So here you are, on vacation, away from all the hubbub of the office, your overflowing inbox and all those pointless meetings…Except not really, you’re checking your email five times a day, thinking about the last team meeting and what you should have said but didn’t quite say, and how you should have challenged your mid-year review but didn’t…
In our work-meets-life society, the lines between work and life have been so blurred for so long that it’s become commonplace to bring work with us wherever we go. At the grocery store, in traffic, at the gym, and even on vacation…
While we think we should be rewarded for being so “work-conscious” and dedicated to our careers, we may be unwittingly committing one of the biggest career sins ever. And it has nothing to do with snitching on your co-worker or talking trash behind your boss’ s back…
Do we realize the biggest career mistake we can make is to never let go of our work? Certainly, that’s where we spend the majority of our time,, interact the most with people, and produce the most effort (fort he most part)…Yet, being unable to let go of our careers, unplug and disconnect for some time says more about us than we may like to let on….
As much as “busyness” has become the new badge of honor and career burnout the resulting ailment of our times, being “on” all the time, work-wise, is very often more of a negative sign than a positive one. And being on during the only time you get to step away from the rat race, take a breather and reconnect with yourself, turns out to be even more of a career faux-pas.
When you cannot disconnect from work , even while on vacation, here are the signs you’re sending your team, department or company:
Help! I don’t know how to delegate!
Delegation, when properly done, is an art. It takes a competent leader to asses the work at hand, as well as the ability of their colleagues and team members, in order to effectively delegate. Not being able, or willing, to effectively delegate, will force you to work overtime, including on your vacation. While it may look like you’re sacrificing your personal time for your career, what it also may be telling others is that your delegating abilities are not quite up to snuff.
I don’t trust my team/department!
Trust is an important, if not crucial, component of effective teamwork. When it lacks in a team or department environment, it can create huge inefficiencies, redundancies, and ultimately, unnecessary overload and frustration.
I don’t trust myself!
How much do you really trust in your abilities as a team member or team leader, if you must constantly be “on”? If your work should speak for yourself, then you should trust yourself enough to step away from it and let others take the relay. Having a need to constantly be in control is also a sign of lacking in self-confidence and trust in yourself. And if you’re up for that promotion, the last thing you want your higher-ups and team to think is that you don’t trust your own work.
Vacations are the ideal time to not only take a break, re-assess your career and life path, so you can come back more motivated and more effective. It’s also the time to show that you have the necessary leadership traits to step away from your career without losing it.
Are you making this career mistake while on vacation?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sister.
