Let’s make sure that we have enough in our tanks…
“I know what this job takes, and I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice – it is that simple”
- Jacinda Ardern
If your experience was anything like mine last month, the news of the Prime Minister’s resignation ricocheted through my dinner conversations, social media feeds, and personal ponderings. Politics aside, the topics of these conversations were broad – concern regarding the vitriol that she was exposed to during her terms at the country’s helm, admiration for the commitment and dedication required to fulfil the responsibilities of the top job, and respect for recognising that her metaphorical tank was empty.
It is the intersection of the pressures of leadership, the risk of burnout, and the importance of self-awareness that has been playing on my mind since, both in terms of my personal self-reflection as I look forward to a busy year supporting our clients, but also in considering how we as a community of leaders can support personal well-being at an organisational level. Our people’s energy is an asset to be cared for.
Reflecting back on 2022 – My low tank surprised me:
On my first day back from my summer leave, I picked up the phone to catch-up with a colleague. After our initial excitement of being back into things, we spoke about our holidays. Top of conversation was the relief of being able to stop – and realising how much we needed this time to reset.
Trying to dissect why I was feeling so tired at the end of the year was a difficult thing to do – it caught me by surprise. Hiding in books, lying in the sunshine, spending time with my tribe, and taking the time to pause provided the space for some sound reflection, and I realised that the writing was on the wall. My tank was getting low. And I was surprised that I was surprised by this.
It shouldn’t have been surprised, last year was big – wild, empowering, and challenging, with an extremely healthy dose of fun and excitement thrown in the mix. I moved cities, changed careers, and started a new role with CVL in October. This was preceded by a challenging academic year leading a university residential college dealing with a couple of substantial COVID outbreaks, grappling with how we supported students in light of two years of disrupted education, and working through the ever-changing demands of business-as-usual – which was anything but usual. I also completed the final phase of my MBA, finishing the degree in September. Fair to say, it was a lot.
The reality was that this was probably the most enjoyable year of my career – the challenge was a source of adrenaline, the constant learning stretched me personally and professionally, and I was genuinely grateful to be able to do the work that I was doing. This alignment with my values and the momentum built by the enjoyment of what I was doing had a dark side – it was getting in the way of my self-awareness of where I was at.
Being aware of the level of our tanks:
Last year taught me the importance of taking the time to get real with myself and recognise how I am tracking. This does not need to be a week-long retreat in some far away destination but can instead be a pause in the midst of our day-to-day. A simple model that I like to use to check-in is above the line, below the line.
The figurative line is a simple threshold that you can either be above or below. When we are above the line, things are going well – this is where we want to be. We are open, curious, and committed to learning. We are excited to work with others and take the time to listen deeply and ask powerful questions. It is characterised by a deep trust in ourselves and the people around us, a relentless focus on the opportunity of each situation, and we generally enjoy being in this space – it is cup filling. When we are below the line, things aren’t so good – this is where we want to reassess and pivot. We are defensive, closed, and committed to being right. There is a deficit mindset, and the focus often exists on the risks and threats of a certain situation, as opposed to the opportunity. We are more often than not self-orientated and find ourselves drained by the work that we are doing – we lose our enthusiasm and drive.
As leaders, it is important to ask ourselves and our teams a very simple, but inherently complex question: Where am I at? Am I above the line or below the line? When I reflect on last year, I was above the line for the majority of the time. What I did not notice was the small tell-tale warning signs that should have been a source of concern – from the low energy that I bought into the room on particular days to my presence in the interactions with my colleagues and the lack of focus on certain tasks. I was failing to notice these little things that could have served as a warning sign to slow down, focus on my well-being, and reset. In these situations, it can be the small things – such as an evening walk or prioritising a good night sleep – that can make the biggest difference.
Keeping our tanks full in 2023:
The breadth of opportunities, complexity of work, big and small decisions, and challenges that leaders are required to navigate today require us to be above the line in order to perform at our best. Taking what I have learnt, here’s what I’m doing to ensure that my tank stays full…
Prioritise refilling the tank
Figure out what gets you back above the line and look at this as a marathon not a sprint – its often the small, incremental changes that can make the biggest difference.
If you’re wanting to identify what these restorative practices might be for you, I’d highly recommend the coaching questions included in this article by my wonderful colleague, Aleisha Coote. https://www.cvl.co.nz/leadership-insights/te-whare-tapa-wha
Take the time to check-in with yourself and those around you
Ensure that you are creating space to identify how you and others are travelling. Expect this to be a dynamic and wide-ranging measure – nobody will be perfect 100% of the time and that is 100% ok. Dialling up self-awareness through identifying warning signs and triggers can improve our ability to catch the signs of our energy depletion early.
Over the last few years, leaders have begun to dial up their understanding of how others are travelling too – keeping up this focus on both self and others is critical.
Addressing the issues at their root cause
Invest the energy to address the real cause of the challenges that are bringing us across the line. Feel comfortable in experimenting with solutions and making small changes to the status quo. As leaders we have a responsibility to ensure that our workplaces are designed in a sustainable way
Making sure that there is a little bit extra in the tank… just in case
Looking after ourselves and managing our energy effectively is something that needs to be done when the tank is still full – we can’t wait until its empty to start looking after ourselves. Jacinda included in her speech an important observation that we also need to have “a bit in reserve for those unplanned and unexpected challenges that inevitably come along”. When we are at the top of our game – above the line– we take these challenges in our stride. When we are not, these are the things that can be destabilising. The recent Cyclone Gabrielle and the previous floods in Auckland provide a very real example of why this is so important.
Here at CVL, walking the talk is part of our everyday and slowly but surely my aim is to have a full tank and some in reserve by the middle of the year. I will keep you posted on how I went!
