What do you do when a warning light turns on in your car?
Generally, you’d probably take it to a mechanic or fix it yourself. You’d address it quickly because you don’t want to risk your car totally breaking down. You don’t want one small problem turning into something much larger.
You don’t ignore the warning lights in a car, so why then do we tend to ignore the warning signs in ourselves?
My bright red glowing warning light was on this past weekend and, boy, my family
knew it. After letting myself go unchecked for most of the day, I took my dog for a walk, listened to an encouraging podcast, talked with a coach friend, and then hit the reset button.
When your warning light goes unchecked by not acknowledging the root cause you could show up at work and home as:
1. Hostile
2. Passive Aggressive
3. Argumentative
4. Dismissive
5. Apathetic
Those do not describe the kind of leader I want to be or to follow.
With self-awareness comes insight into what triggers you. We each have different ones and when you know the types of situations or interactions that can trigger YOU, your warning light won’t stay on as long, or not come on with proper maintenance.
To be a mentally, physically, emotionally healthy leader you need to marry self-awareness with action. Not many people can do that alone. It takes a Sherpa to guide you up the mountain.