Take care of the leader within you

Being a leader is not a role. It’s a set of attitudes, behaviors, and the ability to lead and influence your ecosystem.

One of the essential qualities of a good leader is self-compassion. True kindness toward yourself is what allows you to genuinely care for your team! This kindness depends greatly on your current attitude and mood. It is contagious, whether good or bad. I encourage you to cultivate a positive mood that helps you overcome any situation constructively. Taking care of yourself is an investment both short and long term—and since some leaders have chosen to openly talk about their vulnerabilities, this topic is no longer taboo.

“Mens sana in corpore sano.”
— Juvenal

Our mindset depends heavily on our lifestyle habits. Finding balance between relaxation and work involves managing your time and energy. While the number of hours in a day is fixed, your available energy is not. So stop sacrificing yourself or losing yourself in endless professional or family obligations. Create a schedule that respects your mental and physical balance as well as your personal desires and needs:

• Strengthen your delegation. Empower your people by giving them responsibility and reducing control. The goal is to free up 2 to 4 hours a week for yourself, of course, except in crisis situations.

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help before burnout happens. Listen to what your body tells you through chronic or persistent pain, poor sleep, digestive troubles, or difficulty focusing. Your loved ones know you well, so pay attention if they notice unusual behavior or mood changes.

• Increase your “no” responses—or if you prefer, “yes, and at the same time…”—to colleagues and clients to protect yourself.

• Eliminate activities that don’t bring you value and stop wasting time, because your time is precious. Not only will you gain more time for yourself, but you’ll also be more serene and available for what truly matters strategically.

Learn to manage the energies that move you—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—which are all closely linked.

Good lifestyle habits improve well-being, physical energy, and even performance. Leaders must set the right example. Approaches vary: nutrition, physical activity, meditation, or preventive osteopath appointments three times a year are highly effective!

To boost your emotional energy, develop emotional intelligence and bring joy into your life: celebrate daily wins, even small ones. Play your favorite instrument, sing, dance, enjoy good moments, and express gratitude whenever you can. Alternate between high-energy moments to perform and low-energy moments to regenerate.

Manage your mental load by scheduling downtime and empowering others in your areas of weakness. Distinguish urgent from important tasks and focus on single-tasking to improve your full presence.

Spiritual energy grows when you find your purpose—your life mission, your path.
What do you contribute? What is the meaning behind your actions? What greater goal transcends your own interests?

“The genius does what he must do.
The talented do what they can.”
— Owen Meredith

Do you know your qualities and talents to work in your flow zone, where everything feels fluid and easy? There’s a difference between working in your zone of excellence (skills) and your zone of genius (natural talents). It’s important to aim for your flow zone to truly flourish.

Sigmund Freud said, “Happiness is a childhood dream realized in adulthood.” You’ve gained skills through hard work, but your natural talents have accompanied you since childhood. Take stock and redefine your missions to better align with your natural ambition!

“To love others and take care of them is to act with humanity.
To understand them is to act with virtue.”
— Confucius

A leader has a mission and puts all their assets at its service. A leader is an influencer, as mentioned earlier, with a mental, emotional, and social life.

Today in 2023, a new expectation of leaders is emerging: to care for their teams. Great leaders are those who care about their teams, who serve not only their own needs or ambitions but their mission and others.

Caring for others creates a relationship that goes far beyond simple professional hierarchy. It involves personal engagement from both sides, an exchange around a common mission.

Trust, empowerment, and listening are indispensable qualities for a leader: trust allows delegation, which relieves the leader and empowers the team. Attentive listening values the team and motivates them to excel.

You have every interest in surrounding yourself with caring people because, according to Richard Branson:

“If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your business.”

Finding the right balance between doing and listening is a key skill for the modern leader. This means listening to teams, to societal evolution (with a generation that no longer tolerates certain behaviors #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter), and listening to yourself!

And you, are you a caring leader now or on the way to becoming one?

#leader #coaching #listening #care