I have met many politicians in my time but the hardest working politician I know is Shirley Bond, the MLA for Prince George-Valemount. I first met Shirley back in the early 2000s when she was starting out in provincial politics and I was starting out as a trouble maker in an environmental group trying to clean up the air quality.
Shirley said she would help us and she did. She got us into meetings, represented our concerns to other levels of government, took on CN Rail and pushed forward to move industry to start cleaning up their act. No, the air isn't perfect, in fact it might even be slipping backwards lately, but Shirley worked hard for her constituents to improve their health and the environment.
Over the years, I would run into Shirley, mostly in airports, where she would be travelling late and working as she waited for planes.
She sometimes told me about the workload. I could often see the fatigue from all those hours spent working because of her dedication. I could sense the stress of the burden of leadership that requires community leaders to be "on" all the time.
Recently, I was at a meeting where a business leader told me he felt the pressured to go out and get work for his company. His company had been successful for many years but now the work was drying up and he had a bunch of families to feed. I know what that is like!
Leaders in business, community and families are sometimes under tremendous pressure to perform.
Sometimes it feels like the weight of the whole world is on our shoulders. We need to keep the sales up, to deal with the competition, our customers or stakeholders. We need to make sure there is money in the bank and that everyone is safe. Leaders get the hard questions, we have to deliver the tough answers.
We are expected to work the long hours. We feel we need to know where to look to the future and to figure out what went wrong in the past. Over time, this can take a real toll on our body, mind and spirit.
Yes, it is true that being a leader can have benefits. There are perks like recognition if we succeed.
We can sometimes make decisions that are popular even with our families. If we look after our people we can be respected and even loved. Sometimes leadership even brings with it financial rewards. When things are going well, being a leader can be a wonderful adventure. Especially if we are cut out for it. But what do we do when leadership goes wrong or we get burned out?
A leader I know stepped back after a decade of leadership. Immediately I saw him stop shuffling his feet, his attitude changed and it was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. People wondered why he did it? But I knew.
As leaders, we need to find ways to relieve that burden. We need to find balance in our lives and set aside time when so we can refresh. Leaders need to take time away from the office, the pressure, the family, the company or whatever we are leading to be able to re-vision.
Some people can do this through exercise or hobbies on a daily basis. Others need holidays and breaks to the cabin, wilderness, the beach or even shopping.
Some leaders relieve their burdens through prayer or mindfulness. Henry Ford would spend 15 minutes a day in meditation.
When we see leaders who are burning out, who are stressed, under pressure or fatigued we need to think about how we can support them. We expect leaders to lead but unless they feel that they are doing a good job, their minds start to question themselves. Sometimes we need to tell them, to thank them, to care for them to enable them to do their best and lead us.
Think about the leaders you know today and pick one. Perhaps they are in your family, your community or your business. Take a few moments to send a card, an email, a text, or just say a word of encouragement or thanks for something you noticed that they have done well lately, or in the past. Not only will the world be a better place for that little energy you have just expended, but the weight of leadership will lift just a little from their shoulders. I know it has happened to me.
Dave Fuller, MBA, business coach, author of the book Profit Yourself Healthy, helps leaders reduce their stress levels. Email your comments to dave@profityourselfhealthy.com.
