Today is my first day back from a two month Sabbatical. This is a benefit that all of the team members here at risk3sixty enjoy. The way it works is that you get a month off for every five years of tenure (e.g., 1 month after five years, 2 months after ten, and so on).
In this article, I’d like to tell you a bit about the experience. Namely, a little about our sabbatical program, how I prepared to leave for two months, and some of the things I learned from the experience.
My Goal for the Sabbatical
My wife and I have been married for 16 years and we have three children (ages 12, 9, and 3). I am also the founder and CEO of risk3sixty and have been the owner / operator of the company for ten years. Those two facts centered me around two main goals for the sabbatical: 1) Spending time with my kids, and 2) Resting so I can bring back energy to our team at risk3sixty.
Goal #1: Spend time with my kids, while they are kids
I feel like there is this very short window where you are the center of your children’s world. If you’re lucky, it might be five or ten years. If you are very lucky, like my wife and I are, there is a magical moment where you are the center of all of your kid’s world at the same time. And that is pretty much where I am right now, so I don’t want to waste it. My wife and I wanted to use this sabbatical to make life-long memories with our kids. I wanted to get to know them better, understand their world, and use that knowledge to be a better father.
Goal #2: Come back to risk3sixty energized for the next five years
I have been building risk3sixty for the last decade and I love it. I feel blessed everyday to have the opportunity to build our company and work with the amazing folks on our team. I have a lot of responsibilities at risk3sixty, but one of my most important jobs is to create purpose and alignment – which requires an incredible amount of authentic energy. Energy you just can’t fake. So, I wanted to use this sabbatical to rest and come back to work fired up for the next five years. I told myself that if I felt excited about going back to work it would be a win. (I am!)
How I Prepared to Take Two Months Off Work
With those two goals in mind, I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted to take advantage of two months off work. I am one of those people who probably enjoys planning for vacation about as much as I like taking vacation. I like to research, dream about the possibilities, and enjoy the anticipation that comes with the knowledge you are about to do something fun. As a result, I probably spent about a year thinking about this sabbatical. To get ready I focused my planning efforts on two areas: 1) Preparing risk3sixty, 2) Planning the sabbatical itself.
Prep #1: CEO Continuity Plan
First, I think it is worth mentioning that an important intangible to all of this is that my team at risk3sixty was fully supportive of me taking time off. The kind of support that included things like folks being genuinely happy for me and not resenting my absents. That isn’t really something you can “plan” for, but has to be built into your culture. So, in a way I guess the most important step in making this sabbatical a success was the culture we have built over the last ten years. This was by far the most important factor because I knew that regardless of how well I planned (or didn’t plan) folks would step up and have my back.
Second, I none-the-less spent a significant amount of time ensuring I set the team up for success. The main things I did was documenting written instructions, held detailed hand-off meetings, and set easy to follow accountability KPIs.
Prep #2: Planning the Sabbatical
Alright, everyone reading this article is probably thinking: “What did you actually DO while on sabbatical?!?”
I split the trip up into two parts: Adventure and Rest
We spent most of the month of July exploring the national parks in California. We drove from Sequoia up to Lake Tahoe and made a lot of stops along the way mixing in a healthy balance of exploring the parks with plenty of rest days by the pool or exploring nearby towns. We saw the giant Sequoia’s, Yosemite Valley, and enjoyed some time on Lake Tahoe. Truly some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.
In August, school and sports start back so I focused on spending as much time as possible on the home front. I helped with homework, read to my kids, did long walks, supported my wife, and just spent time. Honestly, I tried to spend as much time as possible just living in my family’s world for a while. The everyday, not just the highlight reel.
I worked hard to never saying no to playing tea party with my three-year-old, coaching sports teams, helping with homework, or just being a listening ear for some of the challenges that come with growing up. My wife and I also worked hard to find quality time for just the two of us. (This phase of the trip was a good reminder that there is a lot of important life that happens everyday outside the office.)
Lessons Learned
Here I am at my desk back in the office. Back to the normal day-to-day routine of life. And an important question worth thinking about is this: “What did I learn from the last two months worth sharing?“
Lesson #1: Time is a Gift
Time moves fast.
Anyone who has watched their child born and become a teenager in a blink of an eye can tell you that. One day they are crawling in your lap and the next they are moving out of the house. My God, time is such a gift. And those rare opportunities we slow down long enough to appreciate it are…truly precious.
So, take the time. Even if it’s not a full blown sabbatical. Slow down, remember to enjoy the moments. Even the mundane (maybe especially the mundane). Helping with homework, making your family breakfast, a good song on the beach, laughing in a car ride.
Then sometimes, much more rare, you also get to experience the awe of nature – all together as a family.
Lesson #2: Be a Part of Their World Too
My position at risk3sixty is a true blessing. I have the opportunity to build something that I think is worth while. But, that can cut in both directions. My dedication to risk3sixty can also mean that I lose sight of the rest of life. My world becomes the whole world.
I guess that can happen to all of us. Can’t it?
But it’s important to remember that other people have their own world too. Maybe it’s challenges on their baseball team, uncertainty with a friend group, challenges in school, or a spouse’s career. Whatever it is, it can be meaningful to be a genuine part of their world too.
Lesson #3: Things to Remember Often
We rented a cabin that had a nice little view of the mountains and Lake Tahoe. It was about 9pm and just so happened to be enjoyed the fading view of the mountains and lake as it got dark outside. Almost by accident, I saw a bright light on the mountain range. At first I thought it might be a cabin or maybe even a fire, but it was too bright. I called my wife: “What is that light on the mountain?“
It was such a surreal experience that I didn’t know what to make of it.
A few moments later we realized we were witnessing a moonrise. Somehow we had hit the jackpot. We rented the right cabin, at the right time of year, on the right days, to see the full moon perfectly rise above the mountains and reflect off the lake.
I told my wife that it had to mean something. Now, I’m still not sure what, but I do know that I’m walking away from the trip with a renewed appreciation for my family, for God, the beauty of the world, and my small place in it.
Those are good things to remember as often as you can.
Christian Hyatt