Do Good To Lead Well with Craig Dowden

What happens when you leave your routine behind to embrace uncertainty? DJ DiDonna, Harvard Business School senior lecturer and founder of the Sabbatical Project, joins Craig Dowden to unpack the real benefits of sabbatical leave, drawn from years of research into hundreds of sabbatical-takers. DiDonna explains why extended leave delivers measurable physical healing, from resolving stress conditions like eczema and ulcers to reducing what he calls functional workaholism. The conversation also covers the confidence and creativity gains people report, the three sabbatical archetypes, and why the benefits of sabbatical leave extend to employers as well as employees.

DiDonna draws on interviews with hundreds of sabbatical-takers to show that the benefits of sabbatical leave aren't reserved for the wealthy or the lucky. He argues most people can plan toward a sabbatical five years out by setting aside a percentage of income and identifying a trusted example who has already taken one. The episode also explores why founders and CEOs, despite having more flexibility, often feel trapped by the businesses they built, and how stepping away can reduce key-person risk while creating growth opportunities for junior staff.

Throughout, DiDonna distinguishes the benefits of sabbatical leave from those of a simple vacation: vacations swap work tasks for leisure tasks, while sabbaticals create open space for identity change, healing, and experimentation. He closes with micro-moment strategies, like disconnecting for a long weekend, that let listeners borrow some benefits of sabbatical leave without leaving their jobs.

Key Takeaways
The benefits of sabbatical leave include physical healing, with sabbatical-takers reporting resolved eczema, ulcers, and trigger fingers.
Sabbatical-takers frequently describe the experience as a peak life event, comparable to a wedding or the birth of a child.
Three archetypes shape how people access the benefits of sabbatical leave: the achiever, the explorer, and the seeker.
Confidence and creativity gains often outlast the sabbatical itself and carry into everyday work life.
Employers benefit too: sabbaticals reveal key-person risk and reduce dependence on any single employee.
Emotional recovery from work identity typically takes six to eight weeks before people feel like themselves again.
Micro-moments, such as fully disconnected long weekends, offer some benefits of sabbatical leave without quitting a job.
Planning a sabbatical five years in advance makes accessing these benefits feel achievable rather than disruptive.

Chapters
00:57 Introduction and DJ DiDonna's background
05:31 Defining what a sabbatical actually is
07:55 Why extended time off matters
14:32 Reframing sabbaticals as realistic for everyone
22:20 Time vs. space: the real difference from a vacation
25:19 The emotional journey of a sabbatical
28:55 The three archetypes: achiever, explorer, seeker
34:02 Financial and logistical planning
38:45 Sabbaticals for founders and leaders
42:26 Micro-moments: everyday sabbatical practices
47:06 Closing thoughts and final advice

Guest Contact
Website: https://thesabbaticalproject.org
Book page: https://djdidonna.com/big-time-off/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djdidonna

FAQ

Q. What are the main benefits of sabbatical leave?
A. DiDonna's research points to physical healing, increased confidence, renewed creativity, and stronger organizational resilience.

Q. How long until the mental health benefits of sabbatical leave kick in?
A. Most people need six to eight weeks before feeling like themselves again, separate from their work identity.

Q. Do the benefits of sabbatical leave extend to employers?
A. Yes. DiDonna argues sabbaticals reduce key-person risk and reveal overly dependent business processes.

This solo episode of Do Good to Lead Well focuses on one of the most common challenges in both leadership and everyday life: continually repeating the same difficult conversation without real resolution. Drawing on the important work of Crucial Conversations and Crucial Accountability, I explore the transformative CPR model (Content, Pattern, Relationship) as a deceptively simple framework for breaking frustrating cycles.

I talk about how most people stay stuck addressing immediate content rather than recognizing damaging patterns or the deeper relationship impacts underneath. I also share concrete scripts using common scenarios to bring to life how shifting the “elevation” of a conversation can untangle recurring problems and restore trust.

Leaders, teammates, and anyone facing persistent roadblocks in communication will walk away with actionable tools to finally resolve stubborn issues. Share your thoughts on how you have dealt with these situations and better yet, share the episode with someone who you feel would benefit from hearing it.

