Balance: Encourage Sustainability
Compassionate Leadership begins with self-compassion.
As we have emerged from a pandemic, some experts estimate that 25% of Americans suffer from a mental illness. Other studies show that it is even higher for people in leadership positions.
One of the most important roles of any leader is promoting a healthy culture in the workplace so that team members are taken care of both on and off the job. It is necessary to strike a balance between work and other personal activities, and as a leader, you are in a prime position to set a positive example as long as you take time to practice self-care.
In the long run, this type of balance results in an office with greater overall productivity, retention, and morale. Sadly, many teams and companies have strayed away from this, thus fostering a “more is more” work ethic, which grinds down its team members’ mental and physical health and is ultimately unsustainable.
As a leader, the best way to create this atmosphere is to examine your health and work/life balance closely. It will not only make your team more effective, it may add years to your life, and I guarantee it will improve your ability to think clearly and lead.
Once you take this step, you can have a productive discussion with your team, leading to more health, happiness, and productivity.
Leader Activity:
1. Write five things you are doing to ensure you are attending to your physical and mental health.
2. Write down three things you can do to continue or improve your health practices over the next 30 days.
3. Put something into your calendar this week that can support this plan. (for example, call my pickleball partner and set up a game. )
4. How many hours do you work weekly, including checking emails and business social media channels from home?
5. Is this number optimal? What can you do to get to an optimal amount of hours?
Team Activity:
1. Write five things you are doing to ensure you are attending to your physical and mental health.
2. Write down three things you can do to continue or improve your health practices over the next 30 days.
3. Put something into your calendar this week that can support this plan. (for example, call my pickleball partner and set up a game. )
4. How many hours do you work weekly, including checking emails and business social media channels from home?
5. Is this number optimal? What can you do to get to an optimal amount of hours?
6. What can I do to support you in implementing this plan?
7. What can we do as a team to support each other to create a more sustainable workplace?
Learn more about loving your work and becoming a more effective leader, and meet other inspiring leaders in future installments of this series.
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