I heard a podcast guest say in passing that you “can’t pour from an empty cup.” He meant that your ability to motivate, inspire, help, encourage, listen, strategize with, learn from, teach, engage with, guide, support, advise, serve, counsel, mentor, model, play with, observe, and accept your team is hindered when you are not at your best. The car with no gas doesn’t go far. Leaders have big jobs. Big jobs require big energy expenditure. The trick is having enough of the right kind of energy to expend every day. The open secret that was once ignored is that taking care of yourself benefits your team. No martyrs allowed. Not anymore.
First day of the rest of your life or all downhill from here
"Every day is better than the next." I missed it the first time I heard this line in the movie, "There's Something About Mary." This time, I got it. After laughing I realized something. I have spent years of my life on the wrong side of the equation. "Every day is...