The Discipline of Replenishment
As I was reviewing my notes and the audios from the most recent Willow Creek Leadership Summit, I heard Bill Hybels use a phrase that I’ve heard him say before, but it jumped out at me. He said that, as Leaders, we must practice:
In other words, it’s not okay for leaders to burn the candle at both ends. It’s not okay for leaders to never stop. To run on the treadmill at a tireless pace and at an endless rate is not okay.
If we’re not building in times where we strategically aren’t strategic, we’re going to do damage to ourselves, our bodies, our emotions, our creative selves, our families, our teams and the people we serve. So here are a few questions to consider in your own leadership:
- When am I completely turning all electronic devices off and just being quiet and alone?
- When was the last time I took an entire day off? No lists?
- When was the last time I got away for an entire evening with my spouse and didn’t check my phone once?
- When was the last time I took my kids out of the city and left my computer at home?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, what pace would my team say I’m running at?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, what pace would my spouse say I’m running at?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, what pace would my kids say I’m running at?
The list could go on and on, but you get the point.
Great questions to be asking! I just took three days off (with a few bumps here and there) after two weeks of twelve plus hour days. It's amazing how much more connected I felt with my wife and son during that time.
Our rule is that normally (right now we're in season of new ministry) one full day off per week, no cell phone on dates, no work related activity during family time unless there's an emergency.
This is something more leadership teams need to be held accountable to. Thanks for the post!
Great points Matt! Sometimes we forget that being a leader means that your actions speak to how your team acts. I ask them not to overdo it, but they see me running ragged – it can be discouraging to them as well – they start thinking that all they have to look forward to is more, harder work! Need to find work life balance.
I realized I needed to make a change when my 3-year old told me that she could not come into the kitchen to eat becuase she was “too busy!” Only one place she heard that from…yikes! From then on, I made a conscious decision to be a good example of what matters to my children and my staff.
We needed that, Matt. We're talking about how we can replenish while we are stateside. Kelly & Kathy JOhnson