It is commonly rare to see organizations put a lot of focus on self-care of their employees and leaders. The focus is generally on the sales target, strategy, and ways to build business. However, self-care is not something we need to do just at home, it is part of the fundamentals of leadership and needs to be included in the strategy.
Why put it in the business plan or strategy? Because it can increase the ability of leaders to lead and employees to give their 100% every day.
When we lead, it is common to become stressed or even burnt out over time. Burnout is real and is a place we want to avoid. It can cause leaders (or anyone) to lose focus, make mistakes, not show up to work, go on leave, and even potentially leave a negative impact or feeling to their employees or those around them. Practicing self-care on a regular basis, such as taking an uninterrupted and “no work” lunch, or getting a good night’s rest and not working until midnight, are a couple great ways to help avoid burn out.
We all know that emotions can also run high when there is a high degree of stress…and let’s be honest, as humans we are emotional beings. Don’t get me wrong, it is important to recognize and feel your emotions, but with good self-care practices such as regular exercise and eating well (or eating at all if you happen to be a person who “forgets” to eat lunch) we can enhance and improve our emotional reactions to stress or negative situations.
Being stressed or burnt out and not taking care of ourselves can also lead leaders (and others) to avoid making decisions or making the wrong decisions. This can happen when people just “don’t want to care” about things anymore or are so overwhelmed they can’t think straight. What can you do to help you make better and focused decisions? Well first, don’t make them when you are not up to it, unless absolutely necessary…especially key business decisions that will make or break a deal. Ensure you get enough sleep so your mind will be clearer. If sleep is a struggle, visit your doctor. We encourage clients to determine how much sleep they are currently getting (or when they go to bed or get up) and try for 15 more minutes at a time. Once that is routine, add another 15 mins. This can be done by going to be 15 mins earlier or getting up 15 mins later.
Lastly, for this blog, it is important that leaders lead by example. If we don’t take care of ourselves and our mental health, and it shows up at work, then you set the tone for your team members too. We should be encouraging work/life balance, not working late or creating email boundaries – if you send emails at 10pm, you are telling your employees you expect the same from them…and that should not be acceptable unless you work the night shift. Remember you are the leader, model the behaviours for not only your mental health and self-care at work, but for anyone who watches you or wants to take your role when you retire / leave the company.
Here are just a few quick tips / recap:
1 – Seek medical attention if you are burnt out. They can help you with sleep, nutrition and exercise too. Never diet or exercise without medical advice.
2 – Practice things like mediation or mindfulness to help you manage.
3 – Don’t make key decisions when you are burnt out or exhausted, if at all possible.
4 – Set boundaries. This may be around the hours you work, when you expect employees to answer emails, to going on Do Not Disturb for at least a 20-30 mins mid day eating break.
5 – Lead by example, always.
Leaders, it is not just about you taking care of your self-care or wellness, but creating a workplace where your team members want to follow your lead around this. Support your employees by ensuring that you encourage a workplace that supports work/life balance, mental health, and wellness.
Written by: Tara Lehman
www.amplifyingleadership.ca (div of Twin Life Coaching & Business Services)
Image curtesy of Microsoft Stock Images
