Insight       27 March 2025

The Leader’s Recovery Protocol

Leadership is like being a high-performance athlete whose sport is making high-stakes decisions while staring at spreadsheets and navigating complex human dynamics! Just as Olympic athletes don’t prepare for gold medals by eating drive-thru food and binge-watching Netflix, leaders need structured approaches to recovery. 

What is a Leadership Recovery Protocol?

If you consider coffee a food group and “inbox zero” a spiritual experience, you might need a leadership recovery protocol. Here are some ideas. 
Strategic Movement

Instead of generic “exercise more” advice, match your physical activity to your leadership challenges. If you are highly scheduled, then unstructured adventure sports that offer autonomy and spontaneity might be the way to go. 
Sleep Engineering

With all that strategic thinking, emotional labour and decision fatigue, you'll need to replenish this capacity. Optimise your sleep environment, sleep time, and consistency. Save coffee for high-demand cognitive tasks.
Nutrition

Try protein-rich snacks before those marathon strategy sessions, pair foods for optimal performance, such as healthy fats for neural flexibility and complex carbs for steady focus.
Attention Restoration

Attention is a finite resource; you probably spend it like a lottery winner. Research shows that viewing nature scenes for 40 seconds can refresh your cognitive networks. Or try following analytical work with creative thinking, people work with solo work, etc
Decision Quality Control

Find when you do your best work and protect those hours for your best, most important work. 
Constant Learning

Build micro-learning into transition moments. Learn from others, observe what's working, keep growing, and stay open.
Micro-Reflection Practices

Small transition rituals between meetings, like noting what went well and what you learnt. It’s palate cleansing between emotional meals.
Stress Management

Not all stress is bad; appropriate challenges followed by recovery build resilience. Think of stress like spicy food: the right amount adds flavor to your leadership.
Emotional Diversification

If your emotional range has narrowed to “caffeinated productivity”, it’s time to diversify. Your emotional portfolio should be diverse and deep.
Authentic Connection

Arrive 60 seconds early for meetings and ask thoughtful questions. Notice and comment on positive things, and care about what personally matters. 
Strategic Vulnerability

Occasionally reveal that you are human without turning meetings into therapy sessions. Share appropriate challenges with peers. This prevents the “our leader is possibly a very well-dressed AI” rumours.
Your leadership recovery protocol isn’t about achieving wellness perfection; it’s about creating systems that work realistically in your chaotic, meeting-filled life.

What is a Leadership Recovery Protocol?

If you consider coffee a food group and “inbox zero” a spiritual experience, you might need a leadership recovery protocol. Here are some ideas. 
Strategic Movement
Instead of generic “exercise more” advice, match your physical activity to your leadership challenges. If you are highly scheduled, then unstructured adventure sports that offer autonomy and spontaneity might be the way to go. 
Sleep Engineering
With all that strategic thinking, emotional labour and decision fatigue, you'll need to replenish this capacity. Optimise your sleep environment, sleep time, and consistency. Save coffee for high-demand cognitive tasks.
Nutrition
Try protein-rich snacks before those marathon strategy sessions, pair foods for optimal performance, such as healthy fats for neural flexibility and complex carbs for steady focus.
Attention Restoration
Attention is a finite resource; you probably spend it like a lottery winner. Research shows that viewing nature scenes for 40 seconds can refresh your cognitive networks. Or try following analytical work with creative thinking, people work with solo work, etc
Decision Quality Control
Find when you do your best work and protect those hours for your best, most important work. 
Constant Learning
Build micro-learning into transition moments. Learn from others, observe what's working, keep growing, and stay open.
Micro-Reflection Practices
Small transition rituals between meetings, like noting what went well and what you learnt. It’s palate cleansing between emotional meals.
Stress Management
Not all stress is bad; appropriate challenges followed by recovery build resilience. Think of stress like spicy food: the right amount adds flavor to your leadership.
Emotional Diversification
If your emotional range has narrowed to “caffeinated productivity”, it’s time to diversify. Your emotional portfolio should be diverse and deep.
Authentic Connection
Arrive 60 seconds early for meetings and ask thoughtful questions. Notice and comment on positive things, and care about what personally matters. 
Strategic Vulnerability
Occasionally reveal that you are human without turning meetings into therapy sessions. Share appropriate challenges with peers. This prevents the “our leader is possibly a very well-dressed AI” rumours.
Your leadership recovery protocol isn’t about achieving wellness perfection; it’s about creating systems that work realistically in your chaotic, meeting-filled life.

Further Reading