Whether you’re the Chief Executive or the office newcomer, John Eades* has some suggestions on how to use your lunch break productively.
There is immense value in a solid morning routine.
Ariana Huffington, Oprah Winfrey, Howard Shultz and countless others have well-documented routines they claim greatly contribute to their success.
Since each day has the same 24 hours, why shouldn’t we evaluate all minutes equally?
I did just that when I reached out to many of the great leaders I have studied to find out exactly what they do during lunch.
Their answers varied, but they all have a common theme: Focus less on food and more on health.
By health, they mean the health of their relationships with others.
We’ve all seen one of our bosses eating their lunch alone.
While it might happen occasionally, the best leaders don’t make a habit out of it.
Chief Executive of Lippert Components, Jason Lippert said: “If I do eat, I never eat alone.
“It’s always with one of my teammates or clients so that I can work on developing meaningful relationships with the most important people to our business.”
Leadership is all about relationships and what better way to build relationships than through the breaking of bread?
When you do this, you get to know people at a deeper level and can learn who they are and why they are the way they are.
Bypass solo lunches at your desk and make a point to rarely eat alone.
The lunch hour is a popular time for professionals to make their way to the gym.
Chief Executive of Movement Mortgage, Casey Crawford – a former football player and one of the fittest executives I know – says he doesn’t spend a lot of time eating during his lunch hour.
“I can eat in three minutes, but it takes me a lot longer than that to work out,” he says.
“I structure my day to where I can work-out in the Movement Gym with other teammates.
“Turns out to be a great opportunity to collaborate with others, knock out my daily health goal, and check-in with new Movement employees I don’t know well yet.”
Not every leader has a gym in their office, but Mr Crawford’s routine is a powerful one.
Not only is he focused on his health but he is building new relationships with employees.
Instead of allowing the lack of gym on tap to hinder your exercise with others, ask teammates to go on a walk outside or head to the closest commercial gym.
Most leaders have such busy days that they rarely get the opportunity to carve out a whole hour for lunch.
Chief Executive of Callaway Golf, Chip Brewer spends as much time as he can with team members during lunch but he also leverages healthy options.
“I’m very particular about what I eat,” he says.
“When traveling, I’m often at a lot of big dinners. When in the office, I eat a low carb and low sugar diet — lots of salads with chicken.”
Not only is Mr Brewer worried about his waistline, he knows he is fuelling his momentum for the rest of the day.
By switching your favourite carb-rich lunch with something lean and healthy, your afternoon performance will jump.
The moral of the story is – use your lunch hour to build strong relationships and a healthier you.
Whether you’re focused on one of these activities or all three, you will be serving yourself well as a leader.
How often do you eat with your team or how often does your boss eat with you?
*John Eades is the Chief Executive of LearnLoft and author of F.M.L. Standing Out and Being a Leader. He is also the host of the Follow My Lead Podcast. He can be followed on instagram @johngeades.
This article first appeared on John’s LearnLoft blog.
