👋🏻 Good day, bunch of legendary leaders. This is Refresh. Rethink—the summer edition of your leadership newsletter.

I'm writing this on Friday, the day before we have the baptism of our 2.5-year-old son AND our 10th wedding anniversary, for which we'll renew our vows. We're very much looking forward to that! ❤️

No, we're not religious, but we're universe believers. Speaking out intentions in a sacred place like a church does send the message to that field of energy we're all part of. Whether we call that God, Universe, or else doesn't matter. It's energy.

What's also energy is motivation—a positive energy field. When teams tap into it, magic happens. Period. Having led teams for over 20 years, I'm a big believer that high levels of intrinsic motivation are key to high performance.

In my latest youtube video, motivation gets my 2 cents.

Check it out here:

________

🚀 10x-ing My Summer.

Every year when my kids have a school holiday, I prioritize rest, well-being, family, and leisure over everything else. Usually for 6 to 8 weeks long!

That means I'll reduce "work" to the absolute bare minimum (insanely close to zero). This is the 6th year I've done this since I left the corporate world. And I aim to extend it to three full months every summer.

Now I hear many people thinking that if you need a break from what you do, you don't love what you do enough.

Well, that's not the point. I'm super excited to build out this business. You see, I do this exactly because I love what I do!

I love to show up at my best for my clients. These breaks turn my brain into a nuclear reactor that has just received a new dose of enriched uranium.

Last year after my summer break, I revamped and ramped up my consulting business. I took 200 hours in courses as well and attracted bigger clients.

That turned into reaching 6 figure territory already in half year 1, whereas I barely made that in December last year.

Off course, I prepare for these long breaks. The trick is to 10x delegation!

1) ✅ Trained a VA

a) Monitoring my email box and flagging when things are urgent

b) Managing s all accounting, banking, and admin stuff

c) Managing my social media assistant

d) Managing projects in Upwork

2) ✅ Trained a Social Media Assistant

a) Analyze all great performing content pieces of the last eight months

b) repurpose for six weeks long all great performing pieces

c) Turn newsletters into carousels and post.

d) Commenting on big accounts on Twitter and Linkedin

3) ✅ Expectation Management with Clients

I mentioned these long summer breaks in January while drafting proposals for new clients. With that knowledge, we plan all work to avoid blocking anything or reducing the value.

So far, none of my clients in the past five years have made any issues with the yearly break; most of them actually admire it and know they want it to.

4) ✅ Hired a Sales Master

One of the most crucial aspects of growing this business is SALES. No sales no growth. So recently, I contracted Ryan Redmond, who’s setting up my whole outreach system while I’m on a break.

That way, when coming back, I’m pretty sure to have a new pipeline of prospects for after the summer.

5) ✅ Practice Letting Go of Control

Not working is a lot about letting go of control. It's a mental and emotional state. And it is hard. Anxiety gets me too! Whenever I go on a break, I'm kinda nervous in the first week or two as if my mind says something isn't right.

That's a great opportunity to practice letting go.

Without that, we realize it; we can get emotionally attached to stuff, even our businesses. That can even turn into emotional dependence. Emotional dependence, beautiful people, is destructive for both the one who's attached and the thing or person attached to.

Avoid it.

Apart from long breaks to let go, there's another way I make sure not to get attached.

Avoiding over-commitment. Or, in other words, prevent attachment to commitment.

That concerns this newsletter too! Read on!

🚀 10x-ing This Newsletter.

Twenty-six weeks ago, I committed to writing a weekly newsletter. Writing 52 issues in a year looked like an interesting challenge and a chance to learn to articulate my leadership experience in words ( in a non-native language).

And here we are—half way.

Something inside of me wants to stay with the commitment, but another stronger part of me says,

It is not about the quantity but about the quality.

And so, I've asked myself, how can I write much higher quality newsletters?

The answer:

Write less but with more quality.

Therefore, from now on, your Refresh. Rethink. The newsletter will drop in your mailbox monthly instead of weekly!

Less often, with the aim of much higher quality.

What do you think of that? Let me know by replying here!

I'm wishing you an amazing summer ahead,

See you in a month.

Leon

Let me know your thoughts! I love conversations with my audience.
Simply reply to this mail.