I said last week that success is not about being the biggest or the best, but about endurance and sustainability. May be we should add to that -with integrity. (More about that on another day.)
Sustainability in this context could mean to keep going till the end of your journey, without falling or sinking. -Without burning out. Some say that is impossible. They argue that at some point all leaders experience burnout. -Is it impossible to keep going without stumbling in some way?
Is burnout inevitable? Do all athletes burn out? -Why is that so?
Does it have something to do with how leaders take care of their own physical-, emotional- and spiritual well being? How often do we forget that our body, mind and spirit are some of the precious and irreplaceable tools of our trade? We can't simply exchange, upgrade or buy new ones!
Does sustainability, or the lack there of, have something to do with what we are striving to achieve? With who or what we're competing against, or who we are trying to impress?
-and hów we are trying to do that?
It seems to me that to be sustainable as a leader you need to have some sense of direction.
We need to have some idea of where we are going. Another thought on this is that you would not be able to find any destination, if you do not know where you are right now.........
If you have some sense of direction and you are navigating or running in that direction, you need to have regular times of rest and refreshment. Not even machines can keep going non stop! Rest and refreshment look different for all of us. What do yóú need to do, to really rest? What will it take for you to schedule that regularly?
Over and above direction and rest, sustainability is not possible without sustenance.
We need to nourish our spirit, mind and body with good food.
When you stand before your maker at the end of your journey: May you have finished well, with your family and friends next to you, with your health and your sanity intact!
-That will not happen by accident though.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm thought provoking! The old saying that 'fake it till you make it' puts great pressure on leaders! Napoleon once said: "It's not so much power as it is the appearance of power that moves us to conquer". And in my humble view this is exactly where the problem lies. The pressure on leadership everywhere is immense. More, bigger, better and most of the time we are our own biggest enemy because we compare and that drives us even further to burn out and even loose our vision in the process.
DeleteGoodness I think I am echoing what the writer above tries to bring over to all of us leading - so may we all keep sane and healthy!!!! (At last got all the spelling correct ... lol - RED)