As a new manager, do you find it hard to stop thinking about work, even when you go to bed? Do you struggle to fall asleep because you worry about how your team will handle work the next day, how you will deal with a poor performer or what you must do to retain your top staff members? You aren’t alone. Many new managers lose sleep over the stress of the job, especially managers who receive no leadership training.
You know how important sleep is. Your Mom, doctor, spouse and best friends tell you to “Get more sleep.” Experts are always touting the benefits in both your personal and professional life, especially for leaders. Studies back it up. Still, you may not prioritize sleep.
As a result, you end up in a pretty vicious cycle: The lack of sleep at night makes it more difficult to concentrate during the work day. You’re foggy, less focused and more prone to make mistakes. You can be irritable, short-tempered and more prone to conflict. When you are exhausted, you aren’t as effective. Your performance suffers, your confidence in yourself plummets. That causes you to worry more, and you lose more sleep. And the whole thing starts over.
So what can you do? It’s starts with developing your leadership skills. That may seem like a lofty goal, but the more confident you are in your skills, the less stress you will feel. We offer several training options to help new leaders develop the skills they need to thrive in their new leadership role. Learn more about our solutions.
Beyond that, even the best, most experience leaders, experience stress. What sets them apart is they take the time and put in the effort to develop habits that make then resilient and better able to minimize stress and respond well when they can’t avoid stress. Follow that lead, and check out these great resources to help you more effectively manage your stress:
Most of all, the best leaders understand the importance of work/life balance most of all.
If you’re feeling stretched too thin, you can’t give your team members the attention and guidance that they need to do their best. When you develop the skills to manage stress and balance your life, you become a role model to your employees and create a work culture where they can work hard, thrive and still enjoy life.
Start this weekend, and find time to relax, rejuvenate and do the things you love. Most important: Get some sleep.
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