who is gathering information to design and implement a sabbatical program for a global company, Elizabeth and I re-emphasized the importance of the roll out of any sabbatical program.
“What you don’t want to have happen is to launch a sabbatical program and then have [...]
Innovation Gets Better With Age: Why is This So Hard To Believe?
Does a 65-year-old have significantly more innovation potential than a 25-year-old?
My Generation X daughter, who sometimes must teach me a new tech shortcut twice (okay, maybe four times) would answer boldly and quickly, “No way.”
Older is slower. So how could her mother possibly be better at new thinking and fresh ideas than, say, her dewy-faced, [...]
Why Your Career Path Should Have No End
Life expectancy is ballooning, but really, who’s paying attention? I wasn’t, and the results were a transition that could have been better navigated. Entering my third act of life, I ended up confused in a swamp land of outdated information, no great “how-to” bestseller as a guide and social benchmarks that just didn’t fit anymore.
No [...]
Experts Identify Extreme Workers’ Ultimate Success Tool – “Get Away from the Job”
Fast Company Magazine’s 2012 two-part series on Generation Flux was their best – intoxicating and evil at the same time – in the last five years. Robert Safian, an author and the magazine’s editor, challenged every conventional thought left in your brain about how to be a successful and survival in the present state of [...]
No Resolutions for New Year, Just the Gift of a Journey
Holiday gatherings reunited me with friends, family and colleagues. After hugs and “great to see you,” I used the common conversation starter, “So, what’s going on with you?” Answers included:
“Working hard, going nowhere.”
“Well, you know, my life is all about the kids.”
“Not much of anything.”
“Same ole’, same ole.”This is not how everyone responded. The theme [...]
Secrets of Confident and Smart Long-Term Travel
Endings are powerful experiences. As the season of shopping, glittering lights and cookies gains momentum, we are letting go of the final days of 2012. How was it for you? Living the life you want? Too busy for much of anything? Cat got your tongue?
Soon we’ll all receive the greatest gift of all – time. [...]
Bring Back the 40-Hour Work Week? Can We Noodle on That?
In the third debate, the President’s history lesson -“we don’t use bayonets and horses”- prompted big buzz, smiles and controversy. But, although billed as a last resort, bayonets still do play a part in military arms, just not a significant one.
Another idea – a killer idea – also steeped in history moves toward a possible [...]
Oh the Things You’ll Learn! Three Notable Sabbatical Books
We can learn a lot from the story line, “sabbatical idea to departure.” But, the story of what happens next provides the best information to help us to look closer at our own ideas about taking time out from work
Who doesn’t want answers to these questions:
Just how did those teenage daughters like being away [...]
Money Does Buy Happiness: Here’s How Much Moolah You Need and Why
In the pursuit of happiness, how many times have we asked ourselves, “How much money is enough?” only to quickly realize we have no idea.
Finally, we have the answer. According to the latest research, once you have about $75,000 a year, earning more doesn’t really help.
Not surprisingly, people with a comfortable living standard are [...]
Where the Spirit Leads, Feet Follow: Walk, Baby, Walk
While extreme sports fuel many, the rest of us are not, nor do we aspire, to be in the club. For a lot of different reasons, we don’t want to go “peak bagging.” We’re not fit enough, strong enough or brave enough. Still we’d like to “live bold” and “dare to do more.”
The urge for [...]
The Purpose-Driven Sabbatical: New Approach to Achieve the Happy Factor
Without purpose, a sabbatical won’t make you happy. I’ve interviewed many individuals who thought all they needed to do was negotiate the time away, arrange for their work to get done, and instruct the tech department to dissolve temporary access to their email. Then, totally disconnected from work life, the grand experience of their sabbatical [...]
Three Common Approaches to Asking for a Sabbatical – and Why They Don’t Work
What is it about springtime that prompts individuals to want to act on the idea of asking their boss for a sabbatical? While sabbatical programs in companies are a growing trend, individuals at work in companies without them are taking the initiative and negotiating their own.
With more and more people contacting yourSABBATICAL for help, [...]
New Sabbatical Program Falls Short of Top Notch
I give an “A” for effort to Ray Clark, Founder and CEO, of The Marketing Arm. He’s kicked off 2012 with a program that combines time and cash for his longtime employees. Not too bad so far, eh?
Anyone who has been with the Dallas-based marketing and promotions agency for at least seven years is being rewarded with seven [...]
Just What We Need. Ego-Driven CEO on Run-Away Sabbatical
It’s not as if Jared Heyman isn’t a nice guy. He does look likeable. And, as a driven businessman and entrepreneur, his success deserves celebration in ways he chooses. But, his idea of a sabbatical as “running away,” curls my brain.
Taking into consideration that INC. needs to sell buckets of magazines, perhaps he did have a better message than [...]
18 Reasons Why Companies Want a Sabbatical Program for Their Employees
While organizations disappear, wait out or struggle in this economy, you can guess a number of senior executives wouldn’t even venture a conversation about establishing a sabbatical program for their employees.
Apt responses in this group are: “Are you out of your mind?” “No way. We want them here and working, working working.” “Who’s doing that?”
So you might [...]
Think Small (very small) to Uncover Optimism for Work, a Future Sabbatical and Life
Our local food pantry executive director, Timothy Evans, wrote an eloquent essay, “Who Are You Gonna Listen To?” for the June Manna Food Bank-Pensacola’s newsletter. Evans ponders the obscure economic indicators celebrity economists use to discern the message of the economic recovery he keeps hearing about on broadcast news. He says he’s hardly encouraged since the message of [...]
Workplace Changes Will Bomb if New Life Stage Has No Name
By this time tomorrow, 11,000 more people will turn 60 and this blog has touted best-selling author, Daniel Pink’s declaration that a revolution is on the way – a demographic revolution changing the future of the workplace.
Realizing at sixty that they have another twenty-five years to do the things that matter most, this best-educated, goal [...]
Working Harder and Harder to Achieve Less and Less. How Ya Doin’ With That?
Driving home from a recent business dinner, I struggled to figure out just how my three smiling dinner companions processed the current business environment with such remarks as “turning the corner,” “looking better than ever,” “full of promise,” and, (the corker), “my best year ever.”
All three highly educated, high achieving business owners seemed out of [...]
Get Where You Live Right, You’ll Get Life Right. R-e-a-l-l-y?
A good friend is packing up to move six states to the east – closer to the ocean where it won’t snow. Without a job for over a year, she figures her spirit will get a boost in new surroundings where the sun shines more days than in Cincinnati. In no time she’ll be inspired to tackle a future [...]
Obsessed with Goals? Might Explain Why There’s No Sabbatical in View for You
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, written by Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter, outlines 20 habits to break to become even more successful. With an average of 4.5 stars from 288 Amazon readers, the book deserves your attention.
The 20 habits include clinging to the past, making excuses and winning too much. Goldsmith is “corporate America’s preeminent [...]
Shape Muscles, Sling Hammers and Do Good Work: The Sweat-Equity Sabbatical
Mixing travel and good deeds is a always a great recipe for a sabbatical. Maybe you want to volunteer abroad but are skittish about taking a chance on a charitable organization you’ve never heard in a far-off place … like Mongolia.
Would the rock-solid reputation of “Habitat for Humanity” help you take the leap?
No one disputes the need [...]
When Too Much Thinking about a Sabbatical Bogs You Down
Faced with the decision of moving toward a break in your career involves many moving parts. The negotiation with your boss, the planning and execution, and assuring positive outcomes for you and your company – all deserve to be well thought-out.
But spinning wheels over and over ideas are what some of us are really good [...]