Leaders Need Time To Rest & Recover

Blog Leaders Need Time To Rest & Recover
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Impact of Leadership

Oct 31, 2022

It was probably nine years ago when I realized I was clueless on how to give myself rest and recover from the grind of leadership. I was in my WI CEO group from the MMAC (Metropolitan Milwaukee Area Chamber), listening to owners and leaders share how they look forward to time away from the office with their family. One guy talked about how he went away, ALONE, to Colorado to recharge his mind. He would use part of the day to strategize and the other part skiing which energized him. My mind was twisted in knots on how leaders could look forward to being away from the office. WOW! I was really immature and clueless as a leader.

Rest as a verb is defined as "ease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength."

As a noun, rest is defined as "an instance or period of relaxing or ceasing to engage in strenuous or stressful activity."

Of course I used this knowledge immediately....YEAH RIGHT!

I sat on this knowledge for four or five years till I finally heard WHY these leaders were taking time to REST & RECOVER from their leadership jobs.

First, REST is needed by everyone. Even God gave a day of rest because he knew the importance of leaders needing it. I used to think rest was an easy way to be lazy. Guess what? It can be exactly that. You give yourself permission to be lazy by napping, staying in your pajamas, binge watching your current show, reading a book that has nothing to do with leadership, etc. Everyone needs time to rest and take a break from the grind. Rest allows life to slow down. Or you might want to go for a hike, ride a bike, walk by the water, do a fun activity, etc. Rest is breaking away from the grind to give your mind a different speed. Talking time to rest is a wise and mature action.

Second, RECOVER is what you gain after you rest. You are reading this blog because you don't want to be an average leader but one that makes an impact. You can't give what you don't have. It's vital you give yourself rest so you can gain strength in mind, body and soul. As a leader, your ideas and actions will determine the direction of your team and company. Would you want a tired pilot flying your plane? Heck no! Why is it okay for you to lead your business tired? It's not. I had no idea this was a problem till people I trust told me "you need to take time away from work to recharge your batteries!" People could see what I couldn't. As a leader, I know you are so focused on helping your company conquer the big goal in front of you but don't miss the importance of you protecting yourself so you can be the leader they need.

As a child I heard often from adults, "life goes by like a blink of an eye." As a child, I had no idea what that meant and I didn't believe it. I was a little kid and all I wanted to do was be old enough to go to any movie, drive a car, get out of school, make money and go to Taco Bell anytime I wanted. Okay, you can judge me but remember I was a child. This weekend I went back to the University of Tennessee with my family for the first time since I graduated in 2000. I thought I would have gone back each year to watch the VOLS play against whatever SEC team was showing up at Neyland Stadium. How could twenty-two years go by and I never come back to the campus to watch a game? Another confirmation was when tailgating before the game, I told a college student that I graduated here in 2000. Her response, "that is when I was born!" with a smile. I smiled back and thought "OMG!!!" Once again, "life goes by like a blink of an eye" was 100% correct.

This year was the first time when I took TWO vacations to gain rest and recover from my job. I didn't think it was a big deal till my kids said it in the car on our last night of vacation. My daughter said "I can't believe we have taken two vacations this year. We have never done that!" What kind of legacy am I leaving for my kids and team? Am I teaching them the importance of working hard, building a team that can cover while I am out, that you can work hard and play hard, that spending time with your family is so important to life? YOU BET!

Conclusion, you can't give what you don't have. Also, your team and family is watching how you lead. Show these people that REST produces strength when you RECOVER as a leader.

