I think it was street artist Banksy who is quoted as saying “If you get tired, learn to rest, not quit.”
Resilience is such an important part of being a leader, but this quote speaks to a more robust and sustainable form of resilience.
It’s a rallying cry against “the grind,” against performative busyness, constant availability and pointless presenteeism. It’s a call for relaxed effectiveness. Working smarter, not harder.
This Halloween, we hosted a pumpkin carving competition. Most of the team sat down to hack and scoop—up to their eyeballs in pumpkin gunk. Suddenly, a developer produced an electric drill he had inexplicably been keeping in his desk. It made light work of his gourd, and within mere moments, he had wiped the floor with the competition.