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By Andy and Renie Bowman

If you work and work hard, you will understand this topic: exhaustion.

Too much constant physical or mental work, with no relaxation for your body and brain can bring on serious exhaustion. And that kind of tired, with no time for recuperating, is dangerous for you. 

You run the risk of pushing too far over the edge, which can easily mean that you end up being grounded for a while. Which is ultimately more costly for you than stepping-away time would be. Anyone with half a brain can understand that taking time away, even a stay-cay, is smarter and cheaper than a few days in your local hospital. And if your collapse happens to be of the mental or emotional kind? You are easily staring in the face of a much longer convalescence time.

But let’s say you are “Numero Uno,” the head of your organization, and you know you can’t afford the luxury of just walking away for a few days. Your company relies heavily on your leadership, and your empty desk could mean faulty repercussion-laden decisions being made. Which could lead to a loss of revenue, which would lead to financial losses that affect everyone in the company. I acknowledge the truth of that. But consider this truth, if that is something that you fear.

You definitely should have begun developing other competent leaders – yesterday. And if you don’t trust any of your employees to learn to lead? Then you have some leadership problems within yourself. Because your job is not only to lead your organization, but it is also to find, develop, and assign leaders to lead with you. If you do not develop other leaders, you are short-changing your business. Bottomline, if it stays in that controlling palm of your hand, it cannot grow past the size of the palm of your hand.

Believe me, other people in your business need and want you to ask them to step forward. To expect more from them. To train them to take over a department. Don’t be afraid to delegate responsibility. Applaud and reward effort. Refrain from punishing when they fail while they are learning. Discipline only with teaching and training in mind. And if you do happen to invest your time and leadership training into a dud who isn’t invested in the welfare and success of your company, demote that person as quickly as possible. Before the bleeding worsens. A person like that will put your company’s health on the bottom of their priority list.

But what if you are the head and also the tip of the tail for your company? It is you and you alone who is responsible for its success or failure, every day. There are no other beating hearts that care one whit whether your business falls flat on its face. You talk about stress! No doubt about it, going it alone in this world is extremely tough.

I simply refer you to paragraph one. For your own health, my friend.

Sponsored by Premier Coatings, Montgomery, Al   334-288-3351.

Podcasts available at Coffeetimecolumn.com. Send any responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com.  

The CoffeeTime Column is part of the Bowman’s ministry of preaching, writing, singing, and counseling. They also stay busy with public appearances and their radio program heard on The Gospel Station Network’s twenty stations. More information on them can be found at coffeetimewithandyandrenie.com.