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Archives for Types of Sabbaticals
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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 [...]
Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel…loved it all!!
Roatan Rocks!!
Just got back from one of my favorite activities…CRUISIN! My Aunt and I did the 7 day Royal Caribbean Cruise out of Galveston to Roatan, Honduras, Costa Maya and Cozumel.
In Roatan, we met up with my dear friend Marc in Gumbalimba Park. This park has it all. First, we did an amazing nature walk wherein we saw many black iguanas, [...]
Plotting My First Sabbatical
I suppose I was planning my first sabbatical before I even started my career. In fact, I’m sure I was already heading in that direction before even graduating college!
I became hooked on long-term travel after backpacking in Europe and studying in London while at Syracuse University. After that experience, it was easy to decide to [...]
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 [...]
Ancient Empires Cruise – Incredible!!
WOW!!! We really got a great deal on the beautiful brand new Celebrity Equinox cruise ship. Thank you Aunt Thelma.
The Journey Begins…
We landed in Rome and quickly found the train route that would take us to the port city of Civitavecchia. From there, we boarded the ship for a 12 relaxing days around the Mediterranean Sea. The days were filled [...]
Cabo Update (finally)
I am sitting here thinking about the crystal blue waters of the Sea of Cortez. So very relaxing!! Cabo really was a great luxurious getaway. I stayed at the beautiful Riu Palace and one thing for sure - the food was AWESOME! I couldn’t stop eating and didn’t want to either. This trip was a [...]
Traveling to Uganda
I went to Africa to teach, but I knew I’d be doing more learning than teaching. - Joseph Quaderer
Jazz Great Sonny Rollins’ Legendary Sabbaticals
The 79-year-old saxophonist known as “the greatest living improvisor” in jazz knows the value of pushing “pause” in a career that requires unlimited amounts of creativity and talent.
On the lengthy sabbaticals Sonny Rollins has taken from playing, he devoted himself to solitary practice, studied Zen meditation in Japan, and even withdrew to a monastery [...]
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.
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.”
Sagmeister on Sabbaticals
If you don’t know about TED’s “ideas worth spreading”, then you absolutely must. If you haven’t been invited to its invitation-only global conferences, I am feeling your pain.
Renowned for album covers, posters and his recent book of life lessons, designer Stefan Sagmeister invariably has a slightly different way of looking at things. He views sabbaticals [...]
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 [...]
Lisa's Sabbatical: Sailing Across the Atlantic
With four weeks away from her job at General Mills, Lisa Skluzacek sailed from the Canary Islands to St. Lucia in the Caribbean. While she was away, her co-workers experienced cross-functional training, and the team became more closely aligned. For Lisa, the trip was a “huge personal accomplishment and really increased my confidence.” She also [...]
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, [...]