Vacation

Over the past week I took a vacation with my wife to Mexico. Mexico is an interesting country and a booming economy that suffers from a minimal middle class. It is amazing to think that 40 years ago Cancun was a jungle and now it is the home of 800,000 residents from around the world. This does not happen without a tremendous plan of action. The government decided to make Cancun the next great tourist attraction and by doing so has built a multi billion dollar travel destination.

This was a pure vision and entrepreneurial spirit. Taking the chance paid off huge dividends for Mexico and their citizens. This is also true in business, you have to make educated and risky decisions to make your business successful. The decisions that a leader makes everyday will impact their long term goals. In some cases you have to make decisions that take longer to unfold, for example a long term marketing plan or acquisition. On the other hand making a quick decisions can turn into immediate results.

The last point that I will make about the vacation was the importance of taking time away from work. In this situation I had no access to email, voice mail, blackberry or cell phone. Although this was frustrating at first it made me relax and enjoy the time away. This also gives my team at the office the ability to work independently and prove their ability to go above and beyond. In some cases the team needs the time away from their leader as much as the leader needing time away from their team. I am now refreshed and ready to go, lets go 2007.