Tom’s family flew out ahead.
He drove… ostensibly for the extra luggage space.
But the boot wasn’t full of beach gear.
It held dual screens.
A webcam.
A folding laptop stand.
Folders, email, and a list of “quick wins.”
The weight of being needed. And feeling relentlessly motivated.
The holiday rental had a beautiful open-plan dining space.
Cool. Dark. Quiet. Air-conditioned.
He set up shop there.
Pool in view. Family just outside. Tom, answering emails.
They made breakfast around him. Then lunch.
He reviewed a strategy deck.
He wasn’t hiding work from them. But he wasn’t there with them. Not really.
He told himself he was “balancing it.” That slivers of presence by the pool were enough.
That this was just how life looked at his level.
But when we spoke a few weeks after his return, he said something that stuck:
“I wasn’t working flat-out. I even had some time off and evenings out. But I’ve come back more depleted than when I left.”
And it showed.
He was making mistakes. The kind that very nearly were catastrophic. The work was business-critical. Deadlines were looming.
And he had nothing in the tank.
No space to step back and see clearly.
No fuel to step forward and lead decisively.
In coaching conversations, we didn’t talk about a better break.
We talked about something deeper:
➜ What are you modelling for your team when you say you’re off – and still show up?
➜ What do your children learn when “rest” involves a laptop?
➜ What would it take to feel truly restored – not just removed from the office?
Tom’s summer looks very different this year.
This time, the screens stay home.
He’s chosen one project to gently move forward – if there’s joy in doing so, slowly in the sun. He’s told his team where to find each other in his absence.
And he’s told himself something even more important:
“If I want them to trust themselves when I’m gone – I have to show them I trust myself to go.”
This isn’t about doing nothing. It’s about doing the right things, for the right reasons,
at the right time.
And sometimes that starts with a boundary you don’t pack in the boot of your car.
So if you’re taking time out this summer…What are you bringing with you? And why?
