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I recently met with a very successful CEO and asked how happy he was on a scale from 0 to 10. He began answering, “In business, I’m…” I interrupted him. “No, not business—how happy are you?” After a pause, he realized he hadn’t considered the question. Isn’t it crazy how well the Industrial Age trained us to separate business from life? We are one person, living one life. At some point, it starts, and at some point, it ends.
The widespread failure of many leaders and professionals to understand that might go some way to explain some of the problems we face today. Something isn’t working. CEO tenures have dropped to record lows, turnover rates have soared after the “Great Resignation,” and loneliness has been declared a public health epidemic in the U.S. Leaders are burning out faster than ever. In our “25/8 always-on” world, leaders I speak to say they feel like they’re skiing ahead of an avalanche that’s getting closer every second.
The solution is a holistic approach. I always thought of leaders as high-performance athletes. Then I looked at my favorite sport, tennis, and noticed an opposing phenomenon. Athletes have been staying on top longer, improving with age, and extending their careers. Just look at Roger Federer or Serena Williams. What have they done differently?
They have focused on optimizing their energy level. Being physically fit isn’t enough. They were looking at the body, mind and soul. It’s not just about the hours on the court, but the person as a whole. Today’s leaders can learn a lot from this.
The Inner Game
Today, physical energy is reasonably well understood among leaders. But emotional, mental, and certainly spiritual energy are at best acknowledged, rarely consciously practiced.
Few understand that you can be in full control of your emotions with little training and boost your energy quickly.
When I talk to people about mental focus, it sometimes induces eyerolls, until I tell the story of the old…
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