Leadership Doesn’t Have to Be Draining

By Dr. Matthew Arau

Leading can bring down the weight of the world on our shoulders. With leadership comes extra responsibilities and pressures and it can be stressful and overwhelming. In the pursuit of organizing the team, accomplishing goals, and taking on administrative duties, our energy can become depleted. What started off as excitement and passion for leadership may lead to feeling depleted and drained. The good news is that leadership doesn’t have to be draining.

Here are 5 Tips to re-energize your leadership.

You don’t have to do everything on your own. Tap into your team members’ strengths and delegate responsibilities to trusted colleagues so you can focus on what you do best.
Lead with gratitude. Reflect on who and what you are grateful for while leading. Share your gratitude with and for those you lead. Focusing on gratitude and sharing appreciation lifts the mood of the giver and the receiver.
Celebrate the small stuff. When you are moving fast and taking on a lot, you may forget to acknowledge the progress being made and the small successes along the way to a bigger goal. Reflecting on improvements and growth impacts how you feel and how your team feels.
Remind yourself of the big picture. When you are in the thick of it, you may forget about the forest for the trees. What you do matters and it makes a difference. Keep the purpose and reason for leading in the foreground rather than the background.
Make time to do the things that fill your cup and help you to replenish. Taking breaks and pausing do not take away from productivity and getting things done. In fact, it is the acts of taking a deep breath, going for a mindful walk, or flying a kite where we reconnect with ourselves and rekindle our inner spark so that it can burn brightly.