2 Samuel 21:15-17 “Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. And Ishbi-Benob … said he would kill David. But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, ‘Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished.’”
David had returned to Jerusalem after the rebellion of his son Absalom. This was a time to regain ground for Israel and establish control over the surrounding territory. By the way, David had a good army and loyal commanders. The Philistines, as usual, were doing their war-like thing. David was leading the troops from the front, not the rear. And he was tired.
Principle: When exhausted, do yourself and your business a favor and get some rest so that you are at the top of your game.
A French nuclear power company allows plant operators to nap in the middle of their shift. This policy was instituted after a study indicated that alertness in night-shift workers greatly increases with a one-hour snooze. I can’t think a better place to have alert operators, unless it is in an airplane or a surgery room.
Napping is tiptoeing back into the regular workplace. Jim Lehrer, the PBS newscaster, closes his office door every day at 12:30 for a one-hour nap. Nancy Tomkins, a staff lawyer at a Circuit Court of Appeals, takes a nap after lunch. William Dement, the director of Stanford University’s Sleep Research Center, says napping can improve mood, alertness, and job performance.
Many executives rise well before dawn to get a head start on the day, regardless of what time they went to sleep. The Sleep Foundation says Americans have reduced their average sleep time by twenty percent in the past twenty-five years and that it’s a dangerous thing to do.
Working when exhausted is a poor decision for leaders and their companies. Try an hour longer of nightly sleep time for a week. Give yourself a break so that you are not tired at work – or tired of work. It’ll help you to be prepared for important decision making. And if the cause of your weariness is because you are doing more work than you should, find others who can complete some of your tasks. Everyone will be better for it.
Discussion:
1. On average, how many hours of sleep do you get each night? How about your employees?
2. Try adding 30 minutes/night for the next month and see if you feel better during your waking hours.
3. Is there anything your company can do to increase employee alertness?
