The Breaking Point In Leadership

Everyone has a point where they break.

The last straw is broken, you can't hold things together anymore.

It can hit in all different ways - in our businesses, in our teams, with our families, in our emotions, and even in our health.

Yesterday I hit that point in my emotions.

I released a floodgate of emotions that had been building up for a fair amount of time.

Most people see me as an extremely calm person, able to weather just about any storm - it is actually one of the things that clients tend to love about my coaching.

But yesterday, I was definitely not calm.

Everything came out, like a tidal wave or a hurricane.

Today, I feel a shock through my system, like the aftermath of a giant storm.

You have the feeling of wondering if certain things are gone after the storm and wondering what reconstruction efforts will need to happen.

That is what happens when you hit the breaking point.

It is always healthy to feel emotions, and I like to believe I handled my emotions the best that I could in the moment.

Did I?

I'm not certain yet, time will tell.

However, time does not wait for our certainty.

Leaders need to be ready to act before certainty exists.

So what do Leaders need to do when they hit this point?

A breaking point is a major stress event in your life - so are you repairing the stress damage?

Are you taking in the right minerals and nutrition to recover?

Are you taking the time you need to recover?

Are you taking account of what needs to be done after you have recovered?

If you are lucky and have prepared for these types of eventualities, you will be able to find ways to get into Flow States which help with the recovery process.

So today, I am taking my Adrenal Cocktails and getting my Magnesium to help repair the stress damage and create new energy stores (Mg-ATP).

I am taking account of any aftereffects from everything and seeing what work I may need to do going forward.

I am writing this essay now, #137 in a row this year.

For me, writing has become a way to access Flow States, a form of Meditation that works really well for me.

The Flow State releases many chemicals and hormones in the body that assist with repairing the body and mind.

I will continue to move toward my goals, at a pace that I am able to go today.

It will be slower than I may like, but it is a speed that works for me today for where I find myself.

Most of the time, as a Leader, you cannot simply release control of everything.

But are you seeking help from those you are able?

Who can you turn to in your support network?

For me, my first support is God, through my Faith.

Second, is my Family, those who are closest to me and that I recognize as important parts of my life.

However, support networks are not limited to these, you should also develop them in your work.

Who in the office are you able to rely on to help during the breaking points?

Do you have a coach who is able to be a support for you when you hit the breaking point?

We are designed by nature to be interdependent, you cannot survive in life by yourself.

Those who try, end up creating crutches that are never quite the same.

Whether it is a volleyball on a deserted island or an AI companion, they never quite stack up to real support.

Ensure that you have some form of support to help you get through the hard times.

Most importantly, remember this:

You are human.

You won't do things perfectly, no matter how hard you do.

You likely did the best you could in the moment at that point in time.

The past has already happened and you can't do anything to change the past (unless you've somehow created a time machine, but that poses all sorts of other discussions I can't get into right now).

So allow the past to be the past, learn from it, and ask yourself where to go from here.

Give yourself a bit of grace, you are still human just like every other person on this place we call home.

Figure out what you need to do from here, to build yourself up stronger and better than you were before.

You may have hit a breaking point, just as I have, but that doesn't mean YOU are broken.

We move forward and make the best with what we are given.