Is Rest the Leadership Move You’ve Been Avoiding?
How doing less might be the most powerful strategy for achieving more
We often treat rest like a reward at the finish line, something we’ll “get to” once we’ve done enough, led enough, or proved enough. But what if downtime isn’t the pause between leadership moves? What if it is the move?
In a culture obsessed with productivity, choosing rest can feel rebellious. Yet, the most powerful leaders know that rest isn't just a personal luxury, it's a professional strategy.
“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” — Alan Cohen
Rethinking Rest: The Leadership Edge
Here's the unconventional truth: Downtime doesn’t make you weak or behind. It makes you ready.
Whether you’re managing a team, scaling a business, or navigating a career shift, strategic recovery time is what allows your creative mind, decision-making, and emotional regulation to sharpen. Without rest, you're reacting. With it, you're leading.
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes...including you.” — Anne Lamott
Try This: Rest as a Practice, Not a Perk
Instead of waiting for burnout to give you permission to rest, build it into your leadership operating system:
3 Practices to Start This Week:
Daily Reset Window: Block 20–30 minutes each day where you do something nonproductive on purpose, walk, meditate, sit in silence, stare out a window.
No-Work Zone: One night per week, no laptop, no Slack, no guilt. Just be a human, not a title.
Energy Audit: Ask yourself, “What drains me unnecessarily?” Then cut one thing (meeting, app, commitment) for the week.
Conversation Starter to Share with Your Team: “What’s one small way we could each honor our energy this week and still stay in integrity with our goals?”
Pro Tip: Leaders Set the Tone
When you normalize rest, reflection, and space, you give permission to your teams to do the same. That’s culture-setting work.
Final Thought
Leading well isn’t just about what you do. It’s about how well you recover from what you’ve done. Build capacity by making space.
This week, choose one way to rest on purpose.
Then, notice how your clarity, energy, and leadership follow.
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees...is by no means a waste of time.”
Resources to Dive Deeper
Ready to ditch the "check-out" mentality and embrace true delegation? Here are some resources to fuel your journey:
Books
Podcasts
Why Every Leader Should Read The Artist’s Way
This month’s leadership book pick is The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron an unconventional yet powerful guide for any leader looking to unlock creativity, clarity, and authentic vision. Leadership isn’t just strategy, it’s art.
This book helps you reconnect with your inner voice, overcome self-doubt, and cultivate the kind of creative resilience today’s world demands. Whether you lead teams, projects, or yourself, The Artist’s Way offers a path to deeper insight and inspired action.
Consider how many different pieces of content you see in any given week. See something that resonates with you? Share it with us to feature it in our Social Media of the Week section.
"The strongest leaders aren’t the ones with all the answers—they’re the ones asking better questions, listening deeply, and choosing presence over perfection."
- Leadership Mastery Network
