A Leader’s Diet

How’s your diet?

We’re confronted with this daily and with everything we navigate, it’s not easy to stay focused on what’s best. After all, we have comfort food that feels good to eat. Then we have our pace and sometimes fast food is what is easiest. Then you have patterns, desires, and more. So yeah, our diets are complex and a challenge we all have to face.

It’s my hope we have a support system that helps us make good choices and develop a sustainable plan for long-term health.

But this blog is about our nutrition. It’s about the soul food of a leader and why this diet impacts everything.

Our actual diet is a picture of a deeper truth that must be intentional daily.

A leader’s diet will feed them personally and then spill over to those they’re lead including their family and friends. The output of the diet is far and wide because leaders have influence, which means many people are impacted by them for better or for worse.

The leader’s diet references the intake of podcasts, books, messages, Bible reading, TED talks, personal relationships, and having clear goals.

When leaders have a healthy diet, they are growing, challenged, honest, humble, and focused.

When leaders have unhealthy diets, they isolate, blame shift, go inward, see short term, and are scattered.

So, how’s your diet as a leader?

The truth is, we all want healthy diets. We know this inherently and we’re reaching for it. But the actual practice and pattern of a healthy diet is easier said than done, which is why we must have a plan and accountability.

Anything with our habits changing for the good requires a plan and accountability. The Bible says it this way.

“9. Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.”

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬-‭10

Notice success comes with others and when we fall, we can get back up with their help. This is needed with a leader’s diet.

So, here’s how we move forward.

1st – We have a plan.

Having a plan empowers us to have success with the goals and desires we have. When it comes to our leadership diet, having a plan of reading books, listening to podcasts, and having strategic relationships is a must. We can’t just do random things and expect strategic results.

To have the results we want, we need a plan that we walk out consistently.

For me, I have certain podcasts I listen to every week on a certain day of the week. This gives me a plan I follow and because of it, I have a consistent healthy diet that is building me up.

I have a goal of how many books I’m going to read in a year and I do it. Then I have a Bible reading plan along with key friendships that help me grow.

This empowers me to have a diet that makes me strong and stretches my leadership ability.

A leader’s diet is like lifting weights. The more they do it, the more the leadership muscle is developed and strengthened. Then, we carry more weight, help others grow, and fulfill our purpose.

We must have the right diet for long-term growth and impact.

2nd – We have accountability.

Leaders have success when they’re accountable. We all need this and when we have it, we’re better for it!

A leader’s diet is healthy when accountability is included.

Are you accountable?

Of course, we should be accountable to ourselves, but having accountability with others is a massive part of ongoing success. When we have to give an account for what we’ve done, and what we’re doing, it helps us stay focused and do what’s right.

Isolation brings excuses and stagnation. Insulation brings accountability and growth. This is how we move forward with a healthy leader diet.

We’re better when someone can ask us, how are you doing in private? How’s your marriage? How’s your kids? How’s your focus? How’s your attitude?

These questions and more breed growth and it’s how we move to new levels.

It’s my belief that the moment is now and the diets we have a long-term impact. So, I encourage you to choose a leader diet that has a plan and accountability.

Move forward. Breakthrough yourself and see what God can do through you.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬

The best is yet to come,

PD