Stop giving your whole life to someone else

Earlier in my career, I was very good at working hard for the business I was in. I cared about doing a good job and I was prepared to give a lot. At the time, I saw that as commitment. What I didn't realise was that I was becoming so absorbed in the needs of the business that I wasn't investing anything in myself.

One of the most common patterns I see now in hospitality leaders is that they also work incredibly hard - often too hard. Hospitality is built around service, and hospitality people are often exceptionally good at putting other people first. But taken too far, that same quality can become a problem. When you spend all your energy serving someone else's business, you can slowly lose sight of yourself.

We all know hospitality has a way of keeping us very busy: the hours, the seven-day operations, the immediacy of service, the constant problem-solving, the continuous messaging and our own inability to switch off from it. If you aren't careful, your commitment to your job can turn into full-on consumption, and you stop leaving any room to ask:

• What am I getting from this?

• What am I learning?

• Where am I going?

• Is this still the right place for me?

• What do I want next?

• Am I building my career, or just keeping someone else's business running?

I'm here to say there is another way. You can be completely committed to your job without being consumed by it - and still need to keep one eye on yourself.

It starts with keeping some energy back to work for yourself. And I don't mean starting your own business (although maybe one day?) but rather keeping some time and energy in the busyness of it all for your own longer-term goals.

In practice, this can mean a weekly slot to think about your career (where are you going?), to learn (what skills are you developing?) and to look outward (what's happening elsewhere in the industry?).

And in case the thought of looking out for yourself brings up some guilt, please know that looking after your career isn't doing your employer dirty. In fact, someone who has perspective, options and a sense of direction is likely to be a better leader and a more confident employee.

When was the last time you thought seriously about what your job is doing for your career - rather than what you're doing for your job?