By the way, how are you doing on your new goals\u2026your resolutions? Are you on track or have you already given up. Either way, there\u2019s grace here for you! Whether you set goals or not, whether you\u2019re after some new plateau of your life like a tenacious animal or you\u2019ve already limped away like an injured koala bear who fell off the top branch trying to reach that last leaf, and whether you\u2019re expecting big things in the new year or you\u2019re resigned to just handling whatever comes your way best you can\u2014it\u2019s all OK. No judgment here! Enjoy the new year and I hope that 2017 is the best yet for you!!<\/p>\n
But I\u2019ve been thinking a lot lately about a phenomenon that happens to far too many leaders\u2014and it often catches them by surprise. In other words, it\u2019s a tragedy that most of us can only react to\u2014rather than proactively take steps to avoid it altogether. The phenomenon, or tragedy, is burnout. Leaders will at some point in their career reach the point of burnout\u2014and it\u2019s a dangerous place to be.<\/p>\n
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- Know when to say \u201cno.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0As a leader, there are many things that come your way. Most of them are really good things. And, it can become difficult to say \u201cno\u201d to them. Especially if you\u2019re a \u201chigh-capacity\u201d leader, the idea that we need to say \u201cno\u201d to something becomes even more difficult. But saying \u201cyes\u201d to too many things can cause us to fail and enter into the arena of burnout. Narrow your focus and you will experience health and prosperity in the new year.<\/li>\n
- Take time for you.<\/strong>\u00a0It can seem selfish to take time for ourselves. We\u2019ve got a big job to do, a family to take care of and spend time with, and other obligations that we\u2019ve got on our plates\u2014so finding time for ourselves can seem like quite the chore. But it\u2019s completely necessary. Taking time for yourself can look different for everyone. For me, it\u2019s alone time on Friday mornings with my computer, writing. Find what it means to you and do it!<\/li>\n
- Don\u2019t own things you can\u2019t control.<\/strong>\u00a0There are many things that we face in life that are outside of our control. There\u2019s absolutely nothing we could have done and nothing we can do to change the outcome. We need to be OK\u00a0with that. But, we also need to find ways to not take ownership when those things happen. In other words, don\u2019t take the blame, don\u2019t beat yourself up and don\u2019t radically change your organization because of something happening that you couldn\u2019t and can\u2019t control.<\/li>\n
- Give yourself grace.<\/strong>\u00a0This is a big one for me in 2017. I struggle with being too hard on myself when I make mistakes or when I don\u2019t quite meet the expectation I had for myself. My inner dialogue is damaging and detrimental. In 2017, I want to have more grace for myself. I want to have the mindset that when I miss the mark, it\u2019s OK. It\u2019s not the end of the world. So, I am completely focused on grace\u2026for myself\u2014the hardest person, I\u2019ve found, to extend grace to.<\/li>\n
- Spend time with peers.<\/strong>\u00a0This is an important distinction. Peers<\/em>\u2014not friends, not co-workers, not bosses\u2014peers. These are people who are doing what you\u2019re doing in some way. They are folks that can sympathize with your struggles, honestly say that they\u2019ve \u201cbeen there, done that\u201d and even help you find a way through the difficulties that you\u2019re going through. Spend time with them, let them encourage you and take time to encourage them.<\/li>\n
- Cling to compliments and dismiss criticism.<\/strong>\u00a0I tend to dismiss compliments\u00a0and cling to criticism. Can you relate? I somehow find myself thinking that the compliments aren\u2019t as important or aren\u2019t true, but the criticisms are truth that I need to immediately fix in some way. In 2017, I want to keep thank you notes and emails and delete\/throw away critical ones. I want to internalize the good things people say about me and about my work and quickly let go of the criticisms that others hurl my way. Are you with me?<\/li>\n
- Focus on the important more than the urgent.<\/strong>\u00a0One of my biggest struggles day-to-day is this one. I can easily find myself responding to the \u201curgent\u201d things in my day at the detriment of the important things. And, far too often, the \u201curgent\u201d things are brought to me by others\u2014it\u2019s usually a by-product of their negligence or lack of organization. This year, I want to be able to focus myself on the important and not let others dictate the use of my time.<\/li>\n
- Set realistic expectations for yourself.<\/strong>\u00a0One of the hardest things that I\u2019ve seen both in the workplace and in the family is the list of unrealistic expectations. These are either things that are wildly unrealistic or expectations that are just over the line of what can reasonably be accomplished. I don\u2019t want to get caught up in the place where I am constantly disappointed because either I or others didn\u2019t meet an expectation that was never going to happen from the beginning.<\/li>\n
- Reward yourself often.<\/strong>\u00a0How hard is this one?! What ways do you regularly reward yourself? Maybe you\u2019re good at this. I\u2019m not. But this year, I want to reward myself when there\u2019s a \u201cwin\u201d in my life. This can be in tangible ways like purchasing a treat for myself. Or it can be in the form of spending time \u201cpatting myself on the back\u201d in my own mind for the things that I accomplish. I can far too quickly move on from a win in my work and family life and begin focusing on the next thing\u2014but I want to intentionally focus on the things I\u2019ve done well.<\/li>\n
- Use all of your vacation time.<\/strong>\u00a0This one is not a problem for me at all. But I hear it far too often and it makes me think that it\u2019s a major problem. I\u2019m not sure what\u2019s at the root\u2014but my guess is that people who don\u2019t use all of their vacation time in a year feel like they can\u2019t take the time off because something bad will happen if they\u2019re not at work for that time. I would say that regardless of that feeling or reality, your health and sanity are far more important than anything that \u201cmight\u201d happen if you\u2019re gone for a week. It\u2019s a benefit that your organization gives to you as part of your compensation\u2014so, use it!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
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- Take time for you.<\/strong>\u00a0It can seem selfish to take time for ourselves. We\u2019ve got a big job to do, a family to take care of and spend time with, and other obligations that we\u2019ve got on our plates\u2014so finding time for ourselves can seem like quite the chore. But it\u2019s completely necessary. Taking time for yourself can look different for everyone. For me, it\u2019s alone time on Friday mornings with my computer, writing. Find what it means to you and do it!<\/li>\n