Have you ever thought about the hidden cost of leaks that we have? Now, I’m not a plumber, but I know enough about plumbing to know that if you have a bunch of leaks, it’s going to be very costly to you. In fact, if you have a leak that is left unchecked, it could destroy your whole house. I’ve seen entire homes get destroyed because of unaddressed leaks. 

So the issue when it comes to leadership is not necessarily about working hard. It’s about are you work smart. And here’s the thing… Every leak you have in your workflow is going to cost you energy, clarity, and credibility. Keep reading to learn more

When Drive Becomes a Drain

I love what I do. In fact, I’m actually not very good for some people because I have so much drive. And I don’t do it because someone is putting a metaphorical “gun to my head.” I do it because I genuinely care and have a passion for my work. However, experience has taught that that drive can also become a drain. Here are 4 things that have impacted me as a leader. 

1. Decision Fatigue 

I started noticing this in my early 20s. Sometimes, I would come and just be exhausted with decisions. My wife would ask me questions and I would constantly put decisions off because I was just so fatigued from having to make choices all day. This led me to feel overwhelmed. As a result, I started procrastinating and prioritizing the wrong things. 

The solution? I needed to learn how to better manage my energy. I needed to learn how to start saying “no” to certain things in order to prevent fatigue. And so what I learned is that smart leaders manage their energy, which gives them focus that then allows them to have impact.

2. Conflict Avoidance

Here’s the thing… Unresolved tension has a way of quietly eroding trust and team alignment. When you’re in a place of unresolved conflict when it comes to your professional setting, your cortisol goes all haywire. In other words, people don’t feel comfortable. But the truth? Discomfort is not something that should be shunned. In fact, quite the opposite is true. We should embrace discomfort. The problem is that people confuse discomfort with safety. 

Now, we at Flourishing are the champions of safety here. We want everyone to feel safe. But the discomfort that comes with conflict avoidance is often seen as an “unsafe” thing. It’s not. It just means it’s an opportunity to grow and extend beyond our current level of comfort into a better and stronger version of ourselves. 

3. Reactive Habits

I’m guilty of this more than I’d like to admit. But reactive habits are those behaviors we do that are impulsive. They usually aren’t very healthy or productive. But they make us feel better or “soothe” us emotionally in the moment when we may feel a bit uncomfortable about someone or something. And the worst part is that they can be a “leak” that drains our energy as leaders. 

The first step is to just realize that they are there and that we can control them if we want to. It all comes down to awareness. The second step is to “catch” those behaviors when they appear. This is how we can stop ourselves from getting lost to reactionary habits, and start learning how to respond appropriately to the situation instead.

4. Self-Sabotage

Now, this is really important. Self-sabotage is one of those things that happens often without us even being consciously aware of it in the first place. I’ve definitely had my fair share of self-sabotage moments. But similar to the reactive habits, the way we overcome self-sabotage is to become aware of our tendency for it. 

Once we know where we have a tendency to sandbag our success, we can then take corrective action to begin the process of overcoming it.

Final Thoughts

We at Certified Flourishing Coach are a team of expert coaches and facilitators. We operate from an evidence-based framework rooted in neuroscience to facilitate change, growth, and development both personally and professionally. And the best part is that we’re here to support you through your development as well. So, if you’re ready, contact us today to learn more.

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