Thanks to Monique Valcour for sharing this, with the tagline:
Recharge yourself with nature
The thing is, here in the Northern Hemisphere, there is a real “back to school” energy which means that for those who were able to slow down over the summer and recharge themselves in nature, now only a very few will consciously and with awareness plan to take time to recharge themselves with nature in the coming months up until the end of the year.
In terms of leadership performance, sometimes with clients, I find some of the biggest shifts are the easiest and simplest to propose and support them in implementing.
The most obvious and most overlooked?
Singly the most obvious gain for leaders to focus upon in the performance of their organisation.. is their OWN performance.
A key part of their own performance is paying attention to what depletes their battery, as well as what recharges it.
Nature is indeed a wonderful way to recharge the battery, whether it be exercise in nature or simply clearing the mind. Oh, and yes, leave the electronic devices behind and be present to the awe and wonder!
Beyond nature as a specific, consider for yourself such areas as:
- Nutrition – do you eat healthily or just grab and go? conscious of how many calories you consume?
- Physical fitness – are you fit and strong and healthy or overweight and find excuses not to exercise?
- Sleep – the average adult needs at least seven hours of sleep each day. Simple structures can ensure most get this, but few take the steps.
I could go on in depth, but will simply note here that in my work looking for learnings back and forth between elite athletes and elite leaders, one glaring gap is that athletes consider nutrition and rest (exercise is more obvious) as part of their training programme, not something they do outside training. Business leaders tend to pay too little attention to any of those.
So, next time you inhale a meal at high speed while checking your emails after getting home late, consider how aware, conscious and strategic you are about your own performance.