“You have one body, and your leadership lives in it.” Jo Saxton had a lot to overcome from her childhood, and it caused her to become a driven leader in her thirties. Eventually, her drivenness led her into a burnout so deep she ended up in the hospital.
Jo not only recovered but figured out how to accomplish more by doing less. She explains how that happened and how to reduce the level of fear and anxiety your team experiences.
Welcome to Episode 354 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.
Plus, in this episode’s What I’m Thinking About segment, Carey talks about the importance of sleep, why he prioritizes it, and offers some hacks on how to sleep better.
Guest Links
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Episode Links
Gloo
As we all know, COVID-19 disrupted how people relate with one another, and in many ways accelerated the Church’s need to engage with people online. But as we all know, that complicates things. Many leaders have lost visibility into who’s engaging with their church and how they can serve them.
Insights+, from our friends at Gloo, removes the confusion, to bridge the digital gap and restore connection between you and your people. You’ll be able to see who’s viewing your website, know if they’re members or visitors, see where they are locally or nationwide, and then re-engage them with next steps. Gain clarity on your online audiences so you can take action and reach the right people with the right message, online or in-person.
Learn more about Insights+ at glooinsights.com/carey
The Unstuck Group
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the rapid changes and decisions that need to be made right now as a ministry leader? My team at Connexus just wrapped up another strategic planning session with Tony Morgan at The Unstuck Group to clarify where we’re going in this season and how we’ll get there. I can’t recommend their coaching enough. We’ve used them again and again because their practical, proven approach actually works.
If you want to get a taste, The Unstuck Group is hosting an exclusive 1-Day Masterclass on July 30th on key shifts churches need to make because of the Coronavirus. It’s $99, and you’ll walk away with action steps and clarity around what needs to change to thrive in the post-pandemic world. My listeners get free access to Lesson One from the Masterclass Guidebook.
Download your copy and learn more at theunstuckgroup.com/carey
CONVERSATION LINKS
More Than Enchanting by Jo Saxton
Text CAREY 33777 to join more than 70,000 subscribers to our leadership content
6 Current Productivity Experiments That are Paying Off (+ 1 Fail) by Carey Nieuwhof
3 INSIGHTS FROM JO
1. Who were you before anyone told you who you were supposed to be
When Jo was growing up, she was told that since she was a Nigerian girl in 1970’s London, she would have to work twice as hard as everyone else just to be equal. She had been dehumanized by society away from her potential. This didn’t go away as she got older.
People told her that she “should” be quieter, or that she “should” go find a good man and do ministry that way, or that she “should” just let other people handle certain areas of ministry. Jo has learned that you can’t let what other people think you “should” be determine who you become. Stay true to how God has gifted you, no matter what other people think.
2. You have one body, and your leadership lives in it
Your body doesn’t lie. Jo and Carey have both learned this the hard way as they each went through their own seasons of burnout. When Jo was burning out, she saw how badly the people in her church needed her, so she kept working more hours. Eventually through insomnia and anxiety attacks, her body began telling her to stop, and eventually, it forced her to stop by putting her in urgent care.
Carey has a similar story with burnout when he didn’t listen to his body’s warnings. Have you? As a leader, the demand on your time and energy is immense. Add on being a great parent and spouse, friend or sibling, and it would be easy to sacrifice sleep, eating healthy, or exercise for the sake of work. Don’t. If you don’t put serious effort into taking care of your body, it will quit taking care of you.
3. It takes a village to make a leader
When you look deep into the stories of the greatest leaders in history, whether it’s Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, or other highly-influential leaders, you see that there was a movement of people surrounding them, making them who they were. Jo has also seen this in her own life.
Jo comes from a very communal culture that is different from the modern West. This communal mindset has taught her that not only does it take a village to raise a child, but it takes a village to raise a leader. You have probably seen this in your own life and leadership. So today, find a leader whose corner you can step into, and do it.
Quotes from Episode 354
You have one body, and your leadership lives in it. @josaxton Click To Tweet Who were you before anyone told you who you were supposed to be? @josaxton Click To Tweet There is a healing even in leading in the way you're wired. @josaxton Click To Tweet I had built my entire life on being twice as good to be equal. @josaxton Click To Tweet I was fighting to be equal. Now I know I'm equal, and I don't have to. @josaxton Click To Tweet When you're dehumanized, you get detached from your potential. @josaxton Click To Tweet Leaders, it's time to know you're enough. You're already good enough. And if you know that knowing that truth would change you in some way, then it's time to let it change you. @josaxton Click To Tweet We don't burn out because we want to. We burn out because of the other things that are driving us. @josaxton Click To Tweet You may have great ideas and be a wonderful businessman or a woman, a wonderful innovator, a great creative, but if your body's out, you're out. @josaxton Click To Tweet I decided where my intensity would go, and rather than my intensity going into endless activity, it would go towards my well-being. @josaxton Click To Tweet One of the big challenges in times when everything's shaken is, 'What in our expectations can stay the same and what has to change?' @josaxton Click To Tweet A leader without cultural competency is a leader with an interesting deadline. @josaxton Click To Tweet It's just really vital that as leaders, we are culturally cognizant, because not everybody experiences the world in the same way that we do. @josaxton Click To Tweet We need people who help us get roots and people who give us wings. @josaxton Click To Tweet I would ask every leader to consider, 'Who's your village?' @josaxton Click To Tweet The better you sleep, the higher your productivity. @cnieuwhof Click To Tweet A rested you is a better, kinder and more productive you. @cnieuwhof Click To TweetRead or Download the Transcript for Episode 354
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Next Episode: John Eldredge
When John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart came out 20 years ago, it struck a chord that continues to reverberate decades later about the message men and women most need to hear. John talks about his own unsustainable pace, what the internet is doing to our souls, and how to live your life at a pace your soul can sustain.
Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss Episode 355.
