Wisdom of Flight Attendants Revisited

Last May I wrote about the wisdom of the ever-present, often-ignored airline safety announcement and the power of welcoming people onboard.  Waiting to take off recently, I listened once again.  This time I was struck by this part of the message:

Please make sure to secure your own mask before assisting others.

This is not a selfish act.  While it is different for each of you, you know how it feels and how you behave when you ignore your own needs for the sake of others.  As a manager, if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t effectively help your team.

So what are some things you can do on the job to make sure you’re in best shape you can be?

•    Attend to your own growth.
Identify development goals and some assignments, projects, and training that will help you meet them. Share where you want to go and enlist people who can support you.  Set some targets and work toward them.

•    Get feedback.
Let people know what you are working to improve and ask them to tell you how you’re doing.  Also ask people what you do well and focus on increasing those strengths.

•    Identify what you find most satisfying about your job.
Ask yourself if you’re doing enough of those things.  What’s missing that would make the day better?  For some people it’s planning time.  For others it’s an uninterrupted conversation with a direct report. Whatever it is make it happen.

The reason to do these things is simple and powerful.  If you’re “out of breath,” you cannot give your best to your team and your business.  And isn’t that what we all want this New Year!