Rest Is a Leadership Move: Reset, Reconnect, Reimagine
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Why Executive Leaders in Seattle Are Reframing Rest as Strategy
What if rest isn’t what gets in the way of outstanding leadership, but what makes it possible?
At Henley Leadership Group, we’ve partnered with thousands of executives, managers, and teams in Seattle and beyond. And one thing we’ve learned? The best leadership doesn’t come from always pushing harder, but rather knowing when to pause.
That’s where our Reset, Reconnect, Reimagine model comes in. It’s a foundational approach we use in our executive coaching, team training, and leadership development programs to help leaders move from burnout to clarity.
Reset: Step Out of Reaction Mode
When you're overwhelmed or running from meeting to meeting, your leadership suffers. You default to stress-based reactions, lose perspective, and make decisions from urgency instead of intention.
In our executive coaching work, we often start with the reset. It's the moment a leader chooses to step out of autopilot and reflect. It’s taking time, whether five minutes or five days, to reset your nervous system.
Rest is a leadership strategy. It's not just time off. It’s time in. It’s when your brain recharges … your creativity reactivates … and your ability to respond skillfully is restored.
Action:
Block 15 minutes this week for uninterrupted quiet reflection (no screens!) to notice your stress patterns and reset.
Reconnect: Return to What Fuels You
After a reset, you have space to reconnect. With yourself. With your team. With your why.
When working with Seattle-based organizations on their leadership development, we often see leaders who are great at execution but disconnected from their core strengths and values. Reconnecting helps you tap back into your best self to lead from authenticity, not exhaustion.
And when leaders reconnect, their teams feel it. The ripple effects of rest show up in better communication, clearer decision-making, and stronger team cohesion.
Action:
Reach out to one colleague and share something you genuinely appreciate about how they show up at work.
Reimagine: Lead From a Place of Clarity
Rested leaders reimagine what’s possible.
They say no to what drains them. They ask better questions. They push past outdated models and create space for innovation. This is what leadership transformation looks like.
In our leadership coaching programs and team effectiveness trainings, we guide leaders to reimagine how they work … from meeting structures and boundaries to values and culture. It’s not fluffy. It’s strategic. And, truly, it starts with rest.
Action:
Choose one recurring meeting or commitment to question this week. Ask yourself: “Does this still serve our purpose, or is there a better way?”
One Small Action to Model Restful Leadership This Month
Workplaces can be both effective and human-centered. But, it starts with leaders who value rest as a lever for better leadership.
So if you're a leader in Seattle, or anywhere, who’s ready to move beyond burnout and into something more sustainable, start with this:
Block 90 minutes on your calendar this month …
for intentional rest or reflection, and don’t fill it. Don’t turn it into admin time. Don’t schedule over it. Instead:
Take a walk without your phone.
Sit down and journal what you need more of (or less of) to feel energized at work.
Reflect on your stress-based reactions and how they’re showing up.
Do something that reconnects you with yourself.
Then, let your team know what you're doing and why. It might feel small, but modeling rest signals to your team that well-being is a leadership priority.
Want support building a culture that values both well-being and effectiveness?
We offer executive coaching, leadership development, and team training that helps organizations thrive from the inside out.