Is Self-Care the Key to Effective Leadership?

“You need to take care of yourself first.”

That was the advice given to me.

It seems backwards from what many see from great leaders. 

Great leaders give of themselves to their people… repeatedly.

How could this be good, sound advice? 

Isn’t being a good leader all about being selfless and serving others?

Not always.

The advice given to me and I am sure many of you have heard it before:

"If you don’t take care of yourself, you will be no good to the people you lead, and you will be no good to your family as well”

It is true. 

You cannot lead others past where you are at on your leadership journey. If you try, you will likely experience burnout.

Why?

It's because you don't have all of the proper tools to do the job/leading. Or you the tools you do have are not sharp enough or strong enough.

It would be like trying to pull a yacht out water with a 4-wheeler.

The 4-wheeler might be the proper tool for pulling out a fishing boat in up north Wisconsin, but it's not the right tool to pull a yacht out of the ocean. 

This is a simple reminder for leaders out there.

Be selfish with your time.

For additional leadership thoughts go to: https://lnkd.in/gQamKGgD

Take care of yourself. 

This way you can bring your best self and the best tools to the table while leading others. 

Week 34 of 52