Leaders, Give Yourself a Break

An important rule of thumb is to be kind to yourself at any stage of your professional career.

If you’re someone in a leadership position, the weight of making decisions and the impact it has on other people might be a lot to handle. But instead of doubting yourself or kicking yourself after a decision is made, treat yourself with compassion. You’re in a leadership position for a reason, and you have the capacity to make the types of decisions you’re in charge of making. Plus, part of being a leader is lifting others up. So, you should probably start listening to the advice you’re giving others and apply it to yourself.

Regardless of where you fit in a hierarchy, whenever something disappointing occurs, or you hit a bump in the road, whether in your control or not, you have the control to choose the way you respond. For example, if you don’t hit your forecasted sales goal, miss out on a promotion, or get into it with a colleague, you might be apt to respond with anger towards others or yourself. Instead, evaluate the situation logically and respond with a clear head… however that might look for you.

Breathing Exercises

One way to remove emotion from a work-related situation, and take a step back before responding, is conducting breathing exercises. How many times in life have you been in a tense situation and someone prompted you to take a deep breath? It’s even a method I use with my three-year-old when I can tell we are about to embark on the tantrum train. There’s a reason for this.

Breathing exercises allow your body to feel exactly how it does when you are already relaxed. Are you someone who’s used reverse psychology in a situation? Using breathing exercises as a relaxation technique is just like that. Performing a breathing exercise makes your body believe it’s relaxed before you might even enter that mental space.

Positive Self-Talk

Another way to put yourself in a state of relaxation is to literally ask yourself how you should respond in a situation. If you’re a leader and just made a decision that might leave you in some angst, ask yourself the simple question, “What would it look like for me to be kind to myself in this situation?” Whatever that is, do it, and mix in some self-talk as a bonus. Self-talk is something easy to do and can be done anytime you feel the need. A very simple way to boost your self-confidence is to conduct a little positive self-talk.

Positive self-talk might come easy to some, but for others, it is extremely unnatural. Speaking negatively about ourselves, especially when self-confidence is already lacking, is much easier. With patience, practice, and kindness, positive thoughts will start to outnumber the negative ones, hopefully leading to more confidence, motivation, and compassion.

Any tips for treating yourself with kindness, especially in the face of negativity? Share your thoughts by commenting below.