Leaving the I out of TEAM is what has caused our burnout

Think about it. For years, decades even, we've been told "there is no I in TEAM." Therefore anything we do to support ourselves has had a shadow cast on it. It has been seen as taking away from the team.

That is backward.

The strength of a team If a team is holding up a wall and 3 of the 4 teammates have a broken leg and a broken arm, are they going to be able to hold up the wall?

Not without putting undue strain on the person without any broken bones.

Now let's go back in time. If we assume each person broke one bone at a different time, we can think about the strain of the team while only one person was away from the wall at a time. Seems to me I'd rather split the weight with three people for a longer period of time than be the only person holding up the wall indefinitely.

Teamwork makes the dream work This is why teamwork is so important. It is a support system that allows each of us to do self-care when we need it. Knowing the wall won't fall down just because I step away for a couple of days (let's be honest we're sadly happy with hours away right now) is important.

So instead of focusing our time on always being at the wall, we should be looking to our team to determine how we can support each member to be their best so that we can step away when we need it. That also means raising our hand when we need it and knowing that others will support us.

Do you work on a team that supports this? Do you show your team you support this?

The biggest mistake leaders make One of the biggest mistakes I see in leaders is not stepping away from the wall. In doing that, you show the team you don't trust them. A martyr isn’t a good leader. Instead, the team follows in your footsteps by not taking time away. Even worse, they think you'll never really trust them to do the job.

So do everyone a favor and step away. Show your team, co-workers, and even your boss that you trust them.

Here's a tip: Use a secret word. Come up with something no one ever says and give the team that word to use in an email or in Slack if they truly need you on something. This creates the space for them to cc you without bringing you in and for you to know they've got it under control.

If you create the space for trust, you'll be amazed at what can happen. First and foremost, I bet you'll enjoy your vacation more. 😉