Time Away that Brings you Back Better
Once the NFL season kicks off, the next thing on my calendar is a long-standing tradition: a weekend in Las Vegas with the same group of friends I’ve been meeting up with for more than twenty years.
Each fall, we gather to relax, play a couple rounds of golf, enjoy a few great meals, and spend hours laughing, catching up, and watching college and NFL football. There’s a little gaming too, of course, but the real purpose of the trip is connection and rejuvenation—the kind that doesn’t happen during the other fifty-one weeks of the year.
After my second daughter was born, my wife said something before that trip that changed my approach entirely:
“Have a great time—but just don’t come back tired.”
That landed deeper than I expected. From then on, the trip became less about trying to relive the old days and more about being intentional—enjoying time with friends, sleeping well, and actually recharging. I became the guy who proudly goes to bed at midnight in Vegas because it means I’ll wake up rested and ready to go.
Early in my career, my mindset around time off was completely different. The goal was to hoard as much vacation time as possible—just in case I wanted a long trip to the beach someday or, better yet, a payout if I left the company. I used to check how much time I could roll over each year, thinking it was a badge of honor. As a twenty-something who felt invincible, I didn’t need rest—that’s what weekends were for.
Then one year, a leader told our team something that stuck:
“We want you to recharge so you can bring your best self to your clients. Our PTO policy exists for a reason—you’re supposed to use it, not save it. When I review performance, I’ll even look at the percentage of PTO you actually used.”
I was expected—and encouraged—to take time off. That was a mindset shift I didn’t fully grasp until years later, but it changed the way I think about balance, energy, and leadership.
In today’s world of constant deadlines, agile delivery cycles, and the productivity push that comes with AI, it’s easy to forget that rest is part of performance. Taking time away isn’t indulgent—it’s essential. It’s how we show up as the kind of colleagues, leaders, and humans we want to be.
And yes—while on the course this past weekend, I did in fact crush my longest drive ever, right in front of my buddies. Bragging rights secured for another year.