Leaders...nourish your spirit!

It may seem like an odd topic to highlight, but I have had a number of conversations with friends/associates recently that have brought this issue front and center.  The mixture of  "normal" business issues, combined with fast changing economic trends, credit market fluctuations, global tariff challenges and (for many) a dizzying amount of political dynamics/stress/conflict in Washington and across the globe has increased stress, anxiety and uncertainty for leaders across the board.  New headlines emerge every day... sometimes every hour... that seem to promote stress and unpredictability in markets all over the world and certainly in businesses closer to home.  Its in this stress-filled context that I am suggesting that we as leaders NEED to think about and take actions that help to promote our own stability and well being... find ways to "nourish" our own spirits!

With this background set, it probably seems odd that I highlight a restaurant ( pictured here) in

Bakersfield California... my dear old 24th st. Cafe!  During my time at Bolthouse Farms... 2009-2015 and then again in 2019-2024, I spent a lot of time in Bakersfield California and became very fond of that rough and tumble town.  Very similar to the world I grew up in outside of Pittsburgh Pa., Bakersfield is a working class town, filled with a very diverse set of hard working folks, mainly working in the Ag & Oil industries, proud of their town and heritage regardless of what others may say.  During my second stint with Bolthouse Farms, after buying the company back from Campbell's, I commuted from Atlanta to Bakersfield almost every week and ultimately kept an apartment on the far west side of town.  The business challenges for all of us buying the company back, carving it out of Campbell's, and reversing massive revenue and profit declines were extreme... and that was without us knowing that Covid was lurking 9 months in our future.  The stress and challenges of leading Bolthouse Farms through Covid were certainly the hardest of my career, and probably my proudest professional accomplishments without question.... but my stress was sky high and my spirit NEEDED nourishing !

The 24th cafe was a favorite breakfast haunt before Covid, but after it re-opened it became a regular stop on my early drive to the plant.  Opening at 6am, many mornings I was one of the "early shift" at the restaurant, sitting down at the counter getting my coffee, ordering breakfast and catching up with Crystal and Donna... both who worked early every morning.  This routine was not just a way to "grab breakfast"... it became an important way for me to get set for the day of unknown challenges that would lie ahead... nourishing my spirit along with my body.  While I loved the food and miss it now that I have retired, I look back to those early mornings at the counter and am so appreciative that it was there for me... a quiet spot where I could be strengthened for the day ahead.  That memory... that reality is needed now for so many of us just like it was needed for me back in 2020-2023.

One reality for leaders across industries and organizations is that we are always so visible.  Our organizations watch and listen to us so closely... whether in live settings, and on "zoom calls."  I was floored recently when someone on a zoom call who I have worked with for years noted that I had moved a few books and a hat on the shelf behind my desk in my home office.  They had seen me on zoom for years and actually were somehow tracking what was in my background.  It was a good reminder that leaders are so visible in so many ways; sure the books and hat that I had moved were noted, but it reminded me that other less "physical" changes are also often seen by our teams.  A leader's stress, anxiety, shortness of temper, etc. are all easily seen and felt by an organization and while I will NEVER advocate being in-authentic as a leader... I am advocating that we need to take action to manage ourselves... manage our stress... and to nourish our spirit when we are "feeling the challenges" of the moment.  By nourishing our own spirit, we are inherently nourishing the spirit of the entire organization.

This idea also translates into personal relationships.  Recently we had some dear friends over for dinner, and after the meal we sat together and the conversation veered to today's political reality.  While I don't use this blog for personal political ends,  I am never shy to share where I stand on things and I joined in with the conversation where all four of us were beyond angry/frustrated/worried/discouraged with what is happening with the current administration in Washington.  After sharing frustrations and examples of the "latest abomination"... Global tariffs and an emerging trade war, Greenland nonsense, CDC defunding, Elon Musk antics in Wisconsin, destabilizing relations with historic allies, and the list kept growing... we took a breath ( or two!) and  talked about what we can and should be doing right now in opposition to this Washington chaos.  We talked about supporting legal groups taking action in the courts to slow/stop/reverse a number of the actions being led by the administration.  We discussed the importance of the mid-terms and special elections and the need to work/support key candidates in key toss-up races.  Finally, I suggested that we needed to "nourish our spirits" for the battles ahead.

 Yes it's a crazy time right now, but odds are that it will be even crazier in the weeks and months ahead and that we need to be ready and strengthened for the fight ahead.  Just coincidentally I had baked sourdough bread that morning and I cut our friends a big piece of the loaf to take home and suggested that it would make great toast in the morning...a way to"nourish your spirit to start you day."  While not quite exactly like sitting at the counter at the 24th st. Cafe, the idea is the same.  Find ways to protect and strengthen your spirit for the challenges ahead... whether in business, politics or broadly in life.... find your 24th st. Cafe, your sourdough toast or whatever is best for YOU as a way to strengthen and nourish your spirit.

postscript: here we are just a few days after posting this essay and all I have to say is "Wisconsin has spoken"... and the trade wars have begun.  Musk's efforts to "buy" the Wisconsin state supreme court election has failed completely and The President's unilateral "highly regrettable" (a quote from the Japanese Prime Minister) tariffs have been deployed causing a dramatic negative global market reaction.  It is a wild ride indeed and is clearly going to get wilder before it gets calmer.... and we need to be a strong, resolute and as clear-eyed as possible... I am working hard to "nourish my spirit" for the battles ahead and I hope you do the same!