DO YOU FEEL ‘TIRED' ABOUT THE BUSINESS YOU ARE IN? A SURVEY BY COMMON PURPOSE IN 2009 INVOLVING 40 LARGE CORPORATE LEADERS FOUND THAT LEADERS ARE TIRED AND THEY HAVE BEEN FOR AWHILE. LEADERS ARE OVERSTRETCHED. THIS PHENOMENON IS NOT LIMITED TO LARGE CORPORATIONS IT IS IN FACT A SIGN OF THE TIMES WE LIVE IN.

‘Leadership fatigue' comes about for a number of reasons including such things as: persistent decision making which may have an impact on other people's lives; defining and developing business directions, sourcing income streams for the business, consistently adjusting to dramatically changing economic environment and meeting regulatory, industry or professional requirements.

So what can you do to help minimise the impact of ‘leadership fatigue'? BE DELIBERATE!! To keep ‘leadership fatigue' at bay it is important to integrate activities into your schedule to restore and re-energise you. While this may appear to add more pressure by taking the time to do this you will gain time in the longer term. These are activities that will have a direct impact on your individual health and sense of well-being. It is important to have both restorative and re-energising activities not just one or the other. Restorative activities are more maintenance in nature where as re-energising activities facilitates growth and development.

Restorative activities include such things as getting enough sleep, eating well and exercising to name but a few. Re-energising activities involve topping you up and includes such things as socialising, prioritising time with family and friends, participating in a hobby, learning something new, reading a book for pleasure, watching uplifting movies, participating in spiritual activities of relevance and benefit to you the individual.

Other ways to assist with avoiding leadership fatigue specifically related to business are: delegating effectively; establishing a reliable support team both within and external to the business, engaging a coach or mentor, being willing to be vulnerable and asking for help, looking outside the business for examples of good business practice or opportunities to enhance the current functioning of your business, recognise and harness the strengths of the business be it people, processes, technology, market placement and set appropriate and workable boundaries.

One of the ways to do this effectively would be to use a Time Map. By utilising a time map rather than implementing time management principles you are actually employing schedule choice management principles. This means you decide how you choose to use your time and you can see at a glance how much time is being allocated to various activities within your schedule. Business related activities are likely to be the most prominent component of your schedule. What a time map does is allow you to see how much time is spent on those things that mean the most to you. A time map enables you to be more proactive in what you undertake. It enables you to carve out time on activities that really matter to you. To find out what a time map looks like an internet search will lead you to a number of options and there is certain to be a version that suits your needs and style. If someone else arranges or updates your schedule involving them in your desired change of focus is important so that you are able to achieve the balance and integration of activities that you desire.

There are some important principles to remember when developing a time map. Keep it simple, if you get too complicated this will only add to your fatigue rather than help to avoid it. Another important consideration is to keep your time map visible as this will be a constant reminder of your overall objectives when it comes to using your time wisely and purposefully. Finally it is important to remember to set tasks to suit when you are at your best. If you have to write an important report and you know you work better in the afternoon then allocate time for that task in the afternoon. The key is to work to your strengths and to employ them to their best potential.

So remember if you want to avoid leadership fatigue then you need to clearly define and operate in a way that enables that to become a reality. If this is a new approach for you allow yourself time to adapt to this new method. Give yourself and others some latitude in the transition.

Carol McGowan is a Business and Life Coach, Counsellor and Educator. Her passion is helping individuals and businesses to make successful transitions. Carol has over 35 years experience in business as well assisting 200+ people make successful career transitions after having faced redundancy. She may be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it