Hi entrepreneurs – this episode is going to be a bit different.  I thought it would be a good time to have a chat about how to keep your leadership superpowers up and running.  Because, as the title of this episode says, “If the Leader Ain’t Happy – Ain’t Nobody Happy”

Recently I had a conversation with a friend, and fellow business owner – and he was saying that he didn’t know why, but he felt out of sync.  Like every day he was going through the motions – doing the things on his task list, having the scheduled meetings, working on the projects at hand – but something just didn’t feel quite right.

As we were talking about it more, he was finally able to articulate that it was that something – that spark – that seemed to be missing.  As a leader, you may have been there too – I know I have.  The French have a perfect word for it – ennui.  It’s a version of the blahs.

You’re doing all the things, but it’s a slog.  It’s not burnout or depression – nothing that dramatic.  It’s just that your get up and go seems to have gotten up and gone.

And that makes everything a bit harder – because as the leader, you are the one your team is looking to for guidance, vision and optimism.  You’re the one everybody counts on to ignite their spark, to feed their enthusiasm.  After all – a huge part of our jobs is to motivate the team.  And it’s really hard to do that if you aren’t feeling the motivation vibes yourself.

When I face a period like this I run through the checklist.

Oh yes, I have a checklist that can walk me through.  I created it a few years ago, because we know all the things we should look at, but when I’m in a state of ennui, I’m probably not thinking or problem solving as effectively as I should.  So I’ve found that a guide is really helpful.

First I check in with the most obvious culprits.  Am I getting enough sleep, am I eating right, am I getting some movement in.  Am I overworking.

And that leads me to the one that is almost always my ‘ah ha’ moment – am I feeling disorganized in my work or even my personal life?  I don’t know about you, but when I have everything, everywhere, it clutters my brain, and can stop me dead in my tracks.  I have no idea what to do next, what to tackle, what to work on – so I just start feeling overwhelmed, irritated, and like everything is impossible and has no solution.

The answer to this one is simple, but sometimes not easy.  Stop, take a break, and get yourself organized.  If you’re using a project management system, get it updated – clear out all the old tasks you’ll never get to anyway.  Reschedule the ones you’re behind on.  And if’ you aren’t using a project management system – think about starting with one.

On the personal side, do the same thing.  Capture what needs to be done, and develop a timeline for making it happen.  And don’t forget to get help – usually it’s when we think everything is on our plate that we get paralyzed.