The Art of Disconnecting: Three Things I Learned When I Stepped Away

September 2024 officially marked my 5-year anniversary of joining Beardwood. And one of the incredible perks we have at the agency is a month-long sabbatical every 5-year mark.

Now, I’ve held a full-time job since summer of 2004. With the only extended period of “time off” being my 3-month maternity leave (can we have a quick laugh at “time off” and “maternity leave” being in the same sentence?). So while I was excited for this month of freedom, I wanted to make sure I took advantage of this time off to truly learn something — without putting too much pressure on myself to do so.

1. Continuing to find your point of difference is key. In any business, ensuring you’re differentiated from your competitors is table stakes, right? I found taking a step back allowed me to reevaluate how we, as an agency, are providing a unique point of difference from a lot of the other agencies who have comparable offerings and clients. Doing that allowed me to think about how we scope our projects and how we talk through what the process of working with Beardwood would look like. I had a fresh point of view on what makes us uniquely “us”, and the value of choosing us as a partner.

2. I reminded myself of my clients’ hopes, dreams and fears. I (with some valuable input from the team) was able to think about some key critical points throughout the engagement of our time with a client. What are the points that create the most stress on a project, and what can we do to work with our clients to 1) get ahead of them before they become an issue, and 2) work together to problem solve? What are the areas we want to ensure we’re amplifying our expertise and points of view to ensure our clients feel heard, respected, and elevated when navigating their own personal goals for a project? This may sound obvious, but when you’re on the day-to-day, work can revolve around putting out one immediate fire at a time. Building a detailed, internal framework that the rest of the Beardwood team can use as a model allows us all to be on the same page when it comes to building more “like” and “trust” with our clients.

3. The world doesn’t end when you’re gone. Time away amplifies your team’s ability to step up into new areas of the business they may not have had previous exposure to. And seeing them not only conquer, but shine in those situations is a double bonus. You can step away and know that work will be handled (and handled well), and your team feels empowered to take on new opportunities that’ll help propel them into their next role. 

So while I didn’t necessarily visit a new place or learn a new skill, my biggest takeaway on truly disconnecting is how much a free mind can create fresh perspectives.

Would love to hear from any other folx who stepped away for a moment, and what they discovered in that time.