What You’ll Learn
- What is C.P.R. in difficult conversations?
- The importance of addressing issues early.
- The trap of relitigating the same content without recognizing a pattern.
- The risk of escalating prematurely to relationship-level concerns after a single incident.
- The problem of “piling on,” or tackling content, pattern, and relationship all at once.

Podcast Timestamps
(00:03) - The Recurring Conversation Challenge
(01:23) - Introducing the CPR Model
(03:30) - Content: Addressing Issues Early
(06:08) - Elevating to Pattern-Level Conversations
(08:50) - Relationship: Impact on Trust and Collaboration
(10:43) - Approaching Difficult Conversations from Different Roles
(14:46) - Common Traps and Pitfalls in Tough Conversations
(17:53) - Choosing the Right Level for Effective Dialogue
(19:33) - Final Reflections and a Call to Action

KEYWORDS
Positive Leadership, Difficult Conversations, Conflict Management, Crucial Conversations, Crucial Accountability, CPR model, Content Pattern Relationship, Communication Framework, Workplace Relationships, Feedback Scripts, Pattern Recognition, Escalation in Conversations, Resolving Conflict, Peer Conversations, Leadership Communication, Employee Feedback, Conversational Traps, CEO Success

In this not-to-miss episode of Do Good to Lead Well, I am joined by Marcus Buckingham—the world’s foremost expert on human strengths and engagement—for a candid, data-rich conversation about bringing love into leadership. Drawing on his latest book, Marcus redefines love for the modern workplace: not as romance, but as an intentional design for human flourishing and extraordinary results.

Our conversation begins with the deeply personal, as Marcus shares the vulnerability and lessons he learned after selling his beloved company, sparking a compelling case for why “designing love in” must be at the core of modern organizations.

He also directly challenges the widespread myths that love makes organizations weak or leaders soft. Instead, tough love emerges as a vital force; sometimes the most loving thing a leader can do is share hard truths or make difficult calls. This episode dives into the real-world consequences of unloving practices like inefficient handoffs or unmanageable spans of control, offering concrete strategies for leaders to build truly vibrant, trust-filled cultures.

Whether you’re a CEO who wants to transform your organization a team leader wanting to create an environment where you people flourish, this episode provides an evidence-based blueprint. Discover why love is the ultimate performance driver and how you can start designing it into how you lead today.

What You’ll Learn
- The power of love at work.
- Redefining love in organizations.
- From 'OK' to 'I Love It': The J-Curve of Experience.
- Tough love: The role of accountability.
- What are loving and unloving practices at work?
- The ABCs of leading with love (Authenticity, Beliefs, Customs)

Podcast Timestamps
(00:02) - Introduction and Origin Story
(02:17) - Vulnerability and Lessons from Selling a Business
(06:00) - The Business Case for Designing Love In
(11:22) - Defining Love in Organizations
(17:11) - The Critical Importance of “Fives”
(23:18) - Loving and Unloving Workplace Practices
(32:11) - Tough Love and Accountability
(36:17) - The ABCs of Leading with Love
(44:02) - Rebuilding Trust and The Five Feelings of Love
(51:07) - The Future of Designing Loving Experiences

KEYWORDS
Positive Leadership, Human Performance, Gallup, StrengthsFinder, Business Case for Love, Organizational Culture, Employee Engagement, Workplace Love, Trust, Team Building, Positive Experiences, Spans of Control, Loving Handoffs in Customer Service, Customer Loyalty, Authenticity, Tough Love, Human Flourishing, Loving and Unloving Practices, CEO Success

What stops talented leaders from truly hearing honest feedback? This episode tackles that question head-on, drawing from both leading research and lived experience. While most articles, books, and workshops focus on how to give feedback, this discussion targets how to receive it. I explore why so many feedback conversations break down and how leaders can do better.

Core themes include the impact of our gut reactions to critical feedback, how quickly we discount advice based on source or style, and why challenges to our identity produce the fiercest resistance. Listeners will be guided through practical, evidence-informed strategies to become better feedback recipients, creating environments where candid conversations thrive.

This episode offers a refreshing, evidence-based approach for anyone committed to their own growth and eager to lead with greater effectiveness and humility.

