I recently heard a speaker at a conference in Melbourne open his presentation with these words:
“We are an Aussie-founded startup, but we have gone global right from the start. In the last six weeks I have been to: Oman, Hong Kong, Sweden, the Netherlands, London, Paris, Munich, San Francisco, San Diego, Toronto, Boston and New York. So if I forget important things like my daughter’s name, just bear with me. OK?”
Umm… No.
At a time when we are experiencing a global epidemic of work-related stress and burnout, I don’t think that anything about this is “OK”.
To be an inspiring leader, we must do the hard work to break free of the beliefs that keep us stuck in a story where we play the role of the invincible super-hero. A story where the harder we work (and the more tired and busy we are), the more important, capable and resilient we are.
This story is an express lane to burnout and suffering – for ourselves and the people we love.
Our performance as a leader can only be sustainable when we anchor it with a robust self-care strategy.
When leaders thrive, employees thrive, performance becomes sustainable, the delivery of great customer experiences becomes possible.
When organisations are thriving, people embrace change, complex problems are creatively solved and we regenerate trust in business.
When we choose to thrive, we begin to unlock our full potential as leaders and inspire others to do the same.
