I have been consistently waking up between 3:00 AM and 3:30 AM. Each time this happens I am reminded there are perks to leadership and there is a price to leadership. One of the prices leaders often pay, rightly or wrongly, is sleepless nights.
The anxiousness, the stress dreams, the pit in your stomach, the tossing and turning, the constant rehearsing of conversations. This is the responsibility leaders often carry. If you have been in leadership anytime at all you know what I am talking about. It is hard NOT to sometimes carry issues to bed. These issues become unwelcome companions.
The following are 10 Things Which Wake Leaders Up At 3:00 AM:
- New Ideas – This is actually a welcome interruption. Creative energy often generates thoughts when least expected. I don’t mind having this occur. Always keep a notepad and pen in your nightstand and capture these nocturnal bits of genius.
- Defining Moments – For leaders, this is similar to a child the night before Christmas. Whenever I have a big speech, meeting, or significant activity about to take place, I often am filled with so much anticipation I re-visit an event over-and-over which has yet to happen. While nocturnal ideas are part of my creative process, this activity is part of the preparatory process. I don’t mind waking up to this one either.
- Difficult Conversations – Difficult conversations, either the previous or upcoming day, often keep me awake.
- Missed Expectations – If either myself or my team are not hitting goals, it can and often does interrupt my evenings.
- Fear – I know it’s a sin but am I the only one worries about the future? What about the job, or that client, or the pending contract, or a health issue, or something with my family, or the A/C breaking, or…..you get the picture.
- Intuition – Do you ever get the sense that something is wrong or you forgot something? This sixth sense often proves to be wrong and I worried about nothing.
- Finances – There are very few things that weigh you down like financial responsibilities. Whether it is a company you lead or your personal bank account, I have probably spent more sleepless nights over this issue than any other.
- Market Changes – As a leader, you have no control over market changes but they still can keep you awake. I know many loan officers, construction workers, bankers, and pastors who have struggled over the impact of an economic crisis they simply had no control of.
- Family – Nothing attacks the fiber of your being and drives a person to their knees like family issues. Enough said.
- Mistakes – I have never understood people who say “I wouldn’t change any of my mistakes because they’ve made me the person I am today.” Really??? I would love to have a series of do-overs. Matter of fact, I know of something I would like to change that happened an hour ago.
Well that is my list. What keeps you up at night? Let us know and we will talk about it…just not at 3:00 AM!
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