When you get on an aircraft you will likely see a safety briefing. They might be in person, they might be humorous, they could be both. They might be recorded, they might be musical, they could be both. They might be on brand with the carriers home location. They might have famous people in them too.
But in all of them there will be a line about what to do in the event of cabin depressurization (the putting an oxygen mask on bit)
You know the section "in the unlikely event...mask will deploy... tighten the elastic... the bag may not inflate...etc."
And here is an image from the safety card showing you what to do too.
And one of the key messages in that section is put your own oxygen mask on first - before you help anyone else.
The briefing continues and helps you walk through how to help children and others get their mask on.
There is a leadership lesson here. We cannot help others in a crisis situation until we help ourselves first.
So if your team is burning out with the stress of pressure, struggling with deadlines or transformation - how are you looking after yourself? As with the oxygen mask, once you are able to deal with the emergency for yourself, then you can help others. If not ,you too are a liability.
Self care is a leadership skill seldom taught and oft neglected. How do you care for yourself?
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