Touched down recently from a brief, solo excursion - a well-deserved breather following the hustle of back-to-back events. As I prepare to shift back into “work-mode”, I found myself reflecting on a leadership workshop that I participated in.
One of the questions that was posed to a group of 20-30 tenured leaders was “Are you being watered?” We were asked to think of our work environment as our pot and the culture, feelings and experiences that we live through daily at work make up our soil. We were asked to think about how we are maintaining and developing the soil that we are expected to endure while at work and also keep in mind our lives outside of work and how that shows up in our professional settings. We were called to notice whether our pot was one that we were still growing into or was it perhaps one we are beginning to outgrow? What was making the pot a place where we didn’t feel like we were thriving but instead, merely surviving or enduring because it is lacking the essential nutrients we crave?
The nutrients we can infuse into our soil can include self-care habits like eating well, moving our bodies, spending time with loved ones or simply unplugging. Our nutrients can also be reading a new book, beginning an online course of interest, prioritizing your own learning to continue to grow our expertise and make progress to goals that may have taken a back seat to other’s needs and priorities. As leaders, it is so common to focus all of our attention on those we serve and support while taking whatever is left over to pour back into ourselves. But, without the water, sun and nutrients we need ourselves, can your plant (aka you) actually be helpful to others?
Taking it a step further, how does our modeling (or lack thereof) as leaders when it comes to nurturing ourselves and caring for our needs impact our teams? Are we creating environments and workplace cultures that truly encourage growth and foster opportunities for investing in our most important assets - our teams of talented people?
Now, back to leaders as the pace-setters.
Take a moment to examine your own pot and plant: are your leaves yellowing reaching for more sun, are your roots bursting through the bottom because they have run out of room to grow or perhaps they are looking to stretch beyond your small pot for some richer soil? How can you nurture your soil today and tend to the bloom that is you?
Lots of questions that only you can answer for yourself. Think this week about the commitments you can make to yourself to be sure that you are being watered and cared for. Next step after thinking on it? Go DO it. You’ll thank yourself later.