Good leaders understand the importance of looking after the people they lead. Great leaders understand the importance of looking after themselves. Leadership is about looking after you as much as it is about looking after others.
In our busy lives its easy to forget to spend time focusing on your needs. Mainstream society tells men to ‘harden up’ and work to the death. And women don’t get it any easier – women in today’s society often have so many caring responsibilities and are taught to put themselves last, that they often never get the time to look after themselves.
Why?
Why is it important to look after yourself? Its the story that you have probably hear before. On an airplane you are instructed, in the event of an emergency, to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others. This includes children and those who cannot help themselves. The message is very clear, you are no use to others if you cannot breathe yourself!
Of course it’s the same in the workplace. While you might not be literally struggling for breath, when you are leading and not looking after yourself, you become stressed. Your leadership is less effective, you are more prone to mistakes and you are less supportive of others. Small problems become big when you operate from place of high stress! And eventually you become sick (or worse)and can’t lead in the workplace at all. Looking after you is one of the most important parts of leadership.
A few years ago I was working in a stressful environment, leading a small under-resourced team where conflict with other key stakeholders was frequent. I started to feel like punching people in the head might be a viable answer to some of my daily issues! This gave me pause to think and I decided I needed to get out of the office. I scheduled a run at least three times a week over lunch. It wasn’t a long run or a fast run but the effective on my well-being was instantaneous!
Are you too busy at lunch time? That’s probably a sign that you really need to get out.
How do I look after myself?
You don’t like running? There are a number of alternatives to improve your well being by taking a break:
- Swimming (indoor pools make this easy all year round)
- Yoga
- Craft
- A gentle walk
- Spending time in nature (this can even just be a small park)
- Eating outside – alone and without your work phone
- Look out the window for 10 minutes
- Drink (and savour) a cup of tea
- Meditation (there are many many apps available)
- Doing something you enjoy that is just for you
- Reading a (trashy) book or magazine
- Deep breathing
That last one might make your skeptical. How can deep breathing be looking after myself? Deep and focused breathing for even just a few minutes every day has been shown to have proven health benefits.
This article from Harvard shows how you can use breathing to reduce stress.
Anything that make you slow down, reflect and focus on you can help to reduce stress and make you a better leader.
Are you still telling me you don’t have time in your leadership journey to look after you or to take time out from your busy stressful day to relax and refocus? Use niche time. Run or walk to and from work. Schedule short breaks in your diary – something is better than nothing. Exercise with a friend who will keep you going. Encourage your staff to take time for themselves and model the behaviour!
Coaching can be another way to reflect and focus on you. Coaching can also help you to work out how to fit ‘me time’ into your busy life. Contact me for more information on setting up a coaching session.
Focus on yourself.
Refresh. Rejuvenate. Reflect.
In leadership looking after you is paramount.
Only then can you operate to your full potential.