presents...

Lunch. Lead. Repeat

Become the leader you've always wanted to be - one lunch break at a time...

For many leaders, especially in the tech sector, there is constant pressure to deliver and very little time for personal reflection and learning. As well as leading the team, you probably have a packed schedule and a demanding programme of work that only you can do. But everyone needs lunch, right?

There's lots of research that shows the value of taking a break in the middle of the day. Eating lunch refuels body and mind, the break gives your brain a change of pace, a short walk releases tension from the body and you return to the afternoon's agenda refreshed and ready to succeed.

If you spend your lunch break reading a novel or listening to your favourite podcast, you'll experience the benefits of a break. But what if there was a way to amplify those benefits? What if taking a lunch break didn't just refresh your mind, it actually made you a better leader?

You see, it's the change of focus and environment, the hydration and nutrition that comes from having lunch and the psychological sense of 'me-time' that creates the benefits. In some ways the actual focus of your attention is less important than the sense of doing something different, something that's for your own enjoyment, that gives you that lift in energy.

Which means that you can spend a little time every day - your lunch break - reflecting on aspects of your leadership, cultivating new habits and taking the small actions that make you the leader you've always wanted to be. The leader your team needs. One lunch break at a time.

In this 'bitesize' programme (excuse the pun) I'm taking you through a week of lunch breaks, with the focus moving to a different area of the Brilliant Minds Leadership model each day.

It's a combination of one-off reflections and tasks that help you see your role clearly and suggestions for habits you can cultivate to continue your development for many weeks to come.

For example, the 'Influence' section on Wednesday includes an exercise to help you take stock of stakeholder relationships and identify simple actions you can take to improve your influence across all these groups of people. That's a 'one-off' exercise.

Then, in the 'Inspiration' section on Thursday, there are suggestions of short weekly tasks that will support you in inspiring your team and other around you. Pick one and do it for a few weeks to see how well it works for you.

I've made each day's activities easy to fit into a lunch break. A video input of about 5 minutes, some questions to consider and a couple of tasks you can either do right away or schedule for later.

Even if you can only break for half an hour, you can still include your 'Lunch. Lead. Repeat' session.

The first section is a prep section, which you can do as soon as you register. It will only take a few minutes. Then we start on Monday.

Of course, if you want to start on a different day, the system will still work for you. I recommend, if you want to start before Monday, you begin with the session that relates to that day of the week. That means you'll be in step with the weekly rhythm of the programme from the beginning.

Each day includes a review of a part of the model, some questions to consider while you eat your lunch and then some suggestions of activities you can do weekly to sustain your leadership focus in this area.

After few weeks, the habits will become ingrained and the results will accumulate. All from using your lunch break in a purposeful way.