The Power of Self-Care in Service Leadership
Service leaders must be committed to caring for themselves to enable them to care for their team and their loved ones outside of work. I have always highlighted the importance of self-care with customer service professionals to enable them to care for the customer. The same philosophy applies to leadership. In service and service leadership roles, there is a strong focus on serving others. To do so, incorporating self-care into your daily team and leadership practices is essential.
Over the past couple of years, the impact of the pandemic and many changes to the working environment, including physical isolation from teams, increased workload and dealing with increased sick leave and absenteeism, has meant a challenging time for service leaders. This has impacted their self-care. The words of author Eleanor Brown really resonate with me.
“Rest and selfcare are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.”
I often ask service leaders, ‘Are you creating time and space to take care of yourself?’ The answer is often a resounding ‘No’.
I make no judgement here, as taking time to care for ourselves is not always easy. Yet the benefits are enormous for everyone. Is there anything more powerful for a team to see than leaders taking care of themselves? It gives the team permission to do the same. A leader who demonstrates self-care has far more impact than simply telling their team to focus on self-care strategies
In Stress and Its Relationship to Leadership and a Healthy Workplace Culture, researchers Ross, Exposito and Kennedy write about the effects of stress on leaders.
“If a leader experiences stress, neurotransmitters and hormones are released and the leader may experience a short period of increased focus and reaction time. But if the stress exists for a long enough period of time, there will be negative consequences. Characteristics of these negative behaviours include (a) lack of listening, (b) over-analysis, (c) failure to make decisions, and (d) erratic, fearful or angry emotional decisions.”
Leadership self-care includes caring for the mind, body and soul. Your mind is your most powerful tool, and ensuring it has time to rest is vital. Your body is the vehicle that enables you to do what you have to do. Yet most of us take better care of servicing and maintaining our cars than our bodies. Physical health needs our attention. And then there is the soul. I think of the soul as our essence, our true nature.
Remember that every principle of leadership self-care applies equally to your team. Self-care can look different for different people. Regardless of the activity, it is a leadership philosophy, a mindset, and a practical application. And most importantly, it is about working out what works for you.
What self-care practices will you commit to this week to better serve your team and yourself?