041. Rest, reset, resilience: how my mind journeyed when I took a sabbatical - Chris Proulx @ Humentum

Summary

What happens when NGO leaders take a 4 months sabbatical? 

What happens to the mind -- what journey does it go on during a 4 month's rest from work?

What happens, especially when we are talking about a leader who was already quite steeped in mindfulness and meditation before he started his sabbatical?

In this podcast episode, I discuss with Chris Proulx, Global Director at  Humentum the topic of rest, reset, reflection, and personal resilience when leaders take an extensive break from work.

Chris’s Bio:

• Global Director at Humentum, the global network of NGOs that strengthens  operational excellence through community building, training, consulting services, and policy-influencing work
• Former President and CEO at LINGOs
• Former CEO of e-Cornell - Cornell University's e-learning platform

We discuss: 

• Resilience is not helped when we do not dare to rely on the help of others, even in the presence of a great team
• What is the art of ‘doing nothing’? At first, anxiety about the empty space.
• To what extent is the notion of time an illusion?  
• How leaders spend their attention is precious.  Most of us spend it quite poorly.  
• How organizations can create more opportunities for sabbaticals, as part of a benefits package, even when you are not huge. 

Quotes

“My mind was not ready to rest in the first few weeks after starting my sabbatical; I was not yet able to pull back the mind”

“I at first still kept scheduling, trying to stay in control mode, I was still crossing things off my to-do list”

“It took a while to really be able to listen to what bubbled up in the mind”

Resources:

Chris’s LinkedIn

Chris’s Twitter

Chris’s Website

Humentum page

Five Oaks Consulting School's Online course on Virtual Team Leadership skills

Youtube video of this podcast

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