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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 goalachieving. 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 three forty eight and let me start with

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<v Speaker 2>a question. When your head hits the pillow at night,

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<v Speaker 2>what runs through your mind? Is it the budget, the

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<v Speaker 2>toxic team member, that big meeting tomorrow, the growing list

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<v Speaker 2>of things you didn't get to today, or maybe it's

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<v Speaker 2>that one conversation that you avoided because it was uncomfortable.

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<v Speaker 2>As leaders, we don't get the luxury of flipping a

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<v Speaker 2>switch at five pm and shutting down. Our minds stay

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<v Speaker 2>in motion. We replay the day forecast tomorrow in spiral

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<v Speaker 2>through worst case scenarios. We might not admit out loud.

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<v Speaker 2>That's the burden of leadership, being responsible for more than

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<v Speaker 2>just ourselves. But here's the truth. What keeps you up

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<v Speaker 2>at night reveals what kind of leader that you are.

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<v Speaker 2>If it's fear of confrontation, it may mean you've avoided

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<v Speaker 2>something that's long overdue. If it's guilt about work life balance,

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<v Speaker 2>maybe your personal priorities are being drowned out. If it's

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<v Speaker 2>worry about your team, then you're probably a servant leader

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<v Speaker 2>who cares deeply, sometimes too deeply. I've had my share

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<v Speaker 2>of sleepless nights. When I first stepped into a senior

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<v Speaker 2>leadership role. I can remember laying awake wondering if I

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<v Speaker 2>made the right decision in a hiring situation. That single

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<v Speaker 2>thought morphed into a web of worry. What if they underperform?

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<v Speaker 2>What if the team doesn't accept them? What if I

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<v Speaker 2>lose the respect of the people who trusted me to

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<v Speaker 2>lead That one decision it kept me up for a week.

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<v Speaker 2>But here's what I learned. What keeps you up at

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<v Speaker 2>night is often a signal, not a sentence. It's a

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<v Speaker 2>signal that something needs attention. It's your mind poking you,

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<v Speaker 2>saying hey, don't bury this. And as leaders, we can't

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<v Speaker 2>afford to ignore those signals. We have to learn to

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<v Speaker 2>face them head on and translate sleeplessness into strategy. So

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<v Speaker 2>let me offer you three practical strategies for dealing with

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<v Speaker 2>the thoughts that haunt leaders at night. Number one, capture,

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<v Speaker 2>don't carry. When something hits your mind late at night,

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<v Speaker 2>write it down, keep a note, pat or your phone nearby.

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<v Speaker 2>The goal isn't to fix it in the moment, it's

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<v Speaker 2>to unload it. There's science behind this. Externalizing a thought

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<v Speaker 2>reduces its emotional weight, and you'll rest better knowing it's

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<v Speaker 2>at least captured. Number two, categorize the concern. Ask yourself,

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<v Speaker 2>is this a control issue, a clarity issue, or a

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<v Speaker 2>communication issue. If you can't control it, acknowledge that. If

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<v Speaker 2>you lack clarity, schedule time to get the answers. If

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<v Speaker 2>it's a conversation you're avoiding, plan it, don't procrastinate it.

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<v Speaker 2>And number three, convert anxiety into action. Worry is wasted

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<v Speaker 2>energy if it doesn't lead to movement. If something keeps

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<v Speaker 2>returning night after night, make a plan, even a small

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<v Speaker 2>first step is better than living on a hamster wheel

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<v Speaker 2>of mental stress. And let's be honest for a second.

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<v Speaker 2>Some of us lie awake because we care. We carry

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<v Speaker 2>the weight of people's lives, their paychecks, and their futures.

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<v Speaker 2>That's not weakness, that's leadership. But here's the leadership checkpoint.

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<v Speaker 2>If your sleepless nights outnumber your peaceful ones, you're doing

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<v Speaker 2>too much alone. Leadership isn't a solo sport, Build a team,

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<v Speaker 2>build a system, Build rhythms in your day so that

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<v Speaker 2>your nights don't become the catch all for unresolved chaos.

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<v Speaker 2>If you're leading an organization and you're up at two

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<v Speaker 2>am worrying about that one toxic team member, you've got

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<v Speaker 2>to ask yourself why is this still unresolved? If your

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<v Speaker 2>mind races about money or mission drift, maybe it's time

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<v Speaker 2>for a recalibration. And if it's burnout, then it's time

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<v Speaker 2>to admit you need a break or at least a breather.

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<v Speaker 2>In leadership, silence can be loud, and nighttime has a

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<v Speaker 2>way of amplifying the voices that we ignored all day.

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<v Speaker 2>Don't run from that. Listen to what it's telling you,

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<v Speaker 2>but don't camp there. Either write it down and capture

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<v Speaker 2>it and use it as fuel to lead better tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 2>So tonight, when your eyes open at three am and

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<v Speaker 2>that thought starts racing through your head, I had to

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<v Speaker 2>ask yourself is this something I need to carry or

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<v Speaker 2>something that I need to confront. Is it worry or

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<v Speaker 2>is it wisdom knocking at my door? This has been

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<v Speaker 2>the seven minute Leadership Podcast, and I thank you for listening.

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