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Archives for Career & Personal Benefits Of
Taking Advantage of Career Transition
Garrett from Hostel Dog shares his experiences that led him to his passion for travel…
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How a Volunteer Sabbatical Changed My Career and My Life
In my previous life (this is what I call my life before my sabbatical), I worked as a project manager in the UK at an American insurance company called ACE Insurance. I worked all hours, earned decent money, was stuck in a rut and was going through a divorce, which like all divorces was costing [...]
An “Innovation Sabbatical” at General Mills
Rolled out in 2007 along with a personal sabbatical program, General Mills’ “Innovation Sabbatical” is only offered to members of the company’s “Innovation, Technology and Quality” organization, which is comprised of employees in roles related to research and development, nutrition, quality and engineering. After 7 years of service, these employees may apply for an Innovation [...]
First few days in Africa
“What is your vision?” A soft voice from behind me asked.
I turned around. Tribe was standing in the doorway to the classroom we’d just left where we taught the students about the power of differentiation when launching social ventures. During class Tribe only spoke when he was called upon and even then he was barely [...]
Frankfurt Foilage
Here in the south, or at least southeast Texas, we hardly get to see a distinct change of colors when seasons change. So, you can imagine my thrill when I saw all the wonderful bright oranges and reds flowing over the landscape of Frankfurt, Germany. This surely put me in the mood for fall and a [...]
How to Prepare for Leaving Work: Insights From An Accountant’s Second Sabbatical
Upon returning to work after his second paid sabbatical, Plante & Moran partner Doug Wiescinski only had to reply to about 20 emails and no voice mails. He had been completely disconnected from work for four weeks.
Re-entry took “no more than a day or two” before being up to speed. His work coverage plan allowed [...]
Sabbatical Checkpoint - Life is Bigger
I love the quote ”the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” This truth perfectly illustrates my journey. It has been approximately 3 months since I started my sabbatical journey and I am still so excited and thankful to God for the opportunity. One thing for sure is that my sabbatical is definitely teaching me to trust Him more. [...]
Travel Preparations for Africa
Joseph Quaderer, a director at Morgan Stanley, is on a 6-month sabbatical teaching Ugandan high school students the necessary skills to start and scale social enterprises - financially sustainable organizations that also address important social problems. “While I’m going to Uganda to teach high school students the basic tenets of entrepreneurship…I know I’ll be doing a lot more learning than teaching,” Joseph says. In his series of blog posts for yourSABBATICAL, read about how his exposure to a culture completely different than his own brings a new perspective on life. “While corporate America is very rewarding and challenging, I knew that I wanted to dedicate a portion of my life to using my skill set in a more altruistic manner. Capitalism is a very important catalyst in the engine for social change and I knew my finance background could make a palpable difference in people’s lives.”
Sagmeister’s One-Year Sabbatical Idea Not Extraordinary
Super successful designer (Stefan Sagmeister) waves good-bye to clients (HBO, the Rolling Stones, Time Warner) every seven years for a one-year sabbatical. His shop (Sagmeister Inc.) is closed. Ideas generated during the sabbatical year fuel the creative genius and the firm’s bottom line grows substantially during the next six years - all a result of the one-year sabbatical. Sagmeister is on his second sabbatical.
Sabbatical Lessons for a Small Business Owner
Dave Withbroe is one of two active owners in Dental City, a dental supply firm. In 2000, he took a one-month break from the business to tour Europe with his girlfriend. “It was the trip of a lifetime,” he said. “I got to check a whole bunch of boxes.” (Like running with the bulls in [...]
Cultural Exposure Brings Career & Personal Benefits
Claudia Patton of Edelman took a five week paid sabbatical to the Himalayas, visiting China, India, Tibet, and Bhutan. “I have much deeper relationships with my colleagues in India now that I have shown some interest in their government, culture and way of doing business,” she says. Patton encourages her team members to take a similar break to step outside their own experiences. “Immerse yourself in another world and bring that awareness back to Edelman. In doing so you become a more fully 360 degree employee.”
Surf's Up For Sunny
During his sabbatical, Sunny Trinh started 9 Fish Surfboards, which he now runs in the evenings, outside of his management position with Arrow Electronics. “By starting a business, I learned quite a bit that I bring to my job at Arrow,” he says. “I am also able to use the surf business to build relationships [...]
Edelman's HR Leader Realizes Sabbatical Benefits for Herself and Her Team
I feel renewed and so grateful to work at Edelman. - Laura Smith
A Sabbatical Sparks Loyalty
Christi Dixon would be lying if she didn’t admit her company’s sabbatical program has kept her on the job. A vice president at Standing Partnership in St. Louis, Dixon has been recruited by headhunters and business acquaintances, but never gave the offers real consideration.
Standing Partnership’s 24 staff members are eligible for a two month paid [...]
Break for a Business Owner
For Michelle and Jon Richard, 2008 saw the culmination of a long-time goal. The couple spent seven months circling the globe, stopping at 22 countries along the way. They swam with manta rays in Australia, toured Vietnam on motorbike, and took a Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai.
Just a few short years after establishing Coalesce, [...]
A Sabbatical in Myanmar
Billie Madha and her mother left Myanmar (then Burma) in 1976, when Billie was 15. They thought they’d never see their family again. And it was a big family. Billie’s mother was one of 18 children.
More than 20 years later, on her first sabbatical with Arrow Electronics, Billie got to take her mother back to [...]