You’re No Good to Me Dead: Use Your PTO
Happy Star Wars Day. May the 4th be with you!
Boba Fett is one of the coolest characters in Star Wars. He’s mysterious. He’s independent. He has his own unique style. Best of all, he’s a bounty hunter. That profession may give you the impression that Boba Fett is a not very nice, but to the contrary, he is actually a very caring individual. Case-in-point, Darth Vader wanted to test his carbonite freezer to make sure it was safe for people before using it on Luke. When Vader volunteered Han Solo for the job, who came to his defense? Boba Fett said, “he’s no good to me dead.” What a nice, caring guy. Han is lucky to have Boba Fett on his side.
I’m writing this article to all of the technology leaders out there like me. We should all follow Boba Fett’s shining example and treat our team members with the same care that he treats Han Solo. I’m blessed to have highly committed team members that do whatever it takes to get the job done, not unlike Han Solo. The problem is, they don’t unplug. They work, and work, and work, and then, work some more.
Work-life balance is a hard thing to achieve. I see people put in long hours and wear it like a badge of honor, showing their commitment to the team, the business, or the department. Crunch-time happens, but we can’t be in perpetual crunch-time. It has to stop and return to normal some time. People accumulate PTO and never use it.
The obvious things pulling you out of work is your family, hobbies, and life-in-general. This is good, and you should make sure you don’t neglect them. Put the same passion and intensity into your home life that you put into your work. Don’t use up all of your energy at work, but save some reserves for your family. They deserve it.
The less obvious observation I’d like to make is that rest makes you better at work. Quantity does not equal quality. Spending more time at work makes you mediocre. Get away and refresh yourself so you can be a creative and strategic problem solver. Seriously, if you want to advance in your career, don’t simply work as hard as you can, hoping to get recognized for your quantity of effort. Instead, take your PTO, think creatively, and approach your job each day with refreshed eyes.
I use all of my PTO and I feel like an odd ball doing it. I’ve embraced this logic and I’ve seen it work. Don’t make excuses. We all have demands and deadlines. You have to plan ahead and make it a discipline. Use your PTO. Your family wins, you win, and work wins. There is no downside. You’re no good to me dead.
Yes, the picture above is me, dressed as Boba Fett, at the office. The picture below is my minivan: a handy vehicle for taking my family on our many PTO-fueled adventures. I’m the guy on the left.
Love Star Wars? I’ve written several other articles that you’ll enjoy. Check them out here:
Everything Is Proceeding as I Have Foreseen: How to Make Your Vision a Reality
This article was originally posted on August 11, 2017 on zachonleadership.com