Go Take a Hike

December 18, 2023

Happy Monday everyone! This is my last newsletter before a two-week break, I hope everyone has a great holiday season. Let’s get to it!

Article of the Week

Many people take vacation time this time of year. I like to take time to enjoy the holiday season and spend time with family and friends. Others travel and go places they’ve never been, or to places they’ve been many times and always enjoy. And some people take time just to make sure they don’t lose it because of use-it-or-lose-it corporate vacation policies.

Research shows that vacation time helps you recharge mentally and physically, reconnect with your friends, family, and others important to you, and even improves your creativity and innovation. A recent article by Kate Leto highlights this, and also considers other aspects of time off:

  1. If you haven't planned time off for yourself, what's holding you back? Leaders should take their time off, so that their teams and peers feel comfortable with taking their earned time off, and not look for excuses to not take vacation.

  2. What stories do you tell yourself and your team about taking time off? Feel free to share your reasons with your teammates, but don’t feel as if it is a justification for taking the time off. You earned it, so take it.

  3. How can time off best serve you? Enjoy your time off, and don’t worry about what is happening to your inbox or your calendar while you’re out.

  4. What does re-entry, post vacation, look like to you? Have a plan for when you come back, so that your time off doesn’t cause you more stress when you are back at work.

So if you’re taking time the rest of the year, please enjoy yourself and get prepared for a great 2024!

Product Jobs of the Week

The Product roles at Cleveland companies keep rolling in!

Upcoming Events

  • January 19th - Everything I need to know about Product I Learned in the Restaurant Industry

  • February 13th - Product Management in Practice - A Conversation with Matt LeMay

About the Author

My name is Shawn Leitner. I started the Cleveland Product networking group in 2017, which helps to connect Product professionals around Cleveland, providing them with a forum to network, learn, and share stories. For my day job, I'm a Product Consultant & Coach for Pathfinder Product and help clients implement strong Product practices so they can create products that their teams love building and their customers love using. Connect with me on LinkedIn or feel free to attend one of my events either virtually or in-person. Always up for meeting for a cup of coffee also!