336 | Why Intentional Rest Is a Leadership Strategy

Speaker A: The art of leadership network. Hey, leader. Welcome to the Lead Culture Podcast. I'm Jenny Catron, founder and CEO of the Foresight Group. If your organization is scaling fast, maybe navigating a merger or in the middle of crisis, your culture is either your greatest asset or. Or your biggest liability. See, culture doesn't take care of itself. So this podcast gives you the clarity, the framework, and the tools to lead it with intention. So let's dive in. All right, friends. Well, we are nearly midway through 2026, which feels crazy. And it really is a year that marks some significant milestones. Now, the United states is turning 250 years old, so there's lots of fun celebrations happening this summer. But more specifically, the milestones I was referring to are the fact that this is the year I turned 50 years old. Still having a little trouble saying that out loud, but it's also the year foresight turns 10. And so as I was approaching this year, I knew that it needed to be marked significantly. Right? Like, some years just some seasons carry special meaning, right? You just know that this one is significant. This one is meaningful. And I just want to mark some of these milestones. And as I was reflecting, I was thinking about the fact that for the better part of 30 years, I've worked full time, even when I was still finishing college. And I realized that I've not actually taken an extended break. Like, I've. I've only worked for three companies in those 30 years, and one of them is my own company. And every time I changed jobs, I went from one to the other with really no break in between. Like, hello, enneagram3overachiever. It's like, oh, I'm finished here today. I can start for you tomorrow. And that's just the way it works. And of course, when I started Foresight, it was like I was doing that before I even finished. Finished my previous job because that was the thing I was doing in the margins. And so I've never really taken a good extended break. Now, I have gotten better over the years at taking vacations, and I've actually learned. This took a lot of time and a lot of coaching, but I learned to disconnect during my vacations. Not all of them, but usually at least one vacation every year. I really actually disconnect and am present with family or friends or whomever I'm vacationing with. Um, but the longest I've ever done that was like, 10 days. And so as I was preparing for this year and really thinking about, what do I want this next season? To look like I committed to taking an extended break. And so I'm about to take a four week extended break, Kind of a sabbatical of sorts. I've never done this before, and I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say that I'm a little nervous. Like, I'm a little anxious about shutting things off for an entire month. Has anybody else either done this or thought about it and felt that sense of nervousness about, can I do this? Can I disconnect? Like, the questions of, for me are like, will foresight flourish? I'm like, my team is amazing, but will they be okay? Will I be okay? Like, even my husband's a little nervous that I won't know what to do with myself. And here's, uh, the reason why. When I don't know what to do with myself, I tend to work or I just get cranky again. I hope someone else resonates with that. And so I had to really, like, process, what will this look like? What will this feel like? So I thought I would bring you in on the adventure today. I want to share with you why I'm doing this and why I think every leader needs to be strategic with rest and margin. But let me acknowledge right from the start, some of you are thinking, yeah, that's nice, Jenny, but my organization would never let me do that or there's no way that I could even afford it. And I totally understand that. And I felt that for most of my career, in most of my career journey so far, it didn't even feel like an option, even something I thought was possible. So let me tell you why I have fought to create this space. Like, I want to give you my why. And as I'm doing this, I, uh, want you to be thinking about yourself. I want you to be thinking about what might this look like for you. Now, let me answer the why am I doing this? Fortunately, I have not been burned out. Now, I've been close, but I don't want to get to Burnout. I've seen up close and I've been personally impacted by leaders around me who burned out and in some cases, blew up their lives. Like, I've been up close and personal and I've seen the impact and I believe too much in the sacredness of leadership and the responsibility of leadership to risk the impact burnout has on everyone around you. At Foresight, we say that we cultivate healthy leaders to lead thriving organizations. So I better practice what I preach, right? So I want to take this break to lead well, for the long haul. I want to take this break because I want to be healthy and thriving as a leader, and I want the overflow of that to be positive for the people around me. And if I'm honest, I've had some seasons that were close to burnout, and I know that I was not leading for my best. And so why am I doing this? I don't want to burn out, and I don't want the people around me to experience the pain of burnout or even near burnout now. Secondly, I want to run hard for this next decade. This 50th birthday thing just like, kind of makes you pause and reflect because it's hard to believe that you've been here that many years. I'm old enough to have seen some of the fruit of my work. Like I have a couple of decades of having mentored and coached and developed other leaders and seeing them flourish and seeing them thrive. And I'm still young enough to still see so much opportunity ahead of me. And I hope that never goes away, actually. Like, I've had the privilege of spending a good deal of time around John Maxwell, and I'm so inspired by a leader who is 79 and still running strong. So I hope that that never goes away. But I definitely, like, in this season of my journey, in my career, I see so much opportunity ahead of me and I don't want to waste a minute. In many ways, I still feel like I'm just getting started and I want to be healthy emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually for this next season. I want to be ready to give it my best. I'm also doing this because I want to get perspective. It's easy to get lost in the weeds of the day to day and miss