Purpose of Work

Lost your spark?  Focus on helping others.

Throughout the year, quarter, month… energy levels rise and fall.  Interest wanes, and motivation comes and goes.  When you are in a lull think about the purpose of your leadership.  Focus on helping others.

No matter how much you love what you are doing and enjoy spending time on your work, you will have episodes when you lose that spark.  Paying attention to yourself, you may seem to ebb and flow in a pattern, or you may notice that certain events trigger low points or high points.  Take time to recognize this.  If this is the first time you are attempting to, it may take a while to recognize the patterns.  Be patient and keep taking notes.

During the high points, work can be easy, you can get a lot done, and you can power through difficult tasks.  Use these high points to do just that and combat difficult, scary work.  Being more energized will help you navigate the pitfalls and speed bumps with less thought and fear.  You will be more willing to give it a shot.

Don’t try to power through the low points, they are there for a reason.  They may show up to remind your body to take rest, or that you may need more time or training on a certain task you are working on.  Again, by paying attention to yourself, you will better recognize what you need to get through this low time.  Rest may be all you need, so take a break, a vacation day, even just a half day, and totally remove work from your thoughts.  Do something you enjoy, and completely engulf yourself in it.  Catch up on some sleep.

If you still feel like working, but you are not fully engaged, remember why you are a leader: to help others.  (If that isn’t your top reason, I would encourage you to rethink whether leadership is right for you.)  Schedule some one-on-one meetings with your team, walk around your area and see how people are doing, or check in on the difficult project and see it they need assistance.  Filling in this low time by helping others will not only spend this time in a useful, effective manner, but it will also bring in positive energy helping you to move through the low point more quickly and smoothly.  Seeing other people catch on to something new or overcome a problem will begin to empower you.

Keep the ebb and flow that we as individuals go through in mind as you work with your team too.  Each individual may be in a different place, and you should work to be aware of this as you work with everyone.  This information will help you to motivate some folks and deescalate any conflicts that could arise.

If you are feeling a little down or sluggish, remember leaders are here to help others.  Focusing on helping your team will aid yourself in moving past this low time positively and productively.