Leaders, you are what you EAT
Leaders end up being the result of how they spend their:
Energy
Attention
Time
As a leader, you really are what you E.A.T. It is at the core of the contribution that you make.
We all have choices about what we eat. Sometimes the waffles are very tempting. Photo by Ali Inay on Unsplash
This is more than just a play on words. It is a call to action for all of us to realise that these three elements (Energy, Attention and Time) are the most valuable assets at our disposal as individuals and leaders. How we use them has a profound impact on how we turn up and the contribution that we make. It’s useful to consider each of these elements as finite. Each day, week, month and year – we “consume” them. Even if we find ways to create more Energy, Attention and Time, we still reach a limit of each.
That makes our consumption patterns important. In the same way that our diet choices end up impacting on our health, wellbeing and quality of life, how we choose to consume our Energy, Attention and Time determine our leadership contribution. Just like our diet, our intentions and actions can be misaligned. We can intend to eat fruit and vegetables but end up eating burgers and chips just as easily as we intend to be present and productive with our team and yet spend our days reacting to problems and on low value tasks. In both instances we can easily slip into patterns that are out of step with our intentions.
As leaders in an increasingly fast-paced and information rich world, there is more data available to us than we can possibly keep up with. Maintaining a focus on your Energy, Attention and Time can help you and those that you lead continue to make meaningful progress on the work that matters most to you.
My questions for you today are:
What is one way that you can better consume your Energy, Attention and Time in the next week?
What is getting in the way of you consuming your Energy, Attention and Time wisely?
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.