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Jet lag and stress can have the same negative effects on you and your ability to function in your life and career. Both will give you many or most of these symptoms; fatigue, aches, pains, insomnia, low energy, irritability, inability to concentrate, and lack of focus. Imagine experiencing these maladies without even traveling overseas to an exotic destination.
Would you voluntarily choose to experience any of these symptoms?
During my first large scale operations turn around, for a Fortune 100 Company, I experienced almost all of the symptoms of jet lag without ever leaving the office. was overwhelmed by the volume of work that had to be out back in order and the limited resources and timeline to get it done.
On a daily basis, I was challenged to get enough sleep to be ready for the next day’s exhausting routine of putting out fires and chasing solutions. Insomnia and fatigue often lead to headaches and body pains. I was nowhere near 100% as I was working on one of the biggest challenges of my career. The stress on most days was all-consuming and yet, I had to put on my leadership face and motivate others to follow the Vision for Success Plan.
As a result of that first experience with turning around a large scale operations division, I learned some valuable lessons about to take care of myself and to productively avoid the pitfalls of jet lag and stress. Working my way through those symptoms taught me how to avoid them in my future career challenges.
I learned how to say No when the challenge was outside of my skills and expertise.
I learned how to add balance to my schedule which resulted in quality time with my family.
I learned that no one would ever be as proud or grateful as me when I completed a challenge.
These lessons learned supported me through some massive career challenges and allowed me to model them for others in similar situations.
Many of us have the tendency to jump in and neglect the work needed to prepare us for massive career changes, so that makes it even more important to those of us who have some awareness to be there to support those who are about to jump in the deep end and come out with some of the negative symptoms of jet lag and stress. We all could use the support of a coach or mentor in these trying times in our careers.
Was there a time in your career when you experienced jet lag or stress like symptoms that negatively impacted your well being and ability to achieve successful outcomes? The truth is that you don’t have to go through the challenges on your own, and leaders who know when and how to reach out for help, support, and guidance are far more likely to be successful in their careers and in modeling leadership competencies for others.
Just like there a preventative ways to avoid jet lag, you can find ways to avoid experiencing stress in the most challenging times of your career. Ask for what you and accept it gratefully.
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Phil's corporate career has spanned over 40 years at 8 companies in two industries on five continents. As a result of his passion and enthusiasm for learning and sharing business best practices and inclusive leadership, he is a powerful and proficient contributor to organizational transformations. Phil’s career experiences, as an openly gay man, with multiple Fortune 100 Companies influenced him to become a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advocate and Ally.
