[March 17, 2017] Leaders are human too and they require regular healthy activities to keep them at the top of their game. Staying healthy is something leaders acknowledge as crucial for their performance in any job; just ask any senior leader about how much they take it seriously. But there is much more to the story of good health that we should look at closely.
First, each person differs from others but patterns among leaders do emerge. For example, most people are more focused and clear headed early in the day and as the day continues, that level of mental clarity declines. But it is a pattern not to be ignored. Anyone who has worked with a senior leader learns quickly when the best time is to approach them on complex decisions requiring analytical thought1 or just to simply brief them on their upcoming schedule.
Second, those who work with a senior leader should not unnecessarily bring an important issue to them at a mental low point. Circumstances will determine such times in an emergency but that is rare. That is why the leader needs to be transparent about their battle-rhythm and communicate how they would like information brought to them.2 A good subordinate sometimes has to tell the leader it’s time to stop and go to bed.
Third, confidence in leaders is important as I’ve written here many times. If our health is giving us problems, our personal life in a shambles, our finances in trouble, then others will simply not have the level of respect and confidence necessary for that leader to achieve great things. If the small things are not in order, then how can we expect the larger parts of a leader’s life to be any better.
A leader owes this to those who work for them. Those I’ve known eagerly educate themselves on healthy habits and regularly read the newest information about staying fit, eating healthy, and exercise. A good article that lays much of this out is one by Jake at Muscles Zone. You can find it here where he writes on rules for optimal health: http://muscles.zone/15-rules-live-optimal-health/
This is not the first time I reached out to leaders about their personal health (see link here). It’s about being balanced as a leader: family centric, professional, healthy, and spiritual.
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- In the military we call this pattern a leader’s battle-rhythm. It is crucial to establish the pattern and to educate those we work with about it. Some people are more affected by high and low points during the workday. Get to know those times and based the workday around them.
- Retired U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal tells us about how this worked for him in this video (YouTube, 2:45 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bjc_V6TGhM