Why prioritising self-care is vital to lead through turbulent times

High performance in business is a necessity, but it can’t be sustained on the inevitable roller coaster of ups and downs without prioritising physical and mental wellbeing. 

Consider for a moment how professional tennis players travel the world month on month competing in events spread across more than 30 countries. Performance is the currency of success. You win and you advance. You lose and it’s back on a plane and off to the next hotel, the next practice court, and so on. Even the best players find it tough. 

Tennis is not alone in its gruelling schedule. Just about every top sport now loads up its program to meet the insatiable demands of media, fans and the sponsors that feed off them.

Fatigue, injuries, burnout and sport science research have all played a part in transforming the elite sport training environment. Old ways of loading up physical training to achieve peak performance have been remodelled in a new paradigm in which balance between performance and wellbeing is key, and mindset tools and techniques are prized:

Performance + Wellbeing = Thrive in turbulence

Ongoing workplace turbulence compels leaders to consider using those high-performance insights and tools to sustain performance and wellbeing through everything from the disruptions of pandemics, cyber attacks, and media pile-ons to the ongoing pressures of new technologies, workforce shortages and the relentless pace of change.

Know your energy patterns and habits

Where does your energy come from and what do you do on a regular basis to maintain and enhance your overall health and wellbeing?

When asked of leaders and business professionals, this question often draws a blank, perhaps because the first casualty of increased turbulence is often self-care. The pattern goes something like this:

• Workload increases (energy out).
• Healthy habits like exercising and relaxing are sidelined to fit in other demands (less energy in).
• Reserves of energy drop; stress and fatigue set in, often accompanied by less healthy habits that mask the symptoms (energy depleted).

A new pattern is soon established, and it’s double trouble because not only has the load increased but the habits that previously helped body and mind to rest, reset and rejuvenate are gone.

Attend to your inner game

Now-retired Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel could often be found just before qualifying sitting in a stationary car, eyes closed, visualising the lap ahead:

“Once you start the lap, there’s no time to think so you clear your mind and you have to be in the moment. Even if you make a mistake, it’s important not to think about it. You just focus corner by corner, ideally, let it flow.”

Vettel was seeking his ‘zone’. Chances are you’ve heard sportspeople reflecting on their performance and saying they were ‘in the zone’, that holy grail mindset of total immersion in the game with energy, rhythm and confidence flowing in the right way.

Peak zone and performance zone

Peak experiences are notoriously hard to replicate, but if you dial it back a little there’s lots you can learn from your own experiences at what we call ‘A-game level’.

The A-game level is what happens when you really do show up. Consider it your best 20 to 25% performance. It’s when you are clear-minded, fully engaged in the task and open to opportunity. It’s when you bring your natural adaptive mindset – constructive – courageous – creative.

Sometimes we go looking for tools and tactics we don’t need. Your A-game is a great place to explore and unpack your best, to discover the triggers or blocks to showing up at your best.

A blueprint for your A-game

An important strategic planning meeting is about to begin. You are seated with a dozen or so colleagues around a large table readying for what will inevitably be difficult conversations and decisions. 

Imagine each of your colleagues has a bracelet on their wrist that registers one of three colours depending on the frame of mind they are in at that moment:

• Blue bracelets are thinking about achieving outcomes and building a stronger team and organisation. They’re alert, energetic and confident. They’re open to tackling the biggest issues, very tuned into the team dynamics and keen to unlock potential.
• Red bracelets are thinking about winning or losing. They’re more amped than the blue bracelets and feel edgy, impatient, even a bit frustrated. They want outcomes provided they have control and certainty.
• Green bracelets are thinking they’d rather be somewhere else. They are cautious and tentative, keen to fit in and most likely will wait on others before committing to anything.

The bracelets describe three typical mind zones. Blue bracelet or blue zone is most characteristic of ‘A-game level’, while red and green doesn’t automatically mean they won’t do well, but they have a lower chance of success over time. 

Contrast that to times when you don’t feel in control of your game and are a bit more ‘red’ or ‘green’. Relationships seem strained and transactional, it’s hard to connect the dots on complex issues, and it’s easy to feel isolated and under siege.

That’s why athletes train for the zone. They know they’ll feel more in control of their game, with a clear and composed mind, focusing on what matters, making good choices and teaming with others, rather than a cluttered or hurried mind with its distractions, pressures and sense of conflict. 

Imagine the possibilities if you applied the same approach. Treating yourself like an elite athlete. Preparing your mind; managing your energy levels; building disciplined mental routines for yourself; and for your team. Playing your ‘A game’ when you need it most. That’s a key to thriving in turbulent times.

This article is an edited extract from the book Toolkit For Turbulence: the mindset and methods that leaders need to turn adversity to advantage by Graham Winter and Martin Bean.