Work Life Imbalance
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__ Leslie W. Braksick, Ph.D. WORK-LIFE IMBALANCE IS A GOOD THING How executives can improve the ebb and flow of work and life Th ultimate life 8 challenge for most leaders is how to balance home and work - especially with today's demanding travel schedules. While we are chasing urgent business goals, we often lose sight of the truly important priorities of family, faith and friendship. Are we doomed to workaholism as we labor to ensure our company's success? Or, the flip side: will we never advance in our corporate world if we put family first? I don't think so. After many, many years at this, I conclude: There is no such thing as work- life balance - and that's OK. We live in a constant state of imbalance. Life and work events necessitate elasticity in our time and attention toward each. The key is to know where you are on the continuum of imbalance and to be proactive in managing through it. On the work side, you may face weathering the largest economic downturn in our lifetimes, managing through a merger or acquisition, developing a proposal that might double your company's size, supporting the leadership of the nonprofit board you sit on or managing through a difficult time. Each 6 Smart Business Pittsburgh I July 2011 of these demands extra hours, conference calls and endless days. These are all guaranteed to impinge on your personal or family time. Similarly, on the "life" side, you may face the sudden or prolonged illness or death of a parent or child, helping your teenager navigate a difficult time, or supporting a close friend who has encountered a tragedy. Each can demand a sudden or prolonged time away, such that you need others to cover for you. You also need to honor less- urgent but highly important things like your son's little league championship, your daughter's dance recital or a long-planned family vacation, regardless of conflicting business demands. These tugs and pulls define the ebb and flow of our lives - and that's a good thing. It will always be this way. The key is to have strategies to deal with it successfully: Take care of your physical and spiritual health. Commit to sleeping, eating healthy, and exercising. You must be healthy, both physically and emotionally, to be at the top of your game. If you don't take care of your body, then where will you live? Get ahead of your schedule by prioritizing your time. It's one thing to manage tugs and pulls, but it's another to be the caboose getting whipped around because you've lost control of your schedule. Work closely with your assistant or teammates to ensure everyone is aligned on where your time should be spent. Know who your A-Team is at work. Tell them about both the business priorities and your personal commitments. Enroll key people who can help you seamlessly cover work needs when your attention must be elsewhere. On the home front, recognize your unsung heroes. Devote special attention to your spouse/ partner/parent who sets the tone for how your children and others understand the demands of your job and your absence from events. Recognize the huge impact your work challenges have on your unsung heroes and how hard they work to help hold everything together. You cannot thank them enough. Remember that what we sow, we reap. So, model your support of others when their work-life imbalance shifts unexpectedly. In doing so, you are demonstrating how others can help you do the same. Because you bring passion to both your work and life, and bring your A-game to the table every day in all that you do, you will inevitably emphasize one over the other at times, thereby living fully into your work-life imbalance. But that's a good thing. Just know its happening and plan accordingly. « LESLIE W. BRAKSICK, PH. D .. is co-founder of CLG Inc. and author of "Preparing CEOs lor Success: What I Wish I Knew" (2010) and "Unlock Behavior, Unleash Profits" (2007). Braksick advises top executives, their leadership teams and boards 01 directors on issues of strategy execution, leadership effectiveness and organizational performance. She can be reached at [email protected].
Transcript of Work Life Imbalance
__ Leslie W. Braksick, Ph.D.
WORK-LIFE IMBALANCEIS A GOOD THINGHow executives can improve the ebb and flow of work and life
T h ultimate life
8challengefor most
leaders is how to balancehome and work - especiallywith today's demandingtravel schedules. While weare chasing urgent businessgoals, we often lose sightof the truly importantpriorities of family, faith andfriendship.Are we doomed to
workaholism as we laborto ensure our company'ssuccess? Or, the flip side:
will we neveradvance in ourcorporate worldif we put familyfirst? I don'tthink so.After many,
many years atthis, I conclude:There is no suchthing as work-life balance- and that'sOK. We live in aconstant state ofimbalance. Lifeand work eventsnecessitateelasticity inour time andattention towardeach. The key is
to know where you are onthe continuum of imbalanceand to be proactive inmanaging through it.On the work side, you may
face weathering the largesteconomic downturn in ourlifetimes, managing througha merger or acquisition,developing a proposal thatmight double your company'ssize, supporting theleadership of the nonprofitboard you sit on or managingthrough a difficult time. Each
6 Smart Business Pittsburgh I July 2011
of these demands extrahours, conference calls andendless days. These areall guaranteed to impingeon your personal or familytime.
Similarly, on the "life"side, you may face thesudden or prolonged illnessor death of a parent orchild, helping your teenagernavigate a difficult time, orsupporting a close friendwho has encountered atragedy. Each can demanda sudden or prolonged timeaway, such that you needothers to cover for you. Youalso need to honor less-urgent but highly importantthings like your son's littleleague championship, yourdaughter's dance recital or along-planned family vacation,regardless of conflictingbusiness demands.These tugs and pulls define
the ebb and flow of our lives- and that's a good thing. Itwill always be this way. Thekey is to have strategies todeal with it successfully:Take care of your physical
and spiritual health. Committo sleeping, eating healthy,and exercising. You must behealthy, both physically andemotionally, to be at the topof your game. If you don'ttake care of your body, thenwhere will you live?
Get ahead of your scheduleby prioritizing your time. It'sone thing to manage tugsand pulls, but it's anotherto be the caboose gettingwhipped around becauseyou've lost control of your
schedule. Work closely withyour assistant or teammatesto ensure everyone is alignedon where your time shouldbe spent.Know who your A-Team
is at work. Tell themabout both the businesspriorities and your personalcommitments. Enroll keypeople who can help youseamlessly cover work needswhen your attention must beelsewhere.On the home front,
recognize your unsungheroes. Devote specialattention to your spouse/partner/parent who sets thetone for how your childrenand others understand thedemands of your job andyour absence from events.Recognize the huge impactyour work challenges haveon your unsung heroes andhow hard they work to helphold everything together. Youcannot thank them enough.Remember that what we
sow, we reap. So, model yoursupport of others when theirwork-life imbalance shiftsunexpectedly. In doing so,you are demonstrating howothers can help you do thesame. Because you bringpassion to both your workand life, and bring yourA-game to the table everyday in all that you do, youwill inevitably emphasizeone over the other at times,thereby living fully intoyour work-life imbalance.But that's a good thing. Justknow its happening and planaccordingly. «
LESLIE W. BRAKSICK, PH. D .. is co-founder of CLG Inc. and author of "Preparing CEOs lorSuccess: What I Wish I Knew" (2010) and "Unlock Behavior, Unleash Profits" (2007). Braksickadvises top executives, their leadership teams and boards 01 directors on issues of strategy execution,leadership effectiveness and organizational performance. She can be reached at [email protected].
