The expectation for executives to always be “on” has led many to wear exhaustion as a badge of honor. Productivity, creativity, and leadership effectiveness often take a backseat to the belief that constant motion leads to results. In reality, the most effective leaders understand that stepping away is just as important as stepping up.
Strategic breaks fuel better decisions, stronger teams, and long-term business growth. The Fionix Consulting team has seen firsthand how rested leaders operate with sharper clarity, make more strategic choices, and create a culture that values sustainable performance over burnout.
Decisive Leaders Think Better When They Step Back
The ability to make sound decisions depends on a leader’s mental agility. University of Illinois researchers observed that employees who took short, periodic breaks were 45% more likely to generate innovative solutions to work problems compared to those who worked without pause.
When leaders take regular breaks, they create space for sharper thinking, problem-solving, and long-term planning — critical for steering organizations through complexity.
High-level executives often pride themselves on resilience. The most effective leaders recognize when to step away to regain perspective and strength. Without intentional rest, decision-making suffers, creativity declines, and leadership impact weakens.
Creativity Requires White Space
Recent research supports the idea that taking time away from work enhances cognitive flexibility. A study in Tourism Management examined the effects of recreational travel on cognitive flexibility and originality, demonstrating that vacations contribute to a more adaptive and innovative mindset, which is essential for high-level problem-solving and leadership.
At Fionix, we emphasize intentional whitespace thinking — the idea that breakthrough ideas don’t come from back-to-back meetings or an overflowing inbox. Executives often find their best solutions in moments of pause: during a walk, on vacation, or in the middle of an activity unrelated to work. Without this space, creativity plateaus, and decision-making becomes reactive rather than forward-thinking.
The Ripple Effect on Leadership and Teams
Executives who refuse to take breaks signal to their teams that rest is a weakness. This mindset creates an unsustainable work culture where exhaustion becomes the norm, leading to disengagement and turnover.
According to Deloitte's 2021 Global Human Capital Trends survey, 80 percent of respondents identified well-being as an important or very important priority for their organization’s success, making it the year’s top-ranked trend for importance.
Moreover, a study in Frontiers in Psychology found that leadership transitions, such as taking structured time off, improve team creativity and strategic problem-solving. When an organization runs effectively without one individual at the helm for a short time, it’s a sign of strong leadership development and trust in the team.
When leaders set the standard for sustainable performance, they create an environment where both leaders and employees can thrive.
A Practical Approach to Making Rest Part of Leadership
Executives who struggle to unplug often believe their absence will create disruptions. That belief exposes operational gaps that need addressing. Taking a break provides insight into whether an organization is structured for long-term success or overly dependent on individual leaders.
A strategic approach to rest includes:
Building a culture where stepping away is expected rather than an exception. If an organization falters when a leader takes time off, the problem lies in the structure, not the absence.
Scheduling rest like a high-priority meeting to ensure it happens. Leaders who plan for breaks treat them as essential, not optional.
Using time off to gain a different perspective. Some of the best business shifts happen when leaders step back, reassess, and return with renewed clarity.
Leading Responsibly Means Knowing When to Rest
Fionix’s CEO, Jessica Graham, APR, is taking a full week off in March and not waiting until summer or the end of the year to recharge. High-stakes decision-making requires clarity and focus, which comes from listening to the signals of the body, mind, and soul. Responsible leadership means recognizing when to reset and taking action before burnout takes hold.
"Instead of seeing rest as a retreat from responsibility, leaders should see it as a reinforcement of a leader’s ability to perform at their best.” - Jessica Graham, Founder & CEO Fionix Consulting
The most effective executives don’t measure success by the number of hours worked. Rather, they understand that creating space for sharper thinking leads to better decisions and stronger leadership.
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