Karen Dillon If you left your business in the hands of your management team for six months, what would happen?

In my mid-40s, arguably at the peak of my career as editor of Harvard Business Review, I made a decision that shocked many of my colleagues and peers. I left my job and spent the next two years on sabbatical. My family and I relocated to London, a change of place and perspective that had a profound impact on the next phase of my life and work.

- By Karen Dillon

Karen Dillon is a former editor of Harvard Business Review and a New York Times best-selling author. She currently serves as editorial director of BanyanGlobal Family Business Advisors, where she heads the firm's thought leadership on the challenges faced by family-owned businesses around the world.

In hindsight, I was taking what TikTok has dubbed a microretirement. Though that term is still being defined, it generally refers to a period during which you take a significant break from working. Is this just another way of saying a long vacation? Not really. A vacation is meant to be a relaxing break from the daily grind. A microretirement is more like a sabbatical, which has a purpose rooted in deep personal or professional growth.

Of course, I had one advantage: As a writer, I could work remotely if I needed to. Can an entrepreneur who is at the center of their own company ever take a break like the one I did? And if so, at what cost?

Turns out, it is indeed possible. With careful planning.