the bigger picture. Right? Like, we all do this to some degree and hopefully we have rhythms of Sabbath, you know, weekly where we're, you know, we're disconnecting for a day and getting perspective. And I've gotten better at that over the. But I still violate Sabbath a lot, if I'm honest with you. And so these rhythms of rest that help us get perspective, that help us get mental and spiritual margin to really just have better understanding of, uh, what we're doing and why we're doing it. So, uh, I have no doubt that the mental margin from this break will provide direction for the next season that will become even more vivid. And maybe I'll be surprised, maybe, maybe I won't have grand vision. It's not actually what I'm going to seek, but I'm pretty confident that the mental margin will have me thinking about things a little differently. Now the question is, what will I be doing? Which is really kind of a funny question to ask, isn't it? Because it's like, okay, Jenny, if you're supposed to be taking an extended break and a rest, are you supposed to be doing things? And, um, yeah, it is kind of laughable. And yet at the same time, I think the being intentional and purposeful is important. So, uh, I'm trying to do things that are different from what my normal rhythms look like. So I'm trying to disrupt my normal rhythms and do things that engage me in a different way. So some of the things that I am doing is I'm taking a trip with some of my best friends. Now. Uh, these are friends that I have known for about the 30 years. Like, know me from my very first job, and we're taking a trip together. And unfortunately, it won't be on social media because as I'm gonna tell you in a minute, I'm not doing social media. But we are going to have a blast. And I'm so excited about just that rejuvenating time with friends. I'm also planning to start my tea sommelier certification. You're like, you're what? Your tea what? Um, I want to become a tea sommelier. Those of you who know me well know that I love all things tea. Um, I'm a bit of a tea snob. I blend my own blends of tea. I am, um, really particular about where I get my tea. My husband told me the other day, he was like, I think you're already a tea master. Why do you need to get the tea sommelier certification? I was like, I just want to do it. It's just one of those want to's. Um, so if you ever plan a high tea for your friends and family, then I'm your girl. But, um, I don't think this is going to be a career pivot. It's just something that interests me and that I think will be just a fun and creative thing to do. So I'm going to start my tea certification. I'm also going to spend some time with family for the fourth of July. And we're going to the lake. My sister has a place on the lake, and we are just going to hang out. I'm probably going to be on the paddle board on the lake for as many hours as possible. Hanging out with the nieces and nephews and the rest of the family and just enjoying not being in A hurry. I hope to do lots of rest and reading and doing as much of that as I can outside because the summers here in Wisconsin are just phenomenal. And the idea of being able to take this break during the summer season is just extra life giving. So I'm envisioning lots of time in my yard and on my front porch and I, um, want to read books that I just want to read for fun. So if you have some recommendations, please send those my way. Now, here's what I won't be doing. I already kind of tipped you off on this one. But I'm not going to do social media. I'm not going to be looking at it. I'm not going to be posting. If you see anything posted from foresight, it's the team doing it. But I'm not going to be posting because. Or even looking because. Here's the thing, guys, if I'm honest with myself when I am in social media, the comparison, the competition, the desire to keep up kicks in. And so while I'm disconnecting from all of the things that I do, I don't need to be tempted to look at what you're doing, uh, because it won't put me in a healthy place. So, um, no social media. That's going to be weird. I'm not checking email or Slack or any of our other, uh, foresight tools for running the organization. My team and I have been working on prepping them and my team, you guys, if you don't know all of the foresight team, you need to know them because they are phenomenal. They are phenomenal leaders. And um, they have such hearts for this work and what we do and they totally can handle it. Like, I don't, I don't even have a thought or question about that. I just get concerned about whether, um, you know, they don't feel overwhelmed by having to pick up some extra things. But they've got it and they can handle it and we've been preparing for all of that. So I'm not going to be checking any of that. Uh, I'm not going to overfill my schedule because I'm prone to this. Like, even on weekends, guys, I have an agenda. Like I just wake up and go, okay, here's what the day looks like. And while there'll still be some of that because I need a purpose in this restful time, I'm, um, not, I'm going to work hard to make sure that I'm not overfilling it, that I'm giving myself more margin than I think that I need. And the other thing I'm not going to do, this one's a hard one. So you're hold. I'm holding. You're holding me accountable to it is I'm not going to be starting my next book, even though there's some ideas and there's the part of me that's like, oh, you've got these four weeks. You've got all this room to write. It will turn into a goal or something I need to do, and it's going to violate the purpose of this rest and rejuvenation. So I'm not starting that next book. I don't know if I'll get some inspiration. I don't know if that mental margin will give me some ideas around it. But my commitment is to not actually start it. Now, here are some of the resources that I am using to help me. These are books that I've already read, so I'm using them to just kind of refresh and help me with perspective. But I'm using, uh, Ruth Haley Barton's Invitation to Solitude and Silence. Great book. I, uh, love Ruth Haley Barton's writing. Some of her books have had just significant impact on me. So I've got that one out. I've got John Mark Comer's the Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. Uh, that one's out. I'm revisiting it. And then my friend Alan Briggs, uh, has really a field guide for sabbatical. It's called the Sabbatical Journey. And I've already read