The Personal Asset Management Plan: Why Self-Care is a Leadership Strategy
- Rose Ung
- Mar 7
- 3 min read
In the world of major infrastructure, we never build a project without an Asset Management Plan. Whether we are delivering an aquatic center, a school, or a bridge, we know exactly when it needs maintenance. We know when the air conditioning filters need changing and when the structure needs painting. If we skip that maintenance, we risk structural damage. If a bridge collapses, people die. We take this seriously because the asset is valuable.
And yet, when it comes to the most important asset in our lives—ourselves—we often operate with zero maintenance. We run our engines at 110% until the smoke starts pouring out of the hood.
In the final episode of our 7 Habits series, we’re looking at Stephen Covey’s Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw.
The "Forced Reboot"
Last year, I hit a wall. For years, I had been operating at maximum capacity—leading massive programs of work, saying yes to every stakeholder, clearing bottlenecks for my team, and being the "perfect mom" at home. I thought I was being a hero. In reality, I was the woman with the dull saw, hacking away at a tree with no progress, wondering why everything felt so heavy.
I remember being on a routine morning call with a colleague. She asked, "How are you today?" and before I could give my usual "I'm fine" response, a single tear rolled down my face.
I was on empty. My body eventually did what my mind wouldn't: it initiated a forced reboot. I got physically sick—not just a cold, but the kind of fatigue that keeps you in bed for days. I realized then that I was managing hundreds of millions of dollars of government assets, but I was running my own brain, body, and soul into the ground.
Four Dimensions of Renewal
Sharpening the saw isn't about indulgence; it’s about renewal. Covey identifies four dimensions that require a regular "maintenance schedule":
Physical: Exercise, nutrition, and protecting your sleep window.
Spiritual: Connecting with your values and finding "think space."
Mental: Continuous learning and sharpening your craft (like starting the Quiet Leadership Lab!).
Social/Emotional: Building the "Emotional Bank Account" with yourself and others.
The Introvert’s Saw
For quiet leaders, sharpening the saw looks different than it does for the extroverted world. For us, renewal is often about space. In my own "Personal Management Plan," I’ve added some unconventional maintenance tasks. I joined a gym and started doing Zumba with the over-50s—it’s fun, it’s movement, and it’s completely removed from my professional identity. I take long walks in nature. I listen to audiobooks while cooking—a "restorative niche" where I can concentrate on my craft without the stimulus of other people's demands.
How to Apply Habit 7: Treat Yourself Like a Client
You would never cancel a high-stakes meeting with a client just because you felt "a bit tired." So why do you cancel the time you’ve blocked out for your own renewal?
Schedule the Maintenance: Put your "Sharpen the Saw" time in your calendar and make it unmovable. Treat it like a client meeting you cannot cancel.
Identify Your "Zumba": What is the activity that recharges your social battery? It doesn't have to be "productive." It just has to be edifying.
The Power of "No" (Again): Sharpening the saw requires saying no to the last-minute urgencies of others so you can say yes to the long-term sustainability of yourself.
Closing the Loop on the 7 Habits
As we wrap up this series, remember: you can't be proactive, you can't begin with the end in mind, and you certainly can't synergize with others if you are exhausted and resentful.
Habit 7 is the habit that makes all the other habits possible. It is the continuous investment in the only tool you have to lead with: You.
Rose Ung is a project director and business consultant helping introverts master leadership, wealth, and family—quietly and on their own terms. Catch the full series wrap-up on the Quiet Leadership Lab podcast.
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