The Art of Subtraction & Self-Governance
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Future Directors Founder, Paul Smith
ONE THING is for the busy (speak of the devil) Future Director, in which we pick just one thing Future Directors oughta know or do or stew on for the next month. We hope you get something (at least one thing) out of it.
It’s common at this time of year to be looking ahead to the days, weeks and months to come.
It would easy to start this month's One Thing with a line like, “I’ve been thinking a lot about (insert topic)…”. But honestly, we did this in December.
So, for the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about very little.
Why? Because 2023 was a huge year. Epic.
Not just for me, the team, or the Future Directors community. But, for most people.
We are still in a COVID world being asked to go back to normal like 2020-2022 didn't happen. We are in the midst of another period of political unrest, war, cost of living pressures, business failures, AI expansion, and so much more.
The seemingly endless need to work harder, smarter, more focussed, less distracted, more complex, and (far) more nuanced in response is well,...frankly, it’s exhausting.
Did anyone else feel exhausted?
Well, I know people did as I asked.
Not one person wasn’t tired. But, and here’s where I have been thinking (see what I did there 🙂), one of the things about high-performing leaders is their focus on self-governance, as well as board governance.
Self-governance has many elements, but the start is self-awareness. What are my drivers? What do I truly know about myself and my "operating system"?
With a bit of discovery and work, self-awareness can turn into self-mastery. Self-mastery isn't about instantly becoming smarter or better or more successful. It can show up in many ways.
Here are 5 elements that I think about... … … …
1) Committed self-care. Breaks. Time out. Good sleep. Unplugging. Healthy habits. As board members, we are hired for our brains, but to keep performing we need to look after our bodies and minds. This year, I’ve ...
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