Of all the risks to ethical behavior – and we need only read the headlines to see how greed, power, and fame can tempt – one catalyst to unethical behavior you may not have thought of until you read Christopher Barnes’ research, is fatigue, or more specifically, insufficient sleep.
We all know that the basic elements of emotional and physical health include sufficient sleep. And most of us know the cost of insufficient sleep: being cranky, short tempered, not at our analytical or decision-making best. But did you know that insufficient sleep – a chronic and widespread condition – leads to lapsed ethics?
If you did not have time to read this Sept/Oct 2018 issue Harvard Business Review article because you were sleeping, here are the highlights. Sleep Well, Lead Better, by Christopher Barnes cites the research. We’ve all cheated on our sleep “bank” for short periods, but the cost of chronic sleep deprivation is high. The widespread results include, “poor judgment, lack of self-control and impaired creativity.” One study by the Center for Creative Leadership found that leaders are even worse off than average; only 58% get more than the recommended minimum of six hours a night. That means more than 40% of those who are in positions to make important decisions and judgments are physically poorly equipped to do that.
Evidence
You know the risks of driving when too tired, and that’s because reflexes and judgment are impaired. One time when I flew many hours and landed in another time zone still with an hour to drive in my rental car, I was pulled over for “weaving in the lane.” Despite my fatigue, I had the sense not to argue with that description, which vaguely struck me at the time as safe enough and not particularly illegal. I didn’t get a ticket, but the experience did change my flying habits. If I have to drive after I land, I make an earlier flight.
Anecdotally, we see the coffee consumption, in our neighborhoods, on our commute and at work. One client I had was reviewing perks and made the difficult decision to increase the medical co-pay that employees would incur, and while they were at it, attempted to eliminate free coffee. That was the issue that employees would not tolerate. The caffeine stimulant was a must.
And think about someone you run into and ask, “how are you?” The answer so often is “busy,” or “tired,” “overwhelmed” or “out of pocket,” (whatever that means?) So even before this research data was published, we had the sense that sleep deprivation was an issue.
Not only does fatigue mean that you are maintaining an unnecessary risk profile, anxiety and depression are also increased.
Costs of Sleep Deprivation: Ethics
The cost of sleep deprivation is not just that you will be impatient and be seen as a poor leader with poor judgment, it is also that those who work for you will follow your lead.
And here’s the scary part: an outcome of sleep-deprived poor judgment is that ethics become compromised. There’s a domino effect too: managers who are sleep deprived send messages to staff that sleep doesn’t matter. Christopher Barnes’ research demonstrates that those same managers, who are sleep deprived, rate their staff as “less likely to do the right thing. Lack of sleep is directly linked to lapses in ethics.” Self-control (or what Emotional Intelligence researchers call self-regulation) is key to whether people can resist temptation, such as falsifying receipts or claiming credit for work done by others. And that is linked to fatigue. See this HBR article.
Furthermore leadership becomes erratic, so colleagues cannot tell whether you will be approachable. Whether you woke up on the wrong side of bed. Barnes’ research indicates boss-employee relationships are damaged, with sleep deprived leaders being more impatient, irritable and antagonistic. More likely to publicly humiliate or abusively criticize. The increased risk goes unnoticed by the leader. When bosses became abusive, naturally employees disengage. Thus leaders’ ability to motivate others was damaged as well.
Remedy
The good news is the remedy to sleep deprivation is clear. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. In fact, for some it requires a lifestyle change. It may require a reevaluation of values. The only solution to overload is to admit what will not get done. Set priorities and do what matters most. Better to choose a small list with deliberate intention, than a long list that requires working into the night and creating poor results. This commitment involves structure and discipline, but the rewards are significant.
In the extreme, some companies foster naptime. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos has installed a nap room. He himself is a proponent of naps. Check out their website for details. www.zappos.com. He has installed an aquarium with arches where recliner chairs can tilt back, providing the relaxed employee with a peaceful view of fish swimming. After a 20-minute power nap, they are refreshed and reinvigorated.
For Your Quality Sleep
There are also some tips on what not to do as a leader, to avoid the risk to ethics that sleep deprivation can exacerbate. Here’s Christopher Barnes’ list of healthy sleep habits.:
1. Consistent bedtimes
2. No devices laptops, cell phones, or TV in bed or anywhere after 9:00 PM
3. Cease cigarettes or alcohol hours before bedtime
4. Exercise early in the evening or in the day, not right before bed time
For Your Leadership Effectiveness:
• Don’t brag about your lack of sleep as a badge of honor. Not only are you hurting your own well-being, it sets the wrong message for your team: that unhealthy habits are expected in order to be considered a top performer.
• Don’t indicate that you expect others to engage in this unspoken sleep-deprived competition
• Don’t email staff at night, which conveys an expectation of a response
• Don’t make a hero out of those who consistently work late
Conclusion
Remember, you will not be aware of the impact of too little sleep on your own behavior. So commit to at least six hours of sleep a night, and be sure to accept feedback of those near you if they observe you being erratic. Remember that managing ethical behavior takes self-control, which is enhanced with sufficient sleep and other self-care such as exercise and nutrition. And you may find your company is even more successful.
If you are able to zoom out using your Witness lens, you may be able to notice if others are responding to you differently even if you can’t notice your own behavior. Are they avoiding you? Declining to engage in healthy discussion? Holding back information? Then you can zoom in with the Feeling lens and assess your own physical and emotional state. Are you feeling victimized, overwhelmed, burdened and under recognized? These are signals you are not being informed by your own emotional data.
Take responsibility to create changes that are within your control, and distance from circumstances outside of your control (weather, traffic, headline news). Then using the Feel lens, zoom in to how others in your orbit may react to a curt or biting response you give before you give it. And finally, zoom in to the Act lens to choose behaviors more aligned with your intention and your values. For more on the four lenses and how they can help in self-awareness and decision making, see my book Zoom Leadership: Change Your Focus, Change Your Insights.