To Action: Personal R & D

Through many of my conversations with clients lately, I’m hearing a consistent theme: Burnout.

For many of these clients, change momentum is falling backwards.

Not only are we nearing the end of this calendar year (I swear Christmas decorations are getting put up earlier each year!), but the shift to WFH, along with lockdowns has meant less personal time off, a lack of needed escape, and a greater blur between work and personal life.

It’s been a tough year.

Now, if there’s one thing I’ve learned across my career, it’s that there is always work to be done. Always another deadline. Always another deliverable.

But here’s the funny thing. It’s only through creating intentional time and space that we are able to make the more meaningful moves. When I tell people about my book, so often they ask “How did you find the time to write it?!”. The truth is, I created the first cut of the book plan at a consulting workshop in Miami almost 3 years ago. It took me all of 20 mins to pull the frame together. That 20 minute investment shaped what later grew into the book that we all know as Valuable Change today.

What I’m talking about here is time dedicated to what I call ‘Personal Research & Development’. Finding that time in your week to put aside the everyday grind and invest in you.

It’s how you become a better leader.

Action: Allocate some time this week for ‘Personal R&D’. Read a book. Make a strategy. Or just stare out the window and let your brain cement in the many new neural connections that you have created over the last week.

Bonus Points: Install Personal R & D into your teams too.