Why a lack of self-care may impact how you lead.

As a busy leader/executive, it is easy to ignore the signs and symptoms that might indicate to us it’s time to take a break and take some well needed rest.  

I coach several senior leaders who regularly work a 60+ hour week. This doesn’t include any travel they might incur and the impact any time difference can have on their sleeping/working patterns.

In her book ‘Thrive’ Arianna Huffington gives a great example around the fact that when given the inflight safety demonstration on an aeroplane we are told to fit our own oxygen mask before our child’s. The point of the analogy is that you should make sure you have your own oxygen supply secure before helping others. The same applies to business.

How do you look after yourself so that you can look after all those people who report directly or indirectly to you? 

My observation as a leadership coach is that there are some clear signs to look out for that tell you as a leader that it might be time to take a break and have some space between you and your leadership role for a few days. These include;

Loss of perspective

A sense of overwhelm is a sure sign that a break is needed. This is usually accompanied by a lack of perspective. Sometimes clients just want to talk and get perspective on things that have been troubling them for quite a while but they can’t seem to figure out what to do. A loss of perspective can also lead to poor decision-making, procrastination or a tendency to overthink a situation to the point where it just seems to play over and over in your mind. This can then impact on sleep and general well-being.

Short-tempered

A lack of sleep coupled with little or no relaxation time can impact a leader’s tolerance levels and patience. If you find yourself being unusually short-tempered and quick to anger then again this could be a sign that you need a break. Even taking a walk for a good 15 minutes can ‘change the space’ and give you a moment to check in with yourself and perhaps take a different course of action.

Reactivity

One of my favourite quotes by Sir Terry Leahy from his book Management in 10 words is “Don’t mistake action for progress” When a leader is tired and emotionally spent it can be easy to overreact (see above) but also to just keep reacting to everything we are facing into that day or week. Sometimes we need to take a step back before taking a step forward. This might mean that you ask for more time, reflect overnight, do nothing or take some exercise which allows you to reflect on whatever situation you are facing right now and perhaps come back with some questions before making a final decision.

Tiredness / Fatigue

There is a myth out there that most of us can get by on or perhaps only need 4 hours of sleep. If it’s good enough for Margaret Thatcher, right? Wrong. There is a very small percentage of people in the world that have a particular DNA (3%) that allows them to sleep very little. Most of us need at least 6 hours, optimum 7-8 hours to function fully. Notice when you are feeling tired and the impact it is having on you. Ask yourself the great self-help coaching question; how long is this sustainable for? Plan time in for you as you would schedule an important business meeting.