Happy New Year and welcome to the January edition of the GLC Newsletter!
Let’s be honest, leadership is not easy. In fact, effective leadership often requires us to make personal sacrifices, deliver unpopular decisions, and perform consistently under a high level of stress.
How do we as leaders take care of our own well-being, while enduring constant change and giving our best selves to our people and our organizations?
Last fall, I had the fortune of participating in Google’s Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI). This two-day interactive leadership development workshop uses mindfulness practices, neuroscience research, and emotional intelligence concepts to “help individuals and organizations sustain peak professional performance with ease, grace, and compassion, and ultimately, create a more peaceful world in which all people feel connected and act with compassion.”
Here are a few lessons I learned that I hope can help you take care of yourself in 2020:
- Show compassion to yourself. We can be our own worst critics, which is not always helpful for self-love. Remind yourself that you are doing your best even on the tough days.
- Become aware of your negativity bias. We tend to jump to worst-case scenarios when things don’t go how we expected. Remember that failure is always temporary and strive to see the positives in the most challenging of times.
- Journal for a few moments each day. Get those repetitive, unhelpful thoughts out of your head and onto the page. Your writing may even lead to a breakthrough insight!
- Go for a walk. This may be harder to do in January, but a brisk 10-minute walk can change your thinking pattern for the better and exercise the body.
- Try meditating. Even a few minutes practice can quiet your mind when experiencing stress. Here is a free guided meditation from the SIYLI website.
The start of a new year provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our leadership practice and decide the steps we will take to develop ourselves further.
What will you focus on?
As you approach your 2020 goals, I encourage you to find ways to prioritize self-care using the recommendations I mentioned above. Engaging in self-care will give you the energy and ability to better serve your team.
I wish you the very best in the year ahead, and thank you for your continued support of the GLC!
Best wishes,
Andy
By Staff
Posted: 01/21/20