What You’ll Learn
- The roots of our genuine hesitation surrounding feedback conversations.
- How our reactions can prevent or derail future feedback.
- Although not all feedback will be delivered perfectly, you can still find value.
- Don’t let your relationship with the feedback-giver cloud your judgment
- Feedback stings most when it challenges our identity.

Podcast Timestamps
(00:02) – Setting the Stagek
(01:12) – The Personal Challenge of Receiving Feedback
(05:17) – Truth Triggers: Dismissing Feedback Based on Tone and Delivery
(08:38) – Beware of Absolutes
(10:18) – Source Triggers: Who Delivers the Feedback
(12:41) – Difficult Feedback from Difficult People
(13:52) – Identity Triggers: When Feedback Challenges Self-Image
(17:17) – Personal Reflection: My Own Struggle with Feedback that Challenged My Identity
(20:01) - Strategies for Curiosity and Constructive Engagement
(23:40) - Bringing it Together: Commitment to Feedback Reception

KEYWORDS
Positive Leadership, Feedback, Receiving Feedback, Giving Feedback, Leadership Growth, Psychological Safety, Critical Feedback, Defensiveness, Feedback Triggers, Doug Stone, Sheila Heen, Zenger Folkman, 360 feedback, Radical Candor, Feedback Accuracy, Feedback Source, Identity and Feedback, Evidence-Based Leadership, Coaching, Blind Spots, Core Values, Curiosity, CEO Success

Source: Why (Senior) Leaders Struggle to Get Feedback and How to Change That - Do Good To Lead Well with Craig Dowden | Podcast on Spotify
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/why-senior-leaders-struggle-to-get-feedback-and-how/id1634491338?i=1000764642523

In this spirited episode, the challenges and paradoxes of modern leadership are brought to the forefront, grounded in the world of philanthropy. My guest this week, Glen Galaich, author of the provocative book Control: Why Big Giving Falls Short and CEO of the Stupski Foundation, invites listeners to reconsider the myths surrounding control, generosity, and decision-making. He makes the compelling case about how organizational norms, incentives, and personal ego can unintentionally limit positive impact, even in the most purpose-driven organizations.

During out discussion, we reflect on tough questions: What’s the real difference between intentions and measurable outcomes? How do process, relationships, and results shape lasting change? Through first-hand stories and data, this episode reveals how well-meaning leaders too often mistake intention for impact and how letting go of control, building clear processes, and inviting feedback can dramatically enhance outcomes.

For executives, nonprofit leaders, and anyone invested in meaningful change, this episode offers actionable advice: embrace self-awareness, question inherited processes, and trust the people closest to the work. It’s a call to action for listeners to examine their own patterns and to move beyond good intentions to do good by leading well.

What You’ll Learn
- The importance of letting go of control for greater impact.
- Rethinking thoughtful giving.
- Process, results, relationships: The leadership triad.
- The temptation of control when doing good.
- The power of systems, incentives, and leadership norms.
- Lead with empathy across difference.
- The critical role of self-awareness: Feedback as a gift.

Podcast Timestamps
(00:00) – Welcome to the Show and Guest Introduction
(00:03:13) - The Motivation Behind "Control"
(00:10:00) - Control, Psychological Safety, and Power in Leadership
(00:14:29) - Process, Results, Relationships: The Leadership Triad
(00:17:38) - Misconceptions and Accountability in Leadership
(00:22:04) - The Temptation of Control When Doing Good
(00:30:02) - Leading with Empathy Across Differences
(00:34:14) - Systems, Incentives, and Leadership Norms
(00:38:16) - The Critical Role of Self-Awareness
(00:42:59) - Leading Through Uncertainty
(00:47:33) - Key Mindset Shifts: Moving from Intention to Impact

KEYWORDS
Positive Leadership, Philanthropy, Thoughtful Giving, Community Engagement, Control Mindset, Process in Organizations, Psychological Safety, Accountability, Feedback, Ego in Leadership, Power Dynamics, Self Awareness, Organizational Culture, Social Impact, Norms and Incentives, Empathy, Letting Go, Impact versus Intention, CEO Success