Gumby was a claymation character from my youth. He was a green figure with red eyes. What made him interesting is he could stretch. Pull his arms or legs and this little guy would expand out. But he always returned to his original form.
Leaders try to function like Gumby. They stretch this way, then that way. They work long hours. They pour into others. Priorities are mis-managed. Time and energy flow into all the wrong places. The problem, unlike Gumby, they don’t return to their original form.
Leaders need to develop resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from challenges. It is the learned habits of recalculating. It is knowing when it is time to end the stretch and reframe life. Leaders need to learn to preserve their own well being and capacity. This is an area leaders must take ownership of.
Katherine Manning, in an article she wrote for Fastcompany.com, provides insights in how to build your resilience.
Daily resets: You need to carve out parts of each day to reset mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually. If you are not mindful of the pressures and stresses your leadership position hangs on you, you will wilt. Too many live by the mantra just push through. What you must grasp is that in order to push through you need to pause. Manning says you need to find “something you do every day that gives you energy and helps you to stay even-keeled.”
Share the emotional load: You are not alone, unless you choose to be alone. Yes there are times you feel you are in it solo. This is why you need to have people in your life you can unload on. People you can share your emotions with. Cry. Vent. Share. Be frustrated. Knowing that the person(s) will affirm you as you are.
Set boundaries: When people drain your time, energy and emotion it is your fault and yours alone. Only you can set boundaries for you. And only you can keep the boundaries you set. Draw your boundary lines. And when you cross them, which you will, don’t redraw them. Instead, step back inside them. You put them there for a reason.
Know your warning signs: Everyone’s warning signs for being overly stretched are different. Be honest. Know what yours are. All of us have a ‘tell.’ That is something that reveals we are done, over committed, tired and nearing the end of our rope. “It’s important to recognize your warning signs and recommit to self-care when they show up—before they blow up.”
Connect with your greater purpose: This would be going back to your why? Why are you really doing what you do? There is a reason you chose the field, vocation, profession you did. What was it? That needs to be your genuine motivation. It will be that which sustains you when things get really tough.
None of us are Gumby. So why try? Build these habits into your life that will help you be resilient.