Leaders (Like Hobbits) Keep Their Priorities Straight
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
Self-care.
I wish we had a better word.
I prefer the idea of Protect the asset — used in Greg McKeown’s Essentialism (a book every leader should read and re-read).
“The best asset we have for making a contribution to the world is ourselves. If we underinvest in ourselves, and by that I mean, our minds, our bodies, and our spirits, we damage the very tool we need to make our highest contribution.”
The rest of the chapter emphasizes the importance of sleep — which I wholeheartedly agree with.
Protect the Asset is a bigger concept than this.
What do you do daily to make sure you are both tuning and preserving and developing the basic tools you need to do your job, the things you need to make a difference in this world, the tolls you bring that make your contributions unique. I argue this is your mind, body, and spirit.
It begins with the most basic principle: Leaders make their priorities. They do not allow others to make their priorities for them.
This sounds great and can be difficult. But let’s start with the basics. Do you determine your next action, or does the pinging and dinging of your phone determine your next action?
Basic question. Sometimes a complicated answer.
Protecting the asset can feel like self-indulgence. It’s not.
Protecting the asset can look like laziness. It’s not.
We chuckle at a hobbit’s concern for second breakfast on the road to Mordor, but therein lies the reality for us.
It is possible to do the important work of fighting dragons and destroying magic rings, while also caring about yourself and others.
Protecting the asset doesn’t mean a daily spa date and making sure you never miss your mani/pedi appointment. It does mean getting enough sleep. Exercise your mind and your body. Do what you must to maintain mental health. Place boundaries for toxic people and activities.
Keep your priorities straight. Protect the asset
There’s no other way to make a significant impact on the world.
