As corporate counsel, we are not only lawyers but also managers and leaders in a business. Businesses tend to be more successful when its employees are happy and effective. Of course, sometimes, the priority is to stay up late to close a deal or process as many contracts to keep the business moving. But we have more control over our health than we think. We do not close deals every single day, and there are likely slower days. If this were not the case, then you would be too burnt out to be even reading this article, and this article would not be the right fit for you.

So, what are some ways taking care of your health affects your leadership, and what can you do about it?

Take Care of Your Sleep

Fewer than six to eight hours of sleep each night may be affecting your team and its performance. In a study where a group of sleep-deprived subjects had to stay additional hours awake, its average leadership score was 13% less than the other group. Another study at the University of Washington showed that a boss with a bad night's sleep can be seen as less charismatic. A lack of sleep makes it less likely for us to feel positive or be able to manage fake moods, affecting the team's perceptions.

Further, a culture of no sleep can also be toxic to the employees in the form of “sleep devaluation,” where leaders implicitly communicate to their subordinates that sleep is unimportant through their comments and actions. For example, boasting about not getting enough sleep or sending emails late in the night can encourage employees to sleep less and stay attuned to work instead of having the opportunity to relax. Employees in this kind of culture had an average of 25 fewer minutes of sleep than those who were not.