4. How to come out the other side of a Sabbatical

A surprise to me and others I spoke to about taking a Sabbatical was managing coming out the other side.

I shouldn’t have been taken aback by this if I had done the proper work to think about transitions. Yet, as I finished my sabbatical and re-entered the real world, I didn’t fully grasp the fact that I was at the start of a new beginning and all that entailed.

I hadn’t thought too deeply about my re-entry. I had a part-time gig to land in, which was great to have income right away. I had general plans of how I was going to re-enter the work world after this initial stint, primarily knowing that I’d start out trying to create a consulting practice of my own and switch to looking for a job if it didn’t take shape. I’m good at creating plans and to do lists. So, I was able to quickly get myself busy and into action. I even developed a business strategy for my consulting practice and set a metric for myself to determine if and when I’d need to pivot (i.e., I’ll move on if in six months I have not achieved this goal or metric).

But what I didn’t plan for and expect to encounter were other elements of re-entry and new beginnings. I wasn’t prepared for how long it took me to adjust physically, mentally, and emotionally to this new world I had created for myself. In speaking with others who have taken sabbaticals, I realized I wasn’t the only one wrestling with similar issues.

So, here are 7 things to think about when planning for how you’ll come out the other side of your Sabbatical:

1. Shape your identity. In modern U.S. society and many others, we often are identified by our work, our title, what we do. Yet, when you’ve taken a sabbatical and perhaps haven’t jumped right back into an official role at a company, one can struggle in how to identify, both to oneself and to others. How do you speak about what you are doing now? How do you introduce yourself? “I’m a post-sabbatical, figuring it out job seeker.” I wouldn’t recommend that. So, it will be helpful for you to first figure out how you want to shape your identity and get comfortable with it. What would make you feel like you are honoring yourself and where you are in your process and what would give you a sense of confident purpose? Then, determine how you want to introduce yourself to others. I’ll be honest. Until now, I’ve never broadcasted that I’ve taken time off, because of the stigma it carries in the business world. I position it more as, “I needed flexibility in my schedule to manage events happening in my personal life,” which is both true, given other family matters I was addressing during this time, and is more “acceptable” to share with certain audiences. Or, I’ve shared that I was building my own consulting practice and working on my writing—again both true. I’ve had others suggest sharing and positioning yourself around passion projects you might be exploring and putting effort against. I haven’t found in depth, good articles or resources on introducing oneself quite yet, but here is one article that has some valuable tips, “How to introduce yourself so you’ll be unforgettable (in a good way!).” Below in the last tip, we offer ideas on how to tell your story. Those concepts can help here, too. Otherwise, I plan to write a future article on this specific topic and will update this one once complete, as I think there’s an opportunity to provide better guidance than how I’m doing right now.

2. Lean into what draws you. For some, like me, part of taking a sabbatical is about figuring out what’s next. My counsel is to put yourself in the path of what interests you now, where your curiosities are taking you, and where you feel yourself leaning. And when you put yourself in those environments, be yourself. Often times, when presenting oneself genuinely and with a degree of engaged interest, serendipity happens. Opportunities start to show up. Pathways start to open. Trust in that and pay attention when they do.

3. Test, test, test. If you want to change to a new career during this time, we wholly believe in the advice that Herminia Ibarra, professor at London Business School who specializes in leadership and professional development, offers which is to test and try on different paths before you make a big leap. We share more on testing Alternate Career Futures and creating a prototyping plan here.

4. Let new opportunities develop. I’m not a patient person, yet I’ll still advise you to be patient as you transition back towards what’s next for you. Opportunities build and continue to take shape over time. It doesn’t always show up or become clear all at once. Yes, I can tell you, it is uncomfortable. But the reality is it’s a process.

5. Expect more change. You will be changed by your sabbatical. Even just stepping out of your normal day-to-day life is change, of course. Expect and accept that change will continue. You might realize you don’t enjoy doing activities from your past. You might realize that you don’t see eye-to-eye anymore with past friends or colleagues. Or, you may simply just want to add new friends and mentors to put yourself into new conversations. Just know that the sabbatical isn’t the only time of change; it continues in this new beginning.

