There was a time a while back when people used to boast about their long work hours and how little sleep they needed. Some wore it as a badge of honour. There is strong research that shows sleep deprivation inhibits good decision making and therefore good leading. In fact, suffering from lack of sleep can be the equivalent of being drunk on the job. We wouldn’t stand for that, so why is it OK to be tired at work?
In his book, Essentialism, Greg McKeown says that ex US President Bill Clinton admits that every mistake he made as President was a result of him being sleep deprived. McKeown tells us that to be at our best we need to ‘protect the asset’, and that asset is ourselves. A key way of being at our best is to get enough sleep, yet plenty of us burn the candle at both ends and our leadership suffers as a result.
Harvard Medical School Professor, Charles Czeisler, a sleep medicine expert, in his article ‘Sleep Deficit: The Performance Killer’ claims that going without sleep for 24 hours or a week of sleeping four or five hours per night induces an impairment equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.1 (twice the legal limit to drive a car). While some busy executives are driving themselves to work long hours, thinking they are serving their organisations, it is likely they are making bad decisions and letting their people down.
How wide spread is it? A recent Australian study claimed 40% of employees aren’t getting enough sleep. The data from Workscore goes on to show that employees who are getting the recommend seven to nine hours per night have greater well being, enjoy better work life balance and have more energy than those sleeping less.
So, as leaders, what should be doing better when it comes to sleep?
Firstly, make sure that we are getting enough. Somewhere between seven and nine hours is recommended. Make it a priority.
Second, make sure that we switch off from work. Most us have work as a place we go to, as well as home. We should all have a ‘third place’ that forms a buffer between the two, either literally of metaphorically. Some examples are the gym for a workout, the beach or bush for a walk or catching up with friends socially.
We should also ‘unplug’. Don’t check phones and devices for emails and messages after a given time and certainly not during the night. Our minds need to wind down from work pressures.
Lastly, encourage your employees to also follow these good practices. Sleep well, lead better.
