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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and golajiving. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellovledo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode four fifty five. I want to start today

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<v Speaker 2>with a personal admission. I have a hard time relaxing

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<v Speaker 2>and doing nothing. I'm a creative, which means I have

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<v Speaker 2>two speeds sleep or working on something, and there is

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<v Speaker 2>no in between. And if you're listening to this, chances

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<v Speaker 2>are you might be wired the same way. Now here's

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<v Speaker 2>the challenge. As leaders. We're rewarded for that constant forward motion.

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<v Speaker 2>People look at us and think they never stop. They're

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<v Speaker 2>always creating, building, pushing and driving the mission forward. And

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<v Speaker 2>that's true. But there's a fine line between being productive

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<v Speaker 2>and being consumed. So let me explain. Creativity is both

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<v Speaker 2>a gift and a trap. The gift is obvious. It

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<v Speaker 2>allows you to see opportunities that others miss. You can

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<v Speaker 2>take a spark of an idea and turn it into

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<v Speaker 2>a business, a project, or a new way of leading.

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<v Speaker 2>That's why your team trusts you. You're the one pulling

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<v Speaker 2>the organization into the future. But the trap. The trap

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<v Speaker 2>is subtle. If you're always working, always turning over the

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<v Speaker 2>next idea, you can trick yourself into believing that rest

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<v Speaker 2>is laziness, that downtime is wasted time. And here's the

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<v Speaker 2>truth that took me years to learn. Rest is not

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<v Speaker 2>wasted time, it's required time. Without it, you don't sharpen

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<v Speaker 2>the blade, you dull it. And think about athletes, even

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<v Speaker 2>the best in the world don't play every day. They rest, recover,

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<v Speaker 2>and train. If they only played, they'd burn out or

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<v Speaker 2>get injured. Yet, leaders, especially creative ones, believe they can

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<v Speaker 2>stay in constant output mode forever. And that's not sustainable.

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<v Speaker 2>So here's the key leadership takeaway. If you operate with

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<v Speaker 2>only two speeds, you need to be intentional about when

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<v Speaker 2>you hit each one. Sleep is where you reset. But

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<v Speaker 2>true recovery also means creating intentional margins in your life,

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<v Speaker 2>margins where you're not producing, not creating, not pushing, but

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<v Speaker 2>simply allowing your mind and body to recharge. For me,

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<v Speaker 2>I had to reframe how I thought about relaxation. I

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<v Speaker 2>don't think of it as doing nothing anymore. I think

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<v Speaker 2>of it as doing something critical for my leadership, taking

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<v Speaker 2>a walk, sitting outside with a cup of coffee, having

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<v Speaker 2>a conversation that isn't about work. Those are investments, and

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<v Speaker 2>investments pay dividends later. When you don't create those margins

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<v Speaker 2>that I mentioned before, here's what happens. Your creativity begins

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<v Speaker 2>to recycle the same old ideas. You start chasing busyness

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<v Speaker 2>instead of progress, and worst of all, you stop being

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<v Speaker 2>fully present with the people who need you most, both

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<v Speaker 2>at home and at work. So, if you're like me

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<v Speaker 2>and you only know two speeds, here's the challenge I'll

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<v Speaker 2>leave you with today. Schedule intentional recovery. Don't just wait

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<v Speaker 2>until you're exhausted. Treat recovery with the same importance that

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<v Speaker 2>you would treat a meeting, a deadline, or a project with.

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<v Speaker 2>Put it on your calendar, protect it, and honor it.

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<v Speaker 2>So here's the payoff with all of this. When you

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<v Speaker 2>step back, even briefly, you don't lose momentum, You gain clarity.

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<v Speaker 2>You come back sharper, fresher, and more creative than before.

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<v Speaker 2>That's the difference between a leader who survives and a

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<v Speaker 2>leader who thrives. So yes, I still have a hard

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<v Speaker 2>time doing nothing, but I'm learning that doing nothing sometimes

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<v Speaker 2>means doing everything that truly matters for my longevity as

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<v Speaker 2>a leader. This has been the seven minute Leadership Podcast,

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<v Speaker 2>and I thank you for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more Paul fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.