The decision to unplug on vacation

When is the last time you took a vacation or left work for the weekend and did not check your emails or call in to your office? Are you able to completely unplug from your work when you leave or does that create too much anxiety for you? With all the talk in the past decade of the importance of creating work/life balance, is it possible that actually taking a total break from work can cause more stress for someone in a leadership role?

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal states that most CEOs loathe vacation. In fact, when surveyed many leaders felt that it was too stressful to not be available. These individuals felt either they needed to be in control of what was happening when they were gone or they were concerned about the perception that they were not fully committed if they totally unplugged from work. Yet other leaders not only were able to disconnect, but felt it was vital to their ability to get clarity and make good decisions.

It appears that regardless of leaders' decisions of how to handle their technology approach to vacation, the most important aspect was not what they decided to do, but rather feeling empowered by their choice. Most of us know how essential it is to your physical and emotional well-being to take time to recharge your body and mind. However everyone has a different interpretation of what creates stress for them.