How To...Look After Yourself As A Manager
'Cos self-care isn't fluffy or woo woo, it's essential to great leadership
A bit of a different post from me today and for good reason. Once again, my household is Kleenex-deep in cold and cough germs - you know, that cough that’s going, ahem, viral this year (in England at least!) - and I’m once again confronting one of my greatest challenges professionally.
The ability to say when enough is enough and get some rest.
Can you relate? I bet you can, because you’re a committed manager, leader of people and you care about your work. That’s why you’re here with me every week as we navigate the challenges and opportunities of leadership together, and as you implement the tools and techniques I share to make you even more effective and confident in your role.
But… here’s the big but…
You can’t lead effectively if you give everything to everyone all of the time, without taking a moment for yourself.
The old adage “you can’t pour from an empty cup” is a cliche for a reason. It really is true.
Think about your own approach as a manager. When someone on your team comes to you and shares that they are feeling run-down, burnt out even, I bet you’re compassionate and understanding aren’t you? You give that person the support they need to re-balance and also some strategies for the future so that they can thrive in their role.
The big question is.. do you extend this same compassion to yourself?
Or do you keep going until someone or something makes you stop?
If it’s the latter, I get it, I really do. I don’t tend to have much of an off switch myself and that can lead to extremes of energy / crash and burn that aren’t helpful to my life and my career.
I’ve been working hard on this lately - primary school germs notwithstanding - so I wanted to share some advice that works for me. Disclaimer: I’m not a health professional and can only share my insights. Your mileage and approach may vary. But as a coach, I’ve found it helpful to ask myself some of these questions below, as well as thinking more deeply about how I want to feel now, and in the future.
Let me know if this strikes a chord with you today and what you’d add to this list? I’ll open up the comments section too if you want to share your insights and tips with others in the community.
How to look after yourself as a leader
Questions to ask yourself
Would I want anyone on my team to feel the way I am feeling now? This is a useful question as it gets to the heart of you as a manager - you’re there for others, and would always advocate balance and self-care to them wouldn’t you? So why not treat yourself the same way? This is a powerful question too as it can lead to all sorts of reflection on the kindness you show / don’t show yourself and why…