Thoughts on Leadership: In the Spirit of Aloha

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels find me in Maui, HI, splitting time between the Fairmont Kea Lani and the Montage Kapalua Bay. I’m on the island for my annual family vacation and coming off the heels of five days spent in Costa Rica for the Berkshire Elite Circle Conference, I can say I’m definitely in a tropical mindset. (In fact, just this morning I did a meditation class, a breathing class and a yoga class so I’m feeling very zen as I write this today.)

Even though I’m technically taking a respite from work, a leader’s job is without end and if not directly working with my teams, I’m still here hard at work on myself. I’ve already reviewed my 2017 goals, marking places where I want to make revisions and edits to exactly what I’ll accomplish next year. I’ve also re-listened to books like The Storyteller’s Secret and Talk Like Ted, which I have as hardcopies so I can highlight and underline sections that particularly resonate with me. This way, I can get a jump on planning the messages I want to share with real estate agents and leaders across the country when my vacation ends. (As a side note, I’m listening to a new book as well, Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim Grover, legendary basketball trainer who once worked with icons like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and others.)

Additionally, I’ve been watching and re-watching my favorite TED talks with my family, which has been a fun and enlightening activity for all. A few hours before dinner, after a long day of swimming, surfing and soaking in the sun, we meet on the patio for our happy hour and it’s then that we listen to one TED talk, which never fails to spur lively conversation between us. And in the Hawaiian spirit of aloha (joyfully sharing life) I’d like to share with you three of my favorite TED talks we’ve seen:

Do Schools Kill Creativity? by Sir Ken Robinson

How to Make Stress Your Friend by Kelly McGonigal

Why We Do What We Do by Tony Robbins

So, what’s the message? No, you shouldn’t spend the your entire next vacation rewriting goals or annotating books. However, you should remember that even if you’re technically off the clock, quiet trips away from ringing cell phones and full inboxes can often provide the ideal time to reflect, rejuvenate and reinvigorate so you’re even more prepared to lead when you return.

GINO BLEFARI is CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC. You can follow Gino on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.