Peter Drucker, the great leadership pioneer, said,

“You cannot manage other people unless you manage yourself first.” 

Sounds like what we hear from the lead flight attendant before take off, talking about the importance of putting on the oxygen mask on ourselves first, and then helping the people next to us, in the event of an emergency.

Self care must come prioritized in we as leaders are going to be of any value and benefit to others.

In today’s climate of such a fast-paced, ever-changing, global, highly diverse environment, with such high expectations on leaders, the challenges are staggering and complex. But the most effective leaders are the ones that first address their own lives and learn to manage themselves. Only then can they influence the people they lead and create the necessary culture of trust and loyalty to the mission. 

In the video below (in a series titled “5 Principles Successful Leaders Prioritize”), I emphasize the vital nature of self care and character development. Without this foundation, leaders simply cannot be effective. Building the necessary depth into their lives first is what results in empowering the culture and people they are leading.

I see it a lot: an organization can only go as high as the leader(s). This is why self care and character development are so crucial for leaders!

These practices are NOT “If I have some extra time, maybe I’ll do some personal reflection and self care.” These practices are nonnegotiable and not optional for leaders who want to be successful!

Here are a few questions to help you evaluate your current priorities as a leader:

1. Do I take regular time in my schedule to take time off to unwind, to rest and recover?

2. Do I carve out intentional time to engage in self reflection, self evaluation, about how things are going in my life: am I living in alignment with my core values, am building a deep character of honesty, integrity, responsibility, kindness, serving others with joy, unselfishness, and faithfulness?

3. How would I describe the quality of my relationships at home and at work? Would these important people to me think of me as loving and compassionate, empathetic, honest? Would they feel like they are a priority to me in my schedule?

4. How am I managing my emotional life? Am I growing in my ability to accurately identify my feelings and those around me? And then am I growing in my capacity to regulate those feelings in order to build healthy bridges to both my self and to those people in my life?

One of the great spiritual writers, Richard Foster, wrote: “The desperate need today is not for a great number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”

And personal and leadership depth don’t happen automatically just because you’re a leader. Depth is created by intentionality and purpose.

I invite you to be that kind of leader. Your people—family & employees—will be eternally grateful to you for prioritizing this!

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