Ops Term of the Month: Break
Rest Isn't a Reward
As you read this, Delshan is on vacation– and her out-of-office message gives you a glimpse of what that looks like: there's a chance she's scaling a newly found library ladder to hang plants, taking a walk, or doing neither. Her inbox is paused, and she signed off with "maybe I'll see you outside before then." No guilt. No overcompensating. No earning rest. Just a person, fully off.
Build rest in–don't wait until you need it. I spent several years as Delshan's business assistant, which means I had a front-row seat to how she actually operates– and rest is never an afterthought. Delshan plans it the way she plans everything else: a Slim Summer where she steps fully away for 6-8 weeks, a year-end close for everyone, and the occasional mid-season reset when the work starts to feel heavier than it should. A few weeks ago, she felt the pinch and told us to clear her schedule for the week. No lengthy deliberation. She knew what she needed and she chose it.
Rest is a leadership practice. The leaders and operators doing the most important work are often the ones least likely to stop. But rest doesn't disappear just because you ignore it– it waits, and eventually it collects. Choosing it intentionally, before you're desperate for it, is one of the quieter forms of operational wisdom. And when your systems and people are solid, stepping away doesn't mean things fall apart– it means you've built something that can hold.
Rest shapes your culture, not just your schedule. When Delshan returns from time off, she comes back with more energy, focus, and ease. And because she takes rest seriously, it gives everyone around her permission to do the same– without guilt, without having to earn it. That ripples outward in ways that matter.
Choose rest before it chooses you. The work will be sharper for it. Your people will be steadier. And you'll have more to give– to your mission, your team, and the communities you serve– when you're not running on empty. If you're feeling the pinch right now, this is your permission slip.
– Kendra
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