6. Craft your old self into new self. Building on the above point—as well as turning away from old friends, you may just start to turn away from your old self. During such a time of transition or a stepping away, it’s not uncommon to have the experience change you and to have a yearning to create a new self, of sorts. You will likely miss aspects of your old life, but also won’t want to go back to other parts. How can you honor those aspects you want to keep and bring them into your new world? A helpful exercise is to become aware and clear about what you want to give up, what you want to carry forward, what has been developing, and what you are curious about that you want to develop further. One of the tools I love that I was introduced to at The Institute for the Future is “Ride Two Curves,” which helps organizations plan for disruptive, future innovation (what will take shape in the future) while managing and operating against a strategy in the present. Inspired by this, I created an exercise I call “What’s Taking Shape” applied to one’s professional life, because we, too, need to look ahead and plan for what’s next while operating in current roles and capacities. (Note: one could take a broader view with the tool, as well, and consider her personal life thinking about factors such as Relationships & Community, Health, Financial, Growth & Learning, Fun & Recreation.) With this as a guide, you can explore how you can bring some of your old self into your new self and further develop a vision for who you want to be now.

7. Craft your Story. A final tip that I’m using to bookend this list is to take time to craft your story and practice articulating it. This exercise is related to the first point on identity yet builds on it. Points two through six are about the journey, and you may shape your story based on what you learn along the way. So, I reiterate the point on identity here at the end by coming at it from the angle of being able to tell your own story—about who you are, what you are doing, where you are going. Similar to what we noted in “How to experience a Sabbatical,” perhaps it is an articulation of your own Hero’s Journey. 

You might layout your story addressing these areas:

  1. Situation. What’s the scene of your story? Where does your story take place? What’s the start of the adventure?

  2. Roles. Who are the character(s) in your story?

  3. Complication. What challenges or conflicts arise on the journey? What tests your resolve?

  4. Resolution. What barriers were overcome and why? What resolved the situation? How were you transformed in the process. What lessons did you learn?

  5. Future. How has this impacted you and what does it mean for your future? What does it imply for what can be and what is possible?

You can further refine the crafting of your story so it is compelling and sticks. Do so by applying the teachings of the Heath brothers and their book, “Made to Stick.” Their model is SUCCESs—Simple Unexpected Concrete Credentialed Emotional Story. So, keep your story Simple; add Unexpected details; make it Concrete with specific, memorable attributes; add Credentials, such as statistics; and make it Emotional.  

Other tips to hone or refine and make the story yours are:

  • What do you want people to takeaway first and what do you want to leave them with last?

  • How can you add drama or humor to enrich the impact?

  • How can you use visuals or metaphors to further illustrate and deepen your meaning?

  • How can you further simplify? Where might you be going into the weeds too much? What is critically relevant? Consider TV shows and movies and how little they need to say or show to set a scene.

  • Are you being real and true to yourself?

  • How can you craft your story in slightly different ways to connect it to relevant audiences you anticipate speaking to?

Then I’d suggest getting the story into your bones. Once you’ve written your story, practice telling it until it becomes natural. Know it deeply so it’s in your bones and you can access it in moments you need it.

At this point, I’m sure all of us are aware of the power of stories. How do you want to tell your story of where you are on your journey. This might include why you took your sabbatical. It may just speak to where you are in the moment and the future you are crafting. My suggestion is simply that it’s worth taking the time to craft your story for this moment in your life and practice it so you can tell it in a meaningful, compelling, powerful manner to help kickstart your new beginning.

Here are a few other resources to guide your story development:

Close

Not to scare anyone, but I feel like I’m still on my post-sabbatical journey after over two years since I took my break. But I think that’s partly due to my stage in life. What I can accept now is that my new beginning is a process and is unfolding. I’m reminded that life is a journey. I don’t have to have it all figured out in one day.

What I do know is that my sabbatical did its job in helping me to pause, rejuvenate, and fill up my resilience reserves by spending time with my husband and having amazing experiences during this time. I’ve continued to explore and have slowly but surely gotten more clear on where I want to focus my energy, finding renewed motivation around topics of interest.

I continue to explore the flexibility and balance I seek, while continuing to be ambitious about what I’d like to build and contribute and how I’d like to make an impact. And, I’m more and more sinking into myself and living my values. For me, that’s not a bad outcome.

Would I take my Sabbatical over again? I have no doubt. Absolutely! And I hope that with this guide, you can take a sabbatical, too, and have it be even more successful than mine by having a roadmap to help you through each of the stages.

Kathy Oneto