Sabbatical Risks and Rewards…

Posted on: Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
Posted in: Sabbatical Shuffle, Blog | Leave a comment

photo by Kirk Horsted

If I have this right, Leon Rettler is a blogger, Ph.D. candidate and management consultant. Sabbaticals have made the list of his many interests, and this article provides a fine overview of the trend, risks and rewards. It’s worth a read.

Highlights include…

This stirring quote by Stefan Sagmeister, a graphic-design guru whose promotion of sabbaticals is getting a lot of link love–and even a speech at TED…

I did my best thinking when not under pressure…. I had all sorts of fears that we would lose clients, be forgotten or have to start from scratch. And none of these fears came true. ….it is a simple time-planning event. I put the plan in the agenda, work out the finances and tell the clients.”

Believe it or not, Einstein began to develop his breakthrough theory of relativity not while slaving away in the lab—but rather, while on Sabbatical.

Since the risk to your career is real, try to tie (some of) your BreakAway experience to your work, rather than just fly off to revel in vain travel.