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Rest—Investing Time to Become a Better Leader

By John C. Maxwell | September 3, 2019
Rest—Investing Time to Become a Better Leader

Recently, one of our team members at the John Maxwell Company shared an interesting struggle in his life: he’s forgotten how to rest. Some of the team was gathered for lunch and he volunteered his thoughts as everyone was talking.

“I just feel like, when I’m resting, that there’s something else I should be doing,” he said. “I feel like my time would be more productive if I were reading, or making something, or working towards a specific goal.”

Now, this is a highly productive team member who loves his work and enjoys making a difference through what he does. He’s a disciplined person with clear boundary lines for work, family, and community.

It was surprising for him to share this struggle, and especially ironic considering we’ve just celebrated Labor Day, a holiday designed to honor the working people of America by giving them a day to rest. But what he shared isn’t unusual. In fact, it’s something many leaders struggle with.

Do you ever feel that way?

Do you ever struggle with investing your time to increase your energy?

Because that’s what resting is: an investment. It’s easy for leaders to think that time spent actively doing something with an immediately measurable outcome is an investment; it’s difficult for them to think of time spent resting in the same way.

In a fast-forward culture, rest seems like a luxury we can’t afford.

I keep a busy schedule, but I understand that rest is an essential investment for my leadership. I can’t push myself beyond my limits every day; I must have time to rest. Granted, I may not rest too long, but that doesn’t change the fact that I need to pause every now and then!

Here’s why rest is such an important investment for leaders:

  1. It allows you to recover—your body needs recovery time. If you’ve ever been to a gym, even as a failed New Year’s Resolution, you’ve learned that every person’s body needs time to recover because that’s where the growth happens. When you work out, you break down your muscles; when you rest, those muscles recover and add strength that helps you push even farther next time. The same is true with our leadership muscles. If we want to grow, we must rest and recover.
  2. It allows you to reflect—you need time to look back in order to learn. Moving from challenge to challenge, or from opportunity to opportunity, might sound and seem exciting, but reflection is how we learn the lessons that help us get better. Since leaders separate themselves from the pack by seeing more and before others do, it’s a smart idea to set aside time to reflect because looking back helps us gain clarity for looking ahead.
  3. It allows you to rekindle—this is idea comes from Mark Cole, CEO of all my companies. Mark teaches our team that within the business cycle is a time for rekindling your passion for what you do. Resting allows you to rediscover the enthusiasm and energy you have for the work you do and the purpose you fulfill. If recovery is for the body and reflection is for the mind, then rekindling is for the heart. A leader needs all three to be effective.

Believe it or not, resting is a discipline like anything else. The team member I mentioned earlier is learning how to discipline himself in this way, and he’s learning (like I did) that it takes time and intentionality to find the right rhythm that works for you and your leadership. But make no mistake—it’s an essential part of your work as a leader. Taking time to invest in our physical, mental, and emotional health as leaders is just good business.

A burned-out leader reproduces burned-out people because we reproduce what we are, not what we want. Learning to rest is one of the best investments a leader can make.

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12 thoughts on "Rest—Investing Time to Become a Better Leader"

  • Rest—Investing Time to Become a Better Leader – John Maxwell – News says: September 3, 2019 at 12:11 pm

    […] Rest—Investing Time to Become a Better Leader […]

  • Gary says: September 3, 2019 at 1:34 pm

    I struggle with this. Time is now to adjust my attitude!

  • Mercy Achola says: September 4, 2019 at 6:14 am

    I like…rest for the body, reflection for the mind and rekindling for the heart.

  • Israel Jacob Yambala says: September 4, 2019 at 8:42 am

    Thank you John, I must say I really needed to hear this. I have been a victim of not resting because my paradigm has been wrong, taking the pressure of my leadership responsibilities too personally.

  • Gary D says: September 4, 2019 at 1:12 pm

    The body and mind can only go so long before we crash and burn. Ensure team members rest also. Conserve the fighting strength.

  • George Temar says: September 4, 2019 at 10:17 pm

    Thank you John for this inspiring words. It really helps me. I am learning more from you. Regards.

  • Deb Galan says: September 5, 2019 at 11:27 am

    Thank you, John, for your clarity with this subject. I actually did burn out & it has taken longer than I would have liked for the consequences to process. I can now look back & see how it happened & am allowing myself times of rest & total mental release of worry/stress.

  • Richard Walls says: September 6, 2019 at 1:09 pm

    I am having a beer and Chinese food, will take an afternoon nap amd then be ready to start anew.. Started by coming in for wrong shift, getting angry, making mistakes…time to hit the reset button!

  • Jeffrey Wolf says: September 6, 2019 at 1:47 pm

    Love it. Great to hear. Please rest while I take your market share. Much appreciated. More like this please.

  • Gangadharan. S says: September 11, 2019 at 10:41 am

    Excellent message. Thankyou pastor Jhon

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