The importance of being present

Near the end of Philip Licht’s sabbatical, he spent a week alone in Hawaii. He floated in the pool, parasailed, thought about life, and walked on the beach. Most importantly, he allowed himself to just be.

“Prior to this sabbatical, I did not even enjoy beaches because after an hour or so I would get bored and be ready for whatever is next,” Licht said. “I am changed.”

That change began the very first day. Licht, executive director of Set Free Alaska, a Wasilla organization for people with drug and alcohol issues, cleared his phone of everything work related. Gone was access to calendars, email and task lists. He even switched sim cards to change his number to one known only to a few people.

In short, “I had become a ghost.”

To celebrate, Licht headed for a coffee shop, where he reveled in having no work responsibilities for the first time in his adult life. He solicited book recommendations from friends, and discovered the joys of reading just for pleasure. After four months, he’d read the entire Bible plus 18 other books, none of them about business or leadership.

The sabbatical began with Licht and his wife Cheryl enjoying a week alone in California. They ticked off some bucket list items there, even indulging in a fancy dinner sprinkled with 24 carat gold dust.

Next the pair collected their children and embarked on a six-week cross country road trip, eating barbecue in Texas and fried alligator in Louisiana. Helpful local residents saved the day when, while Licht searched for a park in Jersey City, the family’s 36-foot travel trailer became marooned on a narrow street with no room to turn around.

Licht drove home alone from those adventures and called that the real sabbatical transition point, when his mind truly began to slow down. A trip to Seward followed and then the family headed for Hawaii and Australia, where Licht watched the sun rise every day.

In the end, Licht said he has learned to allocate his time more mindfully, to focus on the big picture, to take care not to overbook himself and count on adrenaline to get him through. Time away from his work also showed him the importance of being present for people and situations, and how that in turn helps him fulfill his vision for Set Free.

Since his sabbatical, Set Free has grown from 41 to more than 100 employees. It can now service 315 clients at a time through seven programs in four geographical locations, compared to just 150 clients at a time with three programs at one location previously.

Licht said the growth occurred not just as the result of his ability to stay focused on the big picture, but to the “empowering and releasing” of leaders throughout the organization.

“It took me leaving to force others to step up and take on more responsibilities. This allowed us to grow exponentially beyond what we could have if I had continued carrying those responsibilities.”