What if your next big leadership breakthrough started with booking a vacation?

In this solo episode of Leadership Blueprints, BJ Kraemer dives into a powerful and often overlooked leadership lesson: the transformative value of R&R. With summer in full swing and the midpoint of the year approaching, BJ challenges leaders to rethink their relationship with rest, reframing time off as a strategic imperative for sustained impact, clarity, and growth.

From redefining “busy” to modeling a culture that celebrates vacation time and drawing inspiration from military leadership models and Bill Gates’s Think Week, this episode offers practical insights for leaders ready to recharge and lead with renewed purpose.

Tune in to find out why stepping away might be the most powerful move you make this year!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The importance of prioritizing time off and planning ahead.
• Lessons from military models of reflection and leader development.
• Investing in your career when you're young and then modeling rest as a leader.
• Practical tips to help you “disconnect, re-energize, and redeploy.”
• A leadership challenge: book time off and encourage your team to do the same!

Quotes:

“Don't confuse action with results. Don't confuse a full calendar with impact.” — BJ Kraemer

“The greatest leaders I know are always creating space for themselves.” — BJ Kraemer

“The way that we can – use R&R to grow is [to] disconnect, re-energize, and then redeploy that new energy towards something new.” — BJ Kraemer

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude

Leadership Blueprints Podcast

MCFA

MCFA Careers

BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn