Creating Confident Leaders - Energy

Welcome to my first blog post of 2020, I hope you have all had a great start to the year.

It’s that time of year, when the dark mornings and evenings are just starting to show some light, the first snowdrops are out, the gardens starting to show signs of daffodils and crocus coming through and we start to think tentatively about spring being on the way.  However, we know that we could still get snowfall and the rain and wind are still very present.

It can feel like a time of low energy, where we really have to dig deep to find our mojo and re-energise ourselves.   This got me thinking about how important it is for leaders to both generate and conserve their energy.

One of my mantras’ is “We can’t take others any further than we are prepared to take ourselves” and if leaders role model poor work/life balance and running on empty, then their people will also forget the important role of self care, balance and conserving energy.

I know that many leaders will agree with this in principle, but find it almost impossible to put into practice due to the demands of their role.  However, as more and more companies start to focus on putting well being at the top of the agenda, its vital for you as leaders to think about this for yourselves.

So how do you generate and conserve energy in high pressure leadership roles?

Some of the best strategies I talk about with my coaching clients include:-

Some form of mindfulness, being in the present moment and allowing your mind to slow and focus – there are so many options for this, a practice such as yoga or pilates, cycling, walking mindfully, meditation…………..It can be built very simply into your day and I have included a couple of links you may find helpful:-

Three Simple Mindfulness Practices You Can Use Every Day ...

Five Simple Mindfulness Practices For People Who Hate To ...

Also, giving yourself time to think!   So often in todays’ corporate world protecting time to think feels like a luxury.  We feel we should be “doing” all the time……., yet for leaders, you MUST make time for great thinking, as you cannot lead, strategise, make good decisions, focus on the really important things in your role, unless you protect thinking time and use it well.  Excellent leaders purposefully and ruthlessly protect their thinking time.   I ask my coaching clients to bring their diaries with them to some sessions and we go through together to see what can be cut out and where time can be preserved.  I recently set one client a challenge to reduce her meetings by 20%.  When she really started focusing on where she truly needed to be (rather than where others wanted her to be), she managed to reduce these by 35%.  It was liberating for her and made her realise that she had been on a needless treadmill much of the time.  I would love to encourage you all to have a go at this and see what results you can get.

The key thing is question whether you are prioritising, you and your energy and if you are not, then start to do it!  You will reap great benefits and so will your people.

You cannot lead effectively if you do not take care of yourself and your energy, so please make the time for YOU.

Warmest regards

Lois