Yesterday morning I was awakened by a chirp. Not a spring-time-birds-singing chirp. This one was much louder. This one was saying, “Wake-up idiot.” I tried to roll over and ignore it, but this chirp didn’t come with a snooze option.

The chirp I heard was from one of our smoke detectors. There was no fire; just a sleepy homeowner who hadn’t changed the batteries in a while. Recognizing it was time, I pushed my wife out of bed . . . It would have been better for me if there had been a fire.

As leaders, wouldn’t it be great it there were chirps to remind us that it is time to take care of ourselves.

A relationship at home needs maintenance. Chirp. Some coworker needs encouragement. Chirp. Your body needs more exercise. Chirp. Its time to spend some time reflecting on your priorities. Chirp.

Unfortunately, the “self-leadership” chirps can sometimes be hard to hear.

If you want to be a great leader, you must learn to listen for the chirps. They are there. Small clues that are calling out for your attention.

Set aside some time this week and do some self evaluation. If your schedule is crowded, your home is cluttered, and you are afraid to step on the scales it might time to pay attention to that little warning sound you hear.

The comfortable thing would be to ignore the noise and keep on sleeping. Don’t. Eventually there will be a life or leadership fire. If you want to be ready, you better listen to the chirp.

i2i,

Randy

Where is your life “chirping” right now and what do you need to do to address it?

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