As a leader you would agree that leadership training globally is about you teaching others how to lead and perform better.
It’s about creating great cultures, improving the bottom line, growth, increasing productivity, and driving the mission and vision of the business.
Most leaders in real estate are expected to know everything, carry the full weight of responsibility and be the ones that are bulletproof and unstoppable.
This leaves them constantly under unrealistic expectations, incredible pressure, and stress.
It causes them to take on too much and not let go, so they end up underperforming in many cases.
This impacts their physical health, relationships, and their mental health.
Who takes care of the leaders?
How do they stay sustainable?
How do they grow within themselves and survive the rigours and expectations of great leadership with minimal impact on what’s important to them outside of their leadership role?
They do it by becoming a sustainable leader.
WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP?
Sustainable is being “able to be maintained at a certain rate or level”.
So, a sustainable leader can perform at their peak without impacting them or their environment.
TOP FOUR THINGS SUSTAINABLE LEADERS DO
- They put themselves first
It sounds selfish, but the most powerful and sustainable thing a leader can do is put themselves first.
As this intense quote illustrates:
“You are not required to set yourself on fire to keep others warm,” – Anon.
The traditional adage is leaders eat last, but I disagree.
Leaders should eat first as there is no benefit in having an underprepared, malnourished leader at the helm every day.
They will be exhausted and performing below par because they are not focusing on creating sustainability as a leader.
One of the top-selling principals in Australia has a strict routine he adheres to every day.
He gets up and takes care of his mind, body, soul, wellbeing and wellness first.
Then he spends quality time with family before attending work.
They also take regular holidays.
Why is this important?
Because if you are not at your best, then how can you give others your best?
2. They focus on personal development first, not just leadership development
Most leaders are so caught up in training, courses or programs about leading others that they have no time to nurture and invest in their personal development.
You can attend all the leadership training in the world, but if you don’t have personal development, then it is worthless.
This was evident with high-level leadership globally before the EQ movement started to have an impact on leadership.
Leaders with high IQ were put in leadership positions but failed because they did not work on themselves or their emotional intelligence.
Leaders who work on making themselves better first become great leaders.
3. They have mentors
Sustainable leaders have mentors they can workshop their concerns and challenges with.
A mentor is a caring ear and guiding light.
Remember, no man is an island, which is what most leaders become.
Mentors can be objective and help leaders navigate through difficult times more easily and be a source of support, encouragement and reason during chaos.
“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” – Bob Proctor
4. They manage stress, anxiety and avoid burnout
“It’s not the stress that kills us; it’s our reaction to it.” – Hans Selye
Leaders control stress, it does not control them.
They don’t let the small stuff stress them or the big crises get the better of them.
They have a level of equipoise that sets them apart from the rest, and they can deal with high levels of pressure easier than most.
The sustainable leader has a holistic approach to leadership that allows them to be at their best across every aspect of their life.