that through once and done a lot of the prep work that he's defined and that I'm going to be living in that while I'm out as well. Alan and his team do sabbatical coaching. So if you're ever considering a sabbatical, I encourage you to check out the Sabbatical Journey, his field guide and or connect with their team about sabbatical coaching. Because it is does take intentionality when you choose to take a break like this. So my intention wasn't to make this episode all about me, but rather to get you thinking about what might intentional rest look like for you this summer. What might intentional rest look like for you this summer? Now, for some of you, that question feels impossible, right? You're already starting to think through the kids are out of school, vacation schedules or, you know, you're having to juggle all of that. Family visits, sports tournaments, summer camps, like all the stuff that fills the summer calendar just kind of flooded your mind as I asked you that Question. I get it, but I want you to live with it a little bit. What might intentional rest look like for you this summer? In fact, I'm going to challenge you that there's just a couple minutes left of the podcast episode. When we finish the episode, I want you to hit stop, and then I want you to stop, and I want you to just take five minutes and think about that. Question. What might intentional rest look like for you this summer? I'm not suggesting that you need to find a way to find four weeks like I have. I've been planning and building towards this for about a year. And so taking that amount of time takes much more intentionality and planning. But maybe it's taking one day this summer. Like, pick a day in the middle of the week, Take a vacation day when the rest of your family is busy and doing stuff, and go to the lake or go to the woods or sit on your front porch. Whatever slows your heartbeat and calms you. Like, go to that place and just spend a quiet day. Maybe it's fully disconnecting. On family vacation, you might be as guilty as I am about, oh, I'll just check one more email or respond to one more text, but actually make the commitment and do the prep work to say, no, this vacation, I'm fully disconnected. Guys, you're going to find an excuse for why you can't be. And honestly, you are just not that important. Uh, seriously, like, our work can wait. So pick a family vacation and choose to be disconnected. Now, maybe it's taking a break from social media. Maybe you just need to quiet the noise in that corner of your world. And you're like, you know what if I did that for a month? I have a lot of friends who do this, that they'll just take a month here or there, because they're like, I just need to turn the dial down on that part of my. The noise in my life might be something different for you, but what could you do to take an intentional rest this summer? What can you do that disrupts your rhythms, lowers your heart rate, helps you hear God more clearly, helps you connect with the people you love the most? How can you disconnect your doing from your being? And maybe that's just a short bit, but I promise, even an intentional rest may bring extraordinary rejuvenation. Now, to be honest, I'm not sure how I'm going to do. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to let go and engage and enjoy this gift of time. Like, I'm hopeful and I uh, also am trying to be self aware. I'm probably going to get antsy. I'll probably feel unproductive and insignificant, especially in the first days or weeks. But that's exactly why I need to do it. Remember I said none of us are that important. So a reset of sorts of who I am first and foremost as a child of God, remembering that I'm not loved and valued for what I do, but for who I am, like getting re centered, grounded in that truth. I wrote about that in my book Clout Discover, um, and Unleash youh God Given Influence. I wrote that book 12 years ago. So it's funny how sometimes you have to keep learning the same lessons, just in different seasons. So back to you. What are you doing this summer to rest? I want you to here in just a minute. I want you. When the podcast ends, I want you to just pause and take a minute and actually even write down some thoughts here. What could you do this summer to rest? Could it be just an extra day somewhere in the middle of the summer? Could it be intentionally vacationing and disconnecting from work response possibilities? Is it quieting noise on social media or something else that just kind of bombards you? What could you adjust and take an intentional rest this summer? And for accountability sake, I want you to send an email to us to podcastetforesight.com podcastetforesight G-E-T the number 4s I g h t.com send an email now. I'm not going to read it because I'm not checking the email, but my team will be. And we want to hear from you. We want to hear how are you intentionally resting this summer? We want to hear your stories. We want to hear how it turned out. I'll be praying for you because I'm going to be praying for everyone who listens to this episode that you will find that little pocket of rest this summer. So email us, let us know what you're going to do. And then I'm going to be praying for you. We're going to take a break in the podcast for about six weeks. So I'll be back with a new episode early August. And then my plan is to share my learnings and my takeaways. I have no idea what that's going to look like, you guys. So I'm making a commitment to you that I'm doing this. You're going to hold me accountable. I'm going to hold you accountable to what are you doing to intentionally rest this summer? I'm going to come back and I'm going to share some learnings and takeaways and I don't know what that will be, but I hope you will enjoy the summer. I hope you will take an intentional rest and then I'll see you back to share my notes and keep learning and growing together. Thanks, friends. Well, friends, that's it for today's episode. If you're in the middle of growth, a merger or a crisis and you're thinking we need help, I want you to trust that instinct. Our team at Foresight offers free discovery calls to help you get clear on where your culture stands and what to do next. So head to getforsight.com that's G E T the number 4s I G H T to schedule your free call with one of our culture strategists and let us help you build a great, growing, thriving and unstoppable um team. Thanks for listening today. Keep leading. Well.