Month: January 2023

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The Leaders Playbook: Taking care of yourself so you can take care of others

It’s the New Year and the time for new beginnings. As a leader, we owe it to the teams that we are either a part of or lucky enough to lead to be the best leader we can be.

A big component of this is ensuring that we are taking care of ourselves; physically, and mentally – the whole nine yards. Sleep is a big part of this and I always encourage leaders to “hack” their sleep and get very serious about it early in their professional lives. Diet and nutrition are big components as well. (Talk to a pro if need be).

As we enter the New Year please take the time to develop a plan and associated habits to take care of yourself. Be rested and ready to go every day. Know what you need to be the best leader you can be, and equally importantly make sure your teammates and subordinates have the ability to do the same.

Your family and your team(s) deserve this. So do you. Don’t mess this up.

The Author is currently serving as an active-duty military officer. Any comments or recommendations on this post or on this site are solely and expressly my personal views and do not represent the position of any branch of the United States Government, the Department of Defense, or the Department of the Air Force.

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The Leaders Playbook: Incremental changes over time

At the beginning of each year, we often sit down to set out audacious goals that are well intended but for a multitude of reasons we don’t reach them. Over time that can make a big negative impact on us. Goal setting is a good thing – not reaching them is not so good.

Over the years I’ve certainly set my fair share of audacious goals – many that I did not reach. A few years back I changed my approach.

To give me the best probability of reaching my goal I now take the important step of building smaller incremental “en route” plans that ensure that I remain on a positive trajectory toward reaching my ultimate goals. Building realistic, measurable, and attainable mid-points on my journey has been a game changer for me. Small incremental wins, delivered every day, make all the difference.

Good luck – and get after it.

The Author is currently serving as an active-duty military officer. Any comments or recommendations on this post or on this site are solely and expressly my personal views and do not represent the position of any branch of the United States Government, the Department of Defense, or the Department of the Air Force.