As a leader , are you running on empty ?

Excellent discussion this morning with other senior members of the Institute of Managers and Leaders, on the issues and challenges of the day. A couple of insights ; all the breakout groups had similar unprompted themes of the challenges of leading through the new normal,( more questions than answers ) and a shared concern for the mental well being of many, including leaders who are exhausted or do not have much in the tank to lead as well as they might.

What leaders can do is reflect on how they are coping and what good and bad habits are creeping into how they interact and engage . Here is a short check list to help you answer how you are going and how you are feeling . The more ticks, the less petrol you will have in your tank and the less resilient and less effective you will be as a leader / friend/ parent / human. However, it will help you focus on what to reset.

1 changes in behaviour of normal routine specifically, blurred work boundaries, deprived sleep, less exercise , poor eating habits , general tiredness

2 Feelings of being stuck, feelings of avoidance and an incapacity to face reality / cope

3 Feelings of anger, negativity, loss of emotional control, not your normal self . A higher level of blame and frustration than normal.

4 Increase dependency on coffee and alcohol , impacting on 1 2 and 3 above.

5 A dip in self belief resulting in your inner voice telling you what you are not good at versus your obvious positive sense of self. A dip in meaning and purpose impacting on self belief and inner confidence

6 Hoping that things will get better and living one day at a time versus finding solutions with whatever resources you have

7 All of the above is not shared with colleagues , or team . A general tendency to keep all of these feelings and habits bottled up and not reach out for help.

Start with yourself rather than the team and take a few minutes out to be honest with how you are going and make notes and keep a log . It is entirely within your control to choose to set new boundaries and habits, set non negotiables and commit to a different way of living and leading , but only if you choose to pause then reset. .

Its a tricky subject but any comments or feedback will be welcomed .