All leaders want ongoing development, growth and success for their team.

The need for sustainable progression

More specifically, all leaders want SUSTAINABLE development, growth and success for their team.

Whatever the next chapter might be for a given leader and their team – characterised by major projects, key initiatives, specific goals and new job functions – that chapter must represent the kind of PROGRESSION that leaves the team and each of its members stronger, more capable and ready for the next challenge. If not, no upstanding leader could call that meaningful success.

But worryingly often, the progression cycles being created and perpetuated in the current climate leave our teams depleted, depressed and exhausted. A short and unsustainable sprint, followed by an inevitable crash (with insufficient recovery, just for good measure). Then repeat.

No wonder the World Health Organisation today formally recognises burnout as a serious occupational health condition.

A maladaptive response

No leader would wish these unsustainable cycles upon their team. And no leader would design their world according to this maladaptive response to the demands of their projects.

But workload, deadlines and commitments make it easy to slip. And for the individuals involved, the desire to keep up, stay on top and get ahead has them doing more (busy, but not productive) work, deceiving themselves they’re making the kind of progress that’s worth the effort.

And so, we get caught in our own loops. We create for ourselves an unsustainable time/effort economy, in place of a well-balanced results economy. We deceive ourselves that this is working and is the best and only way. And, of course, that this is absolutely the last time we’ll need to do this.

And then, we do it again.

To be truly successful … Yes, we want to push for our goals and projects. Yes, we want challenge and stretch. Yes, we want development, growth and success. But the kind that’s SUSTAINABLE.

To settle into the kind of rhythm that makes sustainable success achievable, you and the team must properly RECOVER from your working days. And with the kind of prioritisation that a professional athlete applies to their workout recovery.

Probably less than 1% of the working world engages in these principles of recovery. But if you (and your team) add them to your habits and practices, you’ll have a team that’s more focused, effective, engaged and productive.

Recovery Ritual: from being with people

“Time alone is essential, to get away and contemplate, think and wonder.” Jim Rohn

One of the joys of work is being and collaborating with others. Even if you self-describe as an introvert, I imagine no connection at all isn’t what you’re after either. We all need time with people.

But we all need time alone, too. And again, this isn’t about being introverted or extroverted. Our brains need quality quiet time to think, reflect, ponder and plan.

And that’s well-evidenced, not just in the scientific and psychological literature, but in the myriad interviews and podcasts with the world’s most successful business people. It’s a regular theme to hear of the rituals and practices top performers instil to guarantee quality thinking time.

If you’re not getting at least 45 – 60 minutes of uninterrupted you time to think creatively and strategically, you’re not living and working optimally.

Recovery Ritual: from being always on

You’ll not be surprised to hear that multiple studies have found people to check their phones on average 80 – 100 times per day and spending 4 or even 5 hours browsing, scrolling and using apps.

Equally insightful, the same studies show that people are checking their phones twice as much as they think they are.

(So, if you’re looking at the above numbers and thinking “not me, no way”, perhaps think again.)

Unhealthy smartphone use negatively impacts sleep quality, psychological wellbeing and emotional intelligence. It also increases stress, anxiety and daytime dysfunction. We feel that sense of being “always on”. And all-together, professional performance suffers.

The triggers in our environment are strong influencers of behaviour. So first thing: keep your devices away from your person when you leave work. Avoid mindless tech use for the first and last 2 hours of your waking day. And no screens at all for the first 60-minutes of waking. Create for yourself a “digital sunset” and commit to switching off.

Recovery Ritual: from being at work

How often have we returned home … and not really been there?

We’ve all had that experience of being anything but fully present when with our loved ones – and feeling guilt and disappointment in ourselves, in the moment of awareness (usually too late).

If asked, we might not put work at the top of our priority list. But our behaviours say otherwise.

“Overcommitment” is a well-studied concept in psychology. And in that body of work, we see just how common it is to have an inflated perception of our work demands – and just how key we, personally, think we are to be the ones to handle those demands.

What do these work-prioritising behaviours say about us? That we’re happy to be a mediocre partner, parent, friend and relation. But certainly not happy about to be mediocre in our jobs. Again, something we might not say, if asked. But our behaviours tell a different story.

(If that last idea has got you thinking, take a look at Marshall Goldsmith’s book “Triggers: Creating Behaviour That Lasts”. He shares lots of insights into how people who are successful in their work are often content being less than successful in other areas of life.)

When you’re at work, be at work. Fully present. And aim not for 8 – 10 hours of low-focus, high-distraction effort; but for 3 – 5 hours of highly-focused work, where you’re fully engaged and in flow. The rest of the time is recovery – to maximise those high-return work blocks.

Then, to create the detachment from work you (and your family!) are looking for, install an End of Day Routine. There’s plenty of literate on powerful morning routines – but give some focus to how you’re doing your end of day. Set aside time at the end of the day to journal on 3 wins from the day, any new learnings, and set 3 priorities for tomorrow. That’ll keep your morning free from decision fatigue.

This process is about closing the loop on your working day. I’ve given you the fundamentals. Tweak and add what you need to achieve that psychological detachment from work.

Your leadership responsibility

Recovery should be a part of everybody’s practice, if they’re to live and work optimally. And it’s for each of us to take ownership of these rituals and install them into our days and lives.

So, why am I mentioning this from the perspective of leaders and their teams? Because who else is going to permission and inspire your team to this way of operating?

Thanks for reading!

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