When your values are clear to you,
making decisions becomes easier. – Roy E. Disney
A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the weight of an eight-point buck. “Where’s Harry?” he was asked. “Harry had a spell of some kind. He’s a couple of miles back up the trail,” the man replied. “You left Harry lying there, and carried back the deer?” “Well,” said the hunter, “I figured no one was going to steal Harry.”
It would
appear from the story that the eager hunter had misplaced his priorities. As a
leader it’s easy to get sidetracked and fall into the trap of believing that
you are invincible. It can be a slippery slope to travel and if you are not
careful it can hurt you. Burnout at the office due to high demands and even
higher self-imposed expectations can cause you to cut corners and make
unhealthy personal choices. Here are five priorities that ought to be non
–negotiable for every leader.
Family
Leaders
understand the value of work and are certainly familiar with sacrifice. But
when you sacrifice your family for your business then you are too close to the
slippery slope and it’s time to reorder your priorities. Walt Disney said, “A
man should never neglect his family for business.” That’s sound advice and
should be your number one priority. No level of success is worth losing your
family over. Besides, no one like family can give you the unvarnished truth you
need to hear and keep your ego in check like family.
Faith
While your
faith is primarily a personal matter it’s impact is far-reaching. Your faith
gives you moral clarity that impacts the way you live and the decisions you
make. The peace you receive from your faith is the foundation of your
temperament in all walks of life- including your leadership style. Your faith
is not your adversary as it relates to your leadership it’s your partner so
embrace it and keep it close. The principles of your faith make for good
leadership skills.
Time Management
Your ability
to manage your team as a leader will make you or break you. If you don’t take
control of your time then you can be assured someone else will. Your priorities
are just that –yours. In his book, All
You Have Is Now, my friend John Patrick Hickey (http://www.johnpatrickhickey.com/) says, “It has never been
about how much time we do or do not have. It is how we use our time that
counts. Even more important is that we do use our time.” Use your time wisely
because you will never get it back. It’s a top priority every leader must keep.
Self-Improvement
By nature,
most leaders I know are generous and giving people. Most have a hard time
saying no. But you must be careful not to get to the place where you are not
growing and learning and nurturing your own sense of wonderment, curiosity,
education, and personal development. If you do not make personal development a
priority then chances are those around you will not do it for you. What new
books are you reading in in 2014? What are you doing to keep your leadership
skills sharp? Make self-improvement a priority and you will be the better for
it and so will those around you.
Proper diet and exercise
Many leaders
I know burn the candle at both ends. I understand it. But you are not
invincible. And if you want to be a leader who lasts you must permit yourself
to have some down time. Proper diet and exercise is essential to your ability
to do the many tasks you are responsible for. I would include in this category
another essential – sleep. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (http://1.usa.gov/Mc0f8P) did a study of the sleep habits of
U.S. workers and discovered that thirty percent (about 40.6 million workers)
get fewer than six hours of sleep a night. Leaders who make proper diet,
exercise, and sleep a priority are going to be healthier and better equipped
for the challenges of the day. If you don’t take care of your body how will you
take of all of your leadership demands?
What do you
say?
© 2014 Doug
Dickerson
2 comments:
Very interesting thoughts. Useful to me as a growing leader. Thanks for sharing.
Interesting thoughts. Very useful to me as a growing leader. Thanks for sharing.
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