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“There are only two people who can tell you the truth about yourself –
an enemy who has lost his temper
and a friend who loves you dearly.”
– Antisthenes
“It seems like I’ve been focusing on the wrong thing”.
These were the words from a smart business owner who had been asking a group I was in, for input on a big business decision he was being facing.
For the previous 20 minutes he had shared his analysis of the situation as he saw it.
Even though the guy was bright and articulate, I’d found it very difficult to stay with the logic of what he’d shared. He was jumping from point to point erratically and not thinking clearly.
As I listened, I realised something fundamental. He was focused on the wrong problem. The real problem was unseen to him. Someone else in the group had picked up on it also and pointed it out.
“It seems to me that you’re exhausted. Are you tired? What else is going on around you?”
The guy was initially surprised by the comment because ‘aren’t you supposed to be tired in business today?’ Over a few minutes of dialogue he admitted that he was just about ‘hanging on by his ‘finger-nails’.
He shared that he hadn’t taken any time off for quite a while, that he wasn’t doing any regular exercise and in addition, he revealed that sleep was a major problem primarily because he had three small kids under six.
Bottom line the real problem was that this guy was so tired he was a danger to himself and his business. He just wasn’t thinking straight and not in any condition to make big decisions.
Everyone in the group came to the same conclusion. He needed, as a matter of urgency to take a few days off – as in proper OFF. No tech, no kids, no work.
I’ve seen this play out time and time again.
When your personal battery is running low, you shouldn’t be making any decisions. It also seems like our ‘inner voice’ can convince us that we’re not running low on charge when to everyone else in the room, we clearly are!
When we’re tired, we usually get caught up with problems that are not the REAL problem.
Having people round us to watch our back and tell us what they see, is vital for every leader in today’s busy, noisy, uncertain world.
This week, 2 challenges for you if you’re open:
Shane
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Recording of Last Week’s Webinar, Flip The Script, Available For A Few More Days
If you’re keen on raising your game in your work, leadership and life then join me and renowned international communications expert, Dr. Michael Gerharz for an 80 minute webinar packed with insights and inspiration. We will:
You can watch the recording here.
Latest Episode on The Inner Edge Podcast: What To Do When Your Mood Drops – Part 1
All episodes are between 10-15 minutes in length and the podcast is available on all major podcasting platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can listen on my website here also.
