How to Restock Your Personal Leadership Coffers Before Hitting Empty

I admit I’m obsessive about keeping my pantry stocked. There’s a sale on tomato sauce? I’m buying. Who wants to be caught without that one thing you need? We have shampoos, hand soap, and garbage bags to last for months. The shelves with soup are ready for that day when someone asks, “Do we have chicken noodle?” I keep an eye on what’s running low and replace it before we run out.

In life, I’m not as on the ball as I am at the grocery store. Let’s just say my personal leadership coffers hit empty far too often. It takes effort to keep them filled.

Over the years, most of my clients admit to running out of the same staples both at home and at the office too.  

Things we run out of on a regular basis: 

• Patience
• Kind words
• Time
• Willpower
• Focus
• Energy
• Space
• Initiative
• Spontaneity
• Moxie
• Hope
• Smiles
• Self-control
• Cool
• Serenity
• Tenacity
• Poise

Often, we’ll start working together because they need to restock their personal leadership coffers and don’t know where to begin. The best thing you can do before you’re running on empty is to keep fueling yourself in all areas of your life and not only in one dimension (which for most people ends up being work).

Here’s a no-fail plan to keep your personal leadership coffers well stocked for those times you need it most:

Prioritize what brings you joy. 

Love reading, exercise, or writing? Whatever it is that lights you up and feeds your soul, make it a priority even when life is busy.  

Your project plan telling you every minute is accounted for with no time for anything other than work? Revise the plan.  

Consider those things that bring you joy a personal charging cable that will refill you at double the speed than sitting in front of the TV for an extra hour before you pass out at the end of the day. 

Don’t poo-poo self-care. 

The first step was prioritizing joy, now it’s also prioritizing your mental, physical, and spiritual health. 

When you feel your blood pressure rising, do more than pop an Advil and rub your temples.  

Make yourself a healthy dinner instead of hitting the drive-through on your way home after another late night at the office. Take a vacation with the confidence that things will keep running and get done without you. Be unwilling to delete your walk or time with your family or friends just because another meeting needs to squeeze in somewhere.  

Refuse to be a patsy. 

People around you acting like five-year-olds? Are they always complaining, commiserating, and pointing fingers?  

You may be tempted to be the person who keeps things together and willing to be a punching bag more than once in a while as if it’s part of your job description. It’s not.  

If the people around you are taking advantage of you again and again, it’s up to you to set boundaries. Some people will take everything you have to give until you have nothing more. It’s not cruel to have boundaries – it’s necessary. 

Ask for help. 

You don’t have to do it all by yourself. You don’t. The challenge is when everyone thinks you’re doing just fine and juggling like a pro until the moment when everything crashes at your feet.  

People are there to help you, but they’re not mind readers; you have to ask for their input and support.  

The next time you are at your breaking point, don’t come unglued. Instead, let people into your world and they’ll be there to support you.  

Cave.  

Believe it or not, some things just don’t matter. I’d be willing to bet that you’ve lost it on more than one occasion thanks to one of those things. Most people have.  

When you invest all of your energy into winning a point that is inconsequential in the long run, you throw away all the stores on your shelves. Does it matter if the titles in the PowerPoint are bold in Red or in Blue? Will the world explode If your child doesn’t eat their vegetables?  

In a word, cave. Give in. As is often said, “lose the battle to win the war.”  

Sleep. 

There are people who pride themselves on only needing four hours of sleep a night. It’s true, some people can naturally get by with less than 6-8 hours but that’s a small percentage of the population. It also does not mean that those short sleepers at their peak effectiveness.  

A few nights of burning the midnight oil? You can get back on track with your sleep. Days and days and days of little sleep because you think you don’t need it? You do.  

Sleep refreshes and refuels you like little else can. Don’t short-change yourself.  

You can’t zip to the supermarket when your mental, emotional, and spiritual coffers are running low. Take care of yourself and invest in your mental health and wellbeing before it’s too late.