When Worlds Collide: Leading Through Sleep Deprivation
Rebecca Blanksma
Improving the way we work through leadership & technology ? Empowering new & aspiring managers ?? Third-culture kid ???? ???? ????
That moment when your 3am thoughts aren't about tomorrow's presentation, but whether your child will wake up for the fifth time tonight...
Just last night: My son woke at 10pm and took a full hour to settle. I lay there, heart racing, wondering: Is this the beginning of another 6-month sleep strike? When he woke again at 5am, the memories came flooding back: six months where he slept through the night exactly 5 times. Six months of going to bed with my heart pounding, anticipating the inevitable wake-up.
What I wish someone had told me during those sleepless months as a leader:
→ Leadership books and tips don't account for what happens to your executive function after months of broken sleep?
→ Taking things OFF your plate is more important than any productivity hack?
→ Getting takeout and blocking 15-minute calendar breaks for self-care aren't luxuries—they're survival tools?
→ It's okay to tell your team: "I'm running low on emotional energy today and want to give you the attention you deserve. Can we reschedule?"?
→ The skills you build during this season will make you a more resilient leader long after the sleep challenges pass
The sleep regression will end, but your leadership journey continues. How we navigate these intensely challenging seasons defines our resilience more than any training program ever could.
I've written more about leading through sleep deprivation in my latest newsletter for those of you navigating leadership while sleep-deprived.
Fellow parent-leaders: What's one strategy that's helped you show up at work while navigating sleepless nights at home?
Enabling enterprise translation and content creation@ LILT
6 天前This almost made me cry. But at the same time, it made me think...wow, I did that. I put together and led a team in a new to me field as a new mom of 2. During a global pandemic. It's insane to think what we are capable of! At the same time...should we? Do we have the right kind of support to do these incredible things while being moms? I loved this short article. Especially the piece about taking things OFF our plates. The internet is full of productivity hacks, and some days I just want to exist as a person...