I was coaching a senior leader at a big investment bank. She had big dreams. She had big plans. She was on a mission.

But none of that mattered.

She was exhausted…  

I was coaching the founder of a global, multi-million dollar enterprise. He also had big dreams. He also had big plans. And he too was on a mission.

But none of that mattered.

He was exhausted…  

Most leaders are secretly exhausted. 

Most coaches give more than they get.

You are probably more tired than you know… 

The first thing I do when I work with a burned out leader is tell them to take a vacation, or a trip out in nature. 

Their response is almost always one of incredulity. 

“Are you kidding, Rich? I just told you that the Board of Directors is breathing down my neck, my senior team is in conflict and our sales are way down…”

And that’s why they need a vacation more than they could imagine.

And it’s why this article is designed to help you coach high-performing leaders, to move them from the edge of burnout back to high performance. 

[HINT: you probably need this article for yourself, more than you think…]  

The 3 Day Effect

In the book Blue Mind, Wallace Nichols explains that contact with water induces a meditative state that makes us happier, healthier, calmer and more creative.

A University of London study showed that 3 days immersed in nature increases performance on creativity and problem-solving by 50%. 

When we slow down, stop the busywork, and take in beautiful natural surroundings, we feel restored. Our mental performance improves. We feel happier, healthier and more creative. 

Managing your energy is the secret to high performance

Tony Schwartz is the author of the bestselling book, The Power of Full Engagement.

He teaches high-performing leaders not to run at high speed, continuously—for long periods of time. 

The mistake many leaders make is to think of themselves and their teams like machines, continually producing their best results, month after month, year after year.

But that typically ends in burnout. 

We’re actually at our best when we move in rhythms, between spending and renewing energy.

The joy of being a high-performer is that you spend time in the Performance Zone. You have a lot of quality energy. You’re highly engaged—calm and optimistic, challenged and invigorated.

But stay there too long and you slip into the Survival Zone. You know this place. You still have energy to draw from, but it’s negative. You’re in survival mode. You feel impatient and frustrated, defensive and anxious. Even resentful and angry.

Eventually, you find yourself in the Burnout Zone. You’re exhausted and drained. Things seem hopeless. You’ve probably been here before in a previous career. 

There is a way out. It’s called the Renewal Zone. It’s where you refuel yourself. You feel relieved and at peace. 

Top performers create rituals to pulse between Performance and Renewal. 

Unfortunately, too many of us spend much of our time in the Survival Zone, without knowing it. Or we know we are there but we feel it’s the price worth paying, not to be in Burnout.

That’s a terrible mistake.

And it’s your mission to regularly shift your clients [HINT: and yourself] from Survival to Renewal.

In the Renewal Zone, you are calm and rested. You can dream big. You can vision the future. You can be super creative. 

For years I have taken my private clients away from it all… 

I’ve taken them to world-class spas and top resorts. I’ve taken them to a wolf sanctuary and to equine therapy sessions. I’ve taken them up mountains in the snow and to beautiful beaches. I’ve played with clients on a trapeze and in the ocean. 

In school, we call it recreation. 

In life, we ought to call it recreation, too. 

Re-creation. 

This December, I am taking a group of coaches and leaders to Dubai—to restore their energy and to shake up their thinking. 

I’m inviting them to a stunning spot on the ocean, where they can feel restored and their mental performance improves. 

When your mental performance improves, you feel happier. When you feel happier, you are more creative. When you are more creative, you have more impact. And when you have more impact, you make more income… 

Join me for a two month Deep Coaching experience—with virtual and in-person elements—designed to do one thing: to leverage your success. 

We begin December 7 and run to February 8, 2022: 

• On Dec 7 – Uplevel your Winning Strategy. Discover how it has helped you succeed. How it is holding you back. And how to master it.
• On Dec 20 – Increase your power and impact. This is a full day of sessions led by Monique DeBose and Evelyne Brink. They are experts in presence, the voice and intentionality. 
• On the evening of Dec 20 – I am taking you and your colleagues to a top restaurant in Dubai. Dinner is on me.
• On Dec 21 – Sit on a hot seat, to be coached by me. Get ready to sweat as this will be intense. 
• On Jan 25 – Special session with my secret weapon of business. Sarah Neumann has been by my side for 8 years as we have grown a multi-million dollar company. She will help you understand how to work in your Zone of Genius—to make your business more profitable. She’ll help you create the systems—so your business runs like clockwork.
• On Feb 8 – Leverage your time, money and energy. Leave with your personalized 5 dials, to leverage your success in 2022 and beyond. 

Which of your clients is most in the Survival Zone, right now? How much time are you spending there? And what are you going to do about it?

Love. Rich