The Mandatory Vacation: A Tactic to Bombproof Your SMB

Dearest Extreme Outsourcers:

One of my favorite ways to learn stuff, is to “steal” things from one industry - and apply them to a completely different industry.

I’m sure there is a fancy word for this… but to me…it just makes sense.

Our topic today has its origins in banking, where it has been used for years as a method of fraud prevention.

The principle is straightforward: Require that every team member takes a two-week vacation, annually.

The idea in banking was “If someone is cooking the books, their house of cards will fall apart when they step away for two weeks”.

I LOVE this.

Such a clever way to sniff out fraud.

Now - to the topic of outsourcing, systems, SMBs, etc.

If you want to “bombproof” your organization - require every member of your organization (including you) to take two-weeks vacation at least once per year.

No contact with your “system” during this time off - no checking email, slack, etc

Understandably, you may be questioning how this could be advantageous for your small business, especially when resources are already streeeetttchhhedddd.

So, here’s the idea.

Bomb Proofing

During an employee's two-week absence, it becomes evident which tasks are crucial, which can be delayed, and which necessitate immediate attention.

It also reveals if “ONLY BOB KNOWS HOW TO DO THAT”.

This allows you to identify areas where you may need to cross-train employees, build out some more documentation, etc

A "Dry Run" for Chaos

Business is unpredictable.

A wise man once told me “Never be surprised by a predictable event”. 

Employees resign, receive promotions, and are fired…. with no warning.

By mandating that everyone takes time off, you are essentially conducting a "dry run" for these eventualities.

Gradually exposing your organization to stress

Think about Nassim Taleb’s concept of "antifragility,".

Antifragile systems are those that benefit from shocks, volatility, and stress.

By requiring your organization to manage the temporary absence of team members, you are gradually exposing it to stress, which in turn allows it to adapt and grow stronger.

The “figure it out” muscle strengthens.

Final Thoughts

Ok, so hopefully you’ve gotten the idea, and maybe even considered implementing something like this.

Here’s the weird part.

Just the idea of implementing a policy like this will improve your company.

The preparation for everyone/anyone on your team going away for two weeks (including you, the CEO) will do all sorts of wonderful things for your company.

So, what are you waiting for?

Get your ass on vacation!

Yours in Outsourcing,

Jon

P.S.

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