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Jeff Colvin
Management Consultant & Founder of Link,
a Management Consulting Group
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This
is a test! On your next vacation leave your cell phone, lap top
computer, personal digital assistant, notebook, and your business
behind.
Test Number 1:
Are you willing to take the risk in disconnecting and unplugging
from your business life when you exit into the rare time and space
called vacation?
Test Number 2:
Will your business survive during your absence?
If your motive for staying plugged into your work while on vacation
is to stay on top of all the challenges while you are away, then
it is hardly a vacation at all. A vacation by definition is a period
of time for pleasure, rest and relaxation. This escape from the
routine stresses and burdens of work occurs only a couple of times
each year.
Whether or not you think you are indispensable to your business,
I encourage you to take this test and love your job, but leave it
behind for one or two weeks each year. Use this test to determine
how well you are really managing your organization, department,
or people.
Will things function without you? Will deadlines still be met?
Will the numbers be achieved whether you are physically present
or not? To alleviate your anxiety relative to these questions, take
these precautions before you unplug… Ensure your goals are
clearly understood, first for yourself and then by the people that
work for you. Monitor and evaluate the actions, decisions, and interventions
that make up your work week and determine the critical roles that
you play. Consider what would/could have happened had you not been
there to fulfill that role. Begin to identify the players in the
organization that can fill those critical roles.
Now, begin to train, coach, and set the expectations of the people
who work for you and around you to act as if you were on vacation.
Build their confidence and yours relative to planning and executing
the daily routines to keep the business running and to meet the
key performance indicators.
It's amazing when you think about it. Managers at every level do
get sick, travel for business, or leave their work for personal
reasons; yet the business continues to run in their absence.
And when you realize you can trust your subordinates and fellow
workers to sustain the business while you are away, you will have
passed the third test of management… The ability to run your
business through your people. When you can achieve this comfort
and performance level in your organization your life at work can
be a vacation all year long.
While on your vacation, don't forget to take this final test: HAVE
FUN!
Management Tips: Unplugged Vacation
Disconnect
- Leave your work behind
- Don't take/make calls
- Only respond to emergencies (defined ahead of time)
Test Your Absence
- Evaluate current roles
- Identify critical decisions made
- Disappear for hours at a time
Set Future Expectations
- Train and groom others
- Model and coach key roles
- Establish checkpoints/controls
- Ensure clear roles/goals
Measure Your Vacation Success
- Expectations were met
- Fond memories established
- Desire to repeat the event
The business is still running.
Jeff Colvin (Jcolvin@linkllc.com)
founded Link, a management
consulting group in 1997 whose mission is dedicated to the Systems,
Structures, and Behaviors that make people and companies successful.
Link's bottom line focus on process improvement is achieved through
the facilitation and training of cross-functional teams to address
key strategic goals. Learn more about Jeff
Colvin & Link...
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