This is excerpted with permission from the book “Bold Leadership for Organizational Acceleration”; by Jim Tompkins, CEO of Raleigh, NC-based Tompkins Associates, a supply chain consulting firm.
When you are thinking about treating others as they would like to be treated, you should not forget about yourself. You also need to treat yourself the way you’d like to be treated. Here are some tips for making sure that you treat yourself well:
Manage stress. Watch for signs of stress such as forgetfulness, fatigue, changes in appetite and back pain.
Gain control where you can. Look for areas that you can control and then control them
Seek balance. If you feel like a victim, try to figure out why. Perhaps you are a perfectionist or maybe you use people.
Take a 15-minute break each day. Reflect on the big picture.
Do what you love. Love your job, or find one that you do love.
Focus on your strengths. Do what you do well, and try to do more of it.
Have a mentor coach. Ask the question, ‘Who are my teachers today?’
Get out of your comfort zone. Go for risk. Do things differently.
Have a healthy support system. Have a personal board of directors that you can vent to or share ideas with.
Learn to say no. Quit doing something.
Think about the customer. What can you do for your customer today?
Be healthy. Are you healthy?
Define your personal purpose. Why do you get up in the morning?
Focus on the spiritual. Be right with yourself.
Spend time with good people. Be around spiritual leaders.
Lighten up. Smile. No day is so bad that you can’t find something positive about it or a reason to laugh.