This year’s flu epidemic has been one of the worst in recent memory for me. A large number of clients and friends endured its wrath, myself included. Many of us got sick over the Christmas holidays, and stayed sick for weeks. In talking with clients, and with my own personal flu experience, I uncovered five critical rules productive leaders cannot ignore.
A Lesson from Mother Nature
Sometimes I think the cold and flu season is mother nature’s way of showing us we need to slow down. 2012 was a very, very busy year for me. There were instances where I had to miss a family event or work on the weekend to plan or keep ahead of my deadlines. While I’m thankful for that success, I was exhausted when the Christmas holidays came and I really looked forward to relaxing with my family and friends. Instead, we had to postpone Christmas dinner and many other social activities while the family and I wrestled with the flu. My recovery took an unprecedented three weeks! Every time I felt good, I’d get back into my busy routine, only to relapse and get even sicker and further behind!
Working While Sick is NOT as Productive as You Think
Getting sick and being away from the office can have a significant toll on any leader. Yet not taking the time to get better and rushing back to work is not productive either. My recent flu struggles were quite the epiphany for me. My prolonged recovery forced me to realize I needed to change my ways if I wanted to get healthy again and remain that way. Even though I don’t like being sick and sitting idle, “sitting idle” was the remedy to get better. It was difficult to do, but I knew I needed to be at peace with that state of being—or risk a prolonged flu and potential hospitalization. Constantly working in overdrive and “just getting by” with acceptable health is not sustainable. We all need to slow down from time to time. While it took me three false starts to get to that “epiphany,” as soon as I changed my behaviour and got some rest, my health slowly improved.
Sickness has a huge impact on a leader’s overall performance. You can’t think clearly or stay on task. People might consider your judgment impaired. Plus, you lack the energy needed to get things done. Leaders are role models, and spreading sick germs around the office and infecting your staff is not a great way to build respect or encourage productivity.
Other factors can also affect a leader’s health and productivity. One of my clients was going through a very demanding executive position. He is the typical “Type A” personality. For six months he performed greatly with almost no sleep. Organizational priorities and emergencies made it so that he thought he needed to work extra hard, around 100 hours a week if not more. After six months of this regimen, guess where he ended up? In the hospital! Was that really efficient? In hindsight, this executive now knows the value of constant and steady! For 99% of the population, the concept of thriving on 5-6 hours/night is a false urban legend. Don’t count yourself in the 1%.
Big Dashan’s Updated Rules for Healthy Leaders
In the end, my “flu journey” was a valuable lesson. With this in mind, I’ve tweaked John C. Maxwell’s “Rules for Being Human” to create “Healthy Rules for Productive Leaders”:
Rule #1: You will learn lessons on how to be a healthy leader:
i) Get your sleep – sleep 7 to 8 hours and you’ll think better the next day.
ii) Eat well and be active – it’s your high-octane fuel.
iii) Stay at home when you are sick – you’ll get better, faster.
Rule #2: There are no magic cures – only lessons.
Rule #3: A lesson is repeated until it’s learned. You’ll get rundown and sick until you get it.
Rule #4: Learn the easy lessons or they get harder and you might end up in hospital.
Rule #5: You know you’ve learned a lesson when your actions change.
Good leaders will not ignore the above rules. The know they are more effective, make better decisions and can inspire greater confidence in others just by being healthy. As a leader, you owe it to yourself and your organization to be in “tip-top shape,” because if you wait too long, “life” may just sit you down and tell you it’s time to make changes. Ton Büchner, high-flying CEO of AkzoNobel, took a leave of absence in 2012 due to extreme fatigue. Kudos to a powerful leader like Mr. Büchner and his board for finding the strength and courage to stop resisting and start listening to life’s lessons! It will benefit his organization in the long run.
As you climb up the corporate ladder, maintaining your physical and mental well-being will have a tremendous influence on you, your business and your relationships. I encourage you to take five minutes to consider one thing you can do to improve your level of well-being in the next week. Until then… Be amazing!
– written by Ottawa-based executive coach, speaker and trainer, Denis Levesque. Denis holds a Bachelor of Commerce (U Ottawa), has obtained his Certified Executive Coach (Royal Roads U) and Professional Certified Coach (International Coaching Federation) designations, and is fluent in both English and French.
Denis Levesque: executive coach, trainer + speaker 