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This weekend I had the opportunity to be part of my wife’s family reunion. The South came to Wisconsin for a wonderful weekend of food, fellowship, and paintball. Yep! The family that shoots each other stays together. No that is not how the expression goes but it worked for us. I learned several things while playing paintball this weekend. First, I am terrible at it. Second, it requires a lot more skill than just shooting paintballs out of your gun. You must be strategic, plan your moves carefully and execution will depend on your tools, or you will not be successful. OMG, that is just like running a business! STRATEGY Each team is placed at opposite sides. You have a team of 5-10 people. The ref starts the clock and you have an opportunity to shoot each other. The team with the most players still playing when the time is up wins. I was with several teams for six matches, and I saw a lot. There are some players that have tons of experience, and you have guys like me that have no idea what they are doing. How do you work as a team with a wide variety of experience? The team does their own thing individually or you work together. No one is a captain, but I saw leaders show up. I was standing in the back middle when a guy I had never met, who knows with masks on, asked if I would want to stay back and he would move forward. We worked out a system, so we knew who was going to what role and understand where each player was going. I saw others do their own individual plan. That worked out till everyone got taken out and they were left alone. The odds of five players vs. one is not a good strategy. The game was stopped to show mercy to that one player. I learned that the team that works together with a plan is the one that will win! PLANNING YOUR MOVES My youngest son was able to play paintball for the first time. My wife’s nephew, Taylor, is a paintball warrior, so he offered to take my son under his watch. It was so cool to watch Taylor protect my son and teach him how to stay low, shoot carefully and told him when to move forward or stay back. My son trusted his cousin instantly because he knew he was in a situation that required a guide. Our employees need to be able to trust its leaders especially when they don’t know what the next move should be. A good leader communicates well and often. My nephew could have let my son alone to do his own agenda, but he didn’t. They moved together and were in sync. Clear instructions were given before execution was made. That is how business should be when we are leading teams or one person. Don’t give up the plan and do your own thing. My son was left alone when my nephew got hit with the paintball, but he didn’t panic. He knew what to do because he had been taught with clear direction. That was so cool to watch my son grow in that moment and find success without letting fear take him out. EXECUTION “Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth (Mike Tyson).” I had a strategy, planned my moves, and failed on my execution during my paintball battles. Yep, I can honestly say that I failed before I even started by wearing the wrong pants. They were too big which caused me to not be able to move quickly. I was done before I even got started. Next time, if there is one, I will be wearing the right clothes. The other issue was my gun did not work properly. As my dad always said, “It is not your fault but it is your problem!” I tried to shoot but nothing came out. The gun was jammed and would not shoot the paintballs. I didn’t realize that till after the game was over. Do you ever wonder in business why your efforts are not making results happen? Maybe you have the wrong tools like me?! Take time to examine your results and be sure to ask questions on why you are not getting the results you want. “Hope is not a strategy, and no one drifts into excellence (Steve Scherer).” In conclusion, I am so glad my wife’s nephew planned this family affair for us. We hope to keep the tradition going. Not sure if it fits for your family but what if? I promise one thing for sure; you will enjoy shooting your family legally. 😊 NEED MORE? Connect with us on YouTube and LinkedIn for more fun and engaging free content. Visit our sponsor, CCB Technology, to get your IT fixed.

Attitude of Gratitude: Bring On The Corn

Happy Thanksgiving! Is it just me or do you also find it hard to believe that we are already at this point where we have Thanksgiving and Christmas literally in front of us?! I normally love these two holidays but HOLY MOLY this year has flown by way too fast. I am officially old because I say that every year now. Well, this blog is something I needed to write because I am not ready for Thanksgiving till now. It’s A Family Tradition My mom (far left) started a family tradition that has been passed down to my kids. It’s all about the corn kernels! Many years ago, my mom started putting three to four kernels in front of each plate when she set the table for Thanksgiving. At first, I thought this was odd because who is going to eat uncooked kernels? She explained that we weren’t supposed to eat the kernels but instead we would go around and say one thing we were thankful for then take one kernel away. We did this till all the kernels were gone. As a child I didn’t appreciate the effort my mom was making in our family to stop and share how we were blessed. I was excited to eat the amazing food, but this tradition truly was the gift of Thanksgiving. Attitude of Gratitude Life is so busy and often it’s hard to actually stop and reflect on the blessings in life. It feels like there is a million things to get done and I move from one thing to another without enjoying the success. I have struggled with finding joy in my life because I look at what has not been accomplished or where I have failed more often. My Mom helped our family understand that your attitude of gratitude is the key to Thanksgiving and that needs to be the intention. It’s so easy to keep going and move onto the next task but don’t miss this wonderful gift of slowing down. Being thankful is not easy when we live in a world where it’s never enough. This is a mindset choice to reflect on what you have been given not what you have missed out on. More Is Caught Than Taught Take time to start this tradition with your family and watch what happens. It might not be an instant success or something that everyone enjoys in the first year but don’t give up on it. My attitude was not the best when my mom started this tradition. It is also why I probably got more kernels each year than everyone else. Well, my older sister also took over the job of passing out the kernels so that was another reason I got more kernels. Well played big sis! Your kids are watching, and this is a wonderful way to help them learn a different view from the world’s. It’s not something that has to be on TikTok or YouTube but a moment that is within the family. They might never say how much they appreciate you taking time to hit the pause button to get the whole family to share how they are thankful but don’t think it won’t make an impact. Often times more is caught that taught by doing the action. Heck, here I am at 45 years old writing a blog about something my Mom started probably thirty-five years ago. Things I Am Grateful For This Year: Health Family Work Home Friends Support Freedom Forgiveness Recovery Growth I wish you and your family a very blessed Thanksgiving! NEED MORE? Connect with us on YouTube and LinkedIn for more fun and engaging free content. Visit our sponsor, CCB Technology, to get your IT fixed.

Leaders Need Time To Rest & Recover

Rest as a verb is defined as "ease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength."

As a noun, rest is defined as "an instance or period of relaxing or ceasing to engage in strenuous or stressful activity."

Conclusion, you can't give what you don't have. Also, your team and family is watching how you lead. Show these people that REST produces strength when you RECOVER as a leader.

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