Several years ago I drove an awesome red truck. The day I brought it home from the dealership, my wife’s first response was: “Oh, that’s a cute truck!” Not exactly the response I was looking for. Manly—yes. Awesome—certainly. Cute? Never!

The truck had an RPM gauge with a red line. I noticed the only time the RPM needle came close to the red boundary was when I punched the accelerator to pass other vehicles. To operate my truck near the red line for extended periods of time would’ve been irresponsible.

Funny—most leaders know better than to treat their vehicle’s engine poorly, yet don’t always know better when it comes to their emotional engine. Leaders often run at peak RPMs for extended periods without taking time to wind down, and in doing so, put themselves in the emotional danger zone.

The question is, how do leaders fill the emotional tank and keep it full? By paying attention to 3 key indicators:

Pace

Your importance to God has very little to do with how full your schedule looks. Pace does not equal value. I hate to tell you this (not really)—but multiple studies reveal once you reach eight hours of work in any given day, your best production is behind you.  Beyond eight hours in a day, we create only a small fraction of our normal output. The problem is many leaders work ten-to-twelve-hour days every day.

If you lean toward workaholic tendencies, I’m not suggesting you overreact by swinging to the opposite extreme of laziness. Slothfulness doesn’t fill the emotional tank either. A healthy, sensible pace contributes to emotional fullness.

People

Leaders tend to skimp on personal relationships. Ecclesiastes 4:9 points out “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.” We get a better emotional return in life when we’re linked up with other like-minded individuals. Make friends a part of your weekly schedule. And your emotional reserves will flourish.

Plan

My Malibu (the awesome red truck is no more, sadly) has a maintenance plan. I change the oil every several thousand miles and rotate the tires. The purpose? To extend the vehicle’s life. Similarly, leaders can intentionally make choices to maintain the emotional tank and in doing so, extend their leadership shelf-life. Here are three choices to consider:

• Laughter – Proverbs 17:22 states: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Laughter is a strategic part of emotional fullness. The feel-good rush we experience after a deep belly laugh is chemical in nature. Scientific research confirms laughter releases endorphins which reduce stress hormone levels and elevate our mood. Regular doses of good clean fun replenish a leader’s emotional reserves.
• Exercise – Much like laughter, exercise helps with emotional fullness. It enables leaders to burn off nervous energy and lower their stress levels. Getting the body moving has a positive impact on a leader’s emotional fuel tank.
• Boredom – Some leaders need to inject a little “boring” into their life. Plant some flowers; play 18-holes; visit a museum; take a walk on the beach. For our 25th wedding anniversary I surprised my wife with ballroom dancing lessons. When you are learning how to do the rumba, you have no time to think about anything serious. And when you’re not thinking about anything serious for an hour—it can replenish your emotional fuel.

Emotional fullness doesn’t have to be elusive. Learn how and when to take your foot off the gas pedal so you can rest, recharge, and refuel… and lead with a full emotional tank.

Next week we’ll wrap up this 3-part blog by considering how to fill our physical tank.