Latest / Executive Careers with Fexingo: VP, C-Suite, and Senior Leadership Career Strategy / How Senior Leaders Use PTO to Make Better Career Decisions
Transcript
- Lucas: So here's something I've been thinking about — and it's one of those topics that almost never comes up in executive career coaching, but I think it's actually one of the most practical tools in the toolkit. It's about how senior leaders use their accrued paid time off — not just to recharge, but to make better career decisions. Luna: Interesting. You're talking about taking PTO specifically to evaluate a job offer or plan a pivot? Lucas: Exactly. I'm calling it 'decision leave' — though I'm sure someone has a fancier name for it. The idea is simple: when you're facing a major career crossroad, you take two to four weeks of uninterrupted time off, completely disconnected from your current role, and you use that space to actually think through the decision. No meetings, no Slack, no 'just checking in.' Luna: There's a Heidrick & Struggles study that found 68 percent of C-suite executives who made a major career move regretted it within twelve months. I wonder how many of those would have benefited from a real pause. Lucas: That's exactly the study I was thinking of. And look, regret doesn't always mean it was the wrong move — sometimes it's about the way the decision was made. Under pressure, with incomplete information, in the middle of Q4 chaos. You're negotiating a compensation package while also trying to close the books. That's a recipe for bad judgment. Luna: What does decision leave actually look like in practice? I know a former chief marketing officer at a large consumer goods company — she had five weeks of accrued PTO. She took it all at once, and she used the first two weeks to shadow at a startup she was considering joining. Lucas: That's a brilliant use of the time. Because you can't really evaluate a startup culture from the outside. You need to sit in their stand-up meetings, see how they handle a product launch delay, watch the CEO interact with the engineering team. Two weeks of immersion gives you data that no amount of due diligence calls can provide. Luna: She ended up taking the job. And she told me that the shadowing weeks revealed things she never would have seen — like the fact that the startup's leadership team had zero formal decision-making process. Everything was decided by whoever yelled loudest. She went in thinking she'd fix that, but she realized it would take years of cultural change. Lucas: And she still took the job knowing that? That's actually a sign of good decision-making — she went in with eyes wide open. The regret comes when you discover those things after you've already moved your family across the country. Luna: Right. So the key is to use the time to test your assumptions. What else should you do during a decision leave? Lucas: First, create real psychological distance. That means no checking email from your current role, no taking calls from the new company. You need to break the daily rhythm that keeps you in reactive mode. I've seen executives who book a week at a retreat center with no Wi-Fi — not because they need solitude, but because the friction of getting online forces them to stay offline. Luna: So it's not a vacation — it's structured reflection. Lucas: Exactly. Vacation is about rest. Decision leave is about clarity. You want to emerge with a written pro-con list, a set of questions you still need answered, and a gut check that's not contaminated by the stress of your current job. I recommend writing a letter to yourself on day one — 'why I'm considering this move' — and then rereading it on the last day. The difference in perspective can be striking. Luna: What about the practical hurdle? How do you ask your current CEO or board for two weeks off when you're already in a senior role with major responsibilities? Lucas: That's the art of framing. You don't say 'I'm thinking about leaving, so I need time to decide.' You frame it as 'I've accrued significant PTO, and I need to take it to avoid burnout and maintain my effectiveness.' That's true in most cases anyway. And if you have a good relationship with your board, you can even be more transparent: 'I'm evaluating a significant opportunity, and I want to give it the attention it deserves without shortchanging my current role.' Luna: I've seen leaders use the 'personal retreat' framing — they say they're working on a strategic project or doing executive education. But I think honesty, when possible, builds trust. Lucas: Agreed. And here's a counterintuitive point: taking that time off can actually strengthen your position. If your current employer sees you're serious enough about your career to invest in a thoughtful decision, they may counteroffer more aggressively. Or they may respect you more — which is valuable whether you stay or go. Luna: Let's talk about the red flags that emerge during decision leave. What should people look for? Lucas: One big one: if you're on leave and you feel a sense of relief that you don't have to go back to your current job — that's a signal. Not necessarily that you should leave, but it's worth paying attention to. Conversely, if you find yourself missing the work, the team, the mission — that's a sign to stay. Luna: Another red flag I've seen: when people actually map out their typical day at the new role and realize how much they dislike the commute, or the industry, or the required travel. Those things seem manageable in a negotiation, but they become dealbreakers in practice. Lucas: Right. And one more: if you can't get excited about the new role after two weeks of thinking about it without the adrenaline of the offer, that's a problem. The initial courtship phase is intoxicating. The actual day-to-day is not. Decision leave lets you separate the two. Luna: So we're talking about a very deliberate, almost clinical approach to one of the most emotional decisions an executive makes. Lucas: And that's why it works. Because emotions are useful data, but they shouldn't drive the decision. I think the biggest mistake senior leaders make is treating a career move like any other business decision — they gather data, analyze, and decide — but they ignore the emotional and lifestyle factors that will ultimately determine their happiness. Decision leave forces you to consider the whole picture. Luna: It's also a privilege, let's be honest. Not every senior leader has accrued that much PTO, or feels secure enough to take it. Lucas: That's true. But I'd argue that if you're in a role where you can't take two weeks off without the company falling apart, that itself is a red flag. A well-run organization should survive without you for two weeks. If it can't, you're not a leader — you're a bottleneck. Luna: That's a hard truth, but I think it's right. So for someone listening who's considering a career move, what's the single most practical takeaway? Lucas: Before you accept any offer, schedule two weeks of PTO. Use the first week to disconnect completely — no work, no research, no calls. Just rest and let your mind settle. Use the second week to actively evaluate the opportunity. Visit the office, talk to potential colleagues, do a mock commute. And at the end, trust whatever decision feels right when you're at your calmest. Luna: I like that. And if you don't have two weeks, even one week can make a difference. The key is to break the pattern. Lucas: Exactly. And you know, this is the kind of practical advice that we try to pack into every episode here. If you've found value in these conversations — whether it's helped you think through a career move, negotiate a better package, or just feel less alone in the C-suite — a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going. You can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It makes a real difference, and we appreciate every bit of it. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep this ad-free and focused on what matters. So back to decision leave — one last thought. I think there's also a version of this for people who aren't considering a move yet. You can take a 'preventive' decision leave: a week every year to reflect on your career trajectory, assess your satisfaction, and course-correct before you hit a crisis. Lucas: That's a great extension. Think of it as an annual career physical. Most executives spend more time planning their vacation itinerary than planning their career path. If you take one week a year to step back and ask 'Am I on the right track? What am I learning? What am I tolerating?' — you'll make better decisions before you're forced to make a rushed one. Luna: And that's the ultimate goal: to be proactive instead of reactive. Thanks for bringing this topic up — I think it's one of those hidden levers that can really change how senior leaders approach their careers. Lucas: Glad we could dig into it. Until next time, take that time off — deliberately.