June and July have brought extreme challenges to leadership across all job sectors. Join us in this thought experiment for a moment. Imagine a young second-year principal or a young entrepreneur opening their first start-up. Both have a team they lead and a community they serve. These are the most exciting times of their lives. They are well prepared and stand fearless as they observe the world before them.

Now, let’s review their “I’m Starting a New Chapter” timeline:

Those two young leaders remain steadfast in their commitments, but they no longer describe the times as “exciting.” Regardless, they have done a remarkable job caring for their teams and communities. 

But we have to ask, who’s taking care of our leaders? 

We are worried that both veteran and rookie leaders and influencers have been so focused on taking care of others that they have neglected self-care. As leaders, we must practice what we teach, or our teams and communities will stop listening to what we say. 

Take a lesson from the airline industry and use the Oxygen Mask Principle. When the oxygen masks drop, put yours on first before you help others. If you’re short on oxygen, simple tasks become overwhelming and worse, your actions are ineffective. 

This principle is true in all areas of life. You can’t pour from an empty cup. You must thrive before you can create a thriving environment.

Setser Group is a collective of leaders, entrepreneurs, and designers who are reimagining the future of work and learning. We surveyed our team for their self-care practices, and here’s what we found. 

Now we’re asking you to go out and practice self-care. Your team and family will thank you for it, and you’ll become a better leader.

The market is filled with self-care and leadership resources. These three have risen to the top for Setser Group. 

WHOOP

We love wearables! One of our favorites is WHOOP, which monitors your sleep, recovery, and daily effort around the clock to deliver actionable insights on how you can optimize your performance.

Aloe Bud

This app makes sure you're taking care of yourself every day. The app sends gentle nudges throughout the day, reminding you to drink water, eat, reach out to friends, be mindful, and more. The app helps you establish routines that turn into the discipline of your self-care.

The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage

Renowned psychologist Susan David shares how the way we deal with our emotions shapes everything in work and personal lives. This TED Talk has been described as “life-changing.” Her talk challenges a culture that prizes positivity over emotional truth and discusses the powerful strategies of emotional agility. Give it a watch!

As we think about preparing the leaders of tomorrow, we want to give a big shoutout to MLW, the Maryland Leadership Workshops. MLW is a non-profit organization that works with middle and high school students. Through peer-led facilitation, MLW inspires adolescents and teens to be engaged and involved. Through MLW’s workshops, participants become empowered with the skills and confidence to make a difference in their schools and communities.

Check out MLW here, and imagine if every teen went through this program.

Our CEO Bryan's son Ben is at the camp right now. What we especially appreciate is how the workshop posts daily camper updates with photos. It’s great to see camp life and daily activities vs. the complete lack of communication in most summer camps.

From Bryan: “Young people need to learn from other adults, peers, and students who are younger and older than them far more than just their parents. A wide, diverse, and charitable view of the world coupled with deep individual and team experiences is why we chose to send our son to MLW.”

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Are leaders practicing the self-care they are teaching? See the Setser Group strategies and tell us about your self-care practices! Learn more at https://www.setsergroup.com/connect

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