After 13 years of serving as a manager, I was burned out on being responsible for the work of others. I needed a leadership break.

The daily grind of endless issues, squabbles, and general people issues had torpedoed my energy.

I was grumpy, disgruntled, and increasingly, part of the problem.

I took a job as an individual contributor and discovered something interesting about myself. When I wasn’t helping people grow and develop,I was a lesser version of myself at my best.

In fact, I was miserable.

It took awhile, but I worked my way back into a leadership role with a newfound appreciation and love of the work.

The failures and low points are where and when personal growth takes place. Share on X

10 Lessons My Leadership Break Taught Me:

  1. The failures and low points are where and when personal growth takes place. Instead of running away from those issues and this work, I had to recognize these situations as opportunities.
  2. I was there to help others navigate the challenges.
  3. Happiness in this role was up to me, not everyone around me.
  4. The clearer I was about my role and responsibilities to the group, and the more I articulated the values and behaviors critical to success, the more the quality of everyone’s work days improved.
  5. My real job wasn’t to be “in charge.” It was to form and frame the working environment where people are free from fear and intrinsically motivated to do their best work.
  6. When I remind myself at the beginning of the day to strive to succeed in creating value with every single encounter, the quality of everyone’s day improved.
  7. Instead of fighting or fleeing in a sudden challenging situation, I needed to maintain control and help everyone work through the issues.
  8. Most challenging situations are squabbles over positions. The real truth and the solutions are found when you uncover interests.
  9. Every challenging conversation offers a chance to grow as a leader and improve my support and development of others.
  10. The workplace is an incredible living laboratory. If one thing doesn’t work, you try another until you get it right.

The Bottom-Line for Now:

Every day I hear from someone somewhere thinking of giving up and trading in their manager’s hat for an individual contributor role. For some, this is the right step. However, if you recognize this work is a calling, take time to reflect and reframe your idea of the role. Use your leadership break wisely.

Art's Signature