Leading by Example
by Ladan Nikravan | Chief Learning Officer
Work-life balance has been rising in importance in the last decade,
particularly as new, younger employees enter the workforce in
increasing numbers. For learning leaders, the old axiom "lead by
example" holds true here; leaders who approach their personal lives with
the same developmental discipline that they do in their professional
lives will see their company culture follow suit. The result is
employees with sustainable levels of energy and high engagement.
Money Isn't Everything
Researchers at the Gallup World Poll surveyed thousands of
respondents in 155 countries between 2005 and 2009 in order to measure
well-being. Although the study reported that there is a positive
correlation between life satisfaction and income, it concluded that
positive feelings also depend strongly on other factors, such as feeling
respected and connected to others.
According to authors of The Plan, John M. McKee and Helen Latimer,
there is a misconception that being financially successful will lead to
being satisfied. Satisfaction, according to them, lies in true
contentment in all facets of life - personal life, career growth and
financial management.
"Leaders have to take the same approach to their own life as they
do with their organization that they're overseeing," McKee said. "They
need long-term life objectives. Leaders are good at personal development
projections for the next few weeks or months, but aren't so good at
projecting five, 10 years from now. They forget to use the same training
they're applying and teaching on business issues to personal issues."
McKee believes that the majority of leaders focus singularly on one
aspect of their life, most often not detaching from the job. Those
without jobs in these prolonged turbulent economic times continue to
focus solely on obtaining employment and not on the sacrifices poor
employment choices will make on the balance in their life.
"People are so desperate to get employed that they'll take any
job," McKee said. "I encourage those people to take this time that
they're out of work to make a plan for where they want to be in 10 to 15
years. They should create action steps that will help them get there,
that will help them make the right choice when seeking and hopefully
obtaining employment."
Joseph Grzywacz, an associate professor of family and community
medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said people who
look at employment and unemployment tend to think all jobs are created
equal. But according to researchers at the Australian National
University in Canberra, Australia, participants in a study who
transitioned from being unemployed to being employed in a poor-quality
job showed a worsening of their mental health.
Striking a Balance
It is up to learning leaders and others who directly influence
employee development to share the importance of obtaining a personal and
professional balance with the workforce. "As executive running a firm,
there are things that you can do [to promote work-life balance] as
formal as the other business policies you place and trainings you
administer," Latimer said. "You can stress [work-life balance's]
importance through employee evaluations, mentoring and other development
programs. It can be done in multiple levels in formal and informal ways
as long as the objective is to make a plan for employees to achieve
success in all aspects of life."
According to Gregg Thompson, president of Bluepoint Leadership
Development, leaders too often attempt to be universally admired heroes -
a vain pursuit.
"Most leaders try to correct work-life balance by using three
things they have been using all their careers: delegate more, organize
better, prioritize work," Thompson said. "Both work and non-work are
insatiable draws on your life. A balance is about being committed to
bring the best to both. It may sound over simplistic, but by doing so,
when you're at work you're living it up that way as well. You're
continuing to pursue your passions [and] interests and serving your
family as well because you continuously have the life aspect of the
equation in your mind. While at play, you're enjoying recreational
activities; this aspect also contributes to leadership development.
Leaders forget that it's OK to play."
In a time when many employees continue to be satisfied by simply
being employed, it's important to remind both leaders and their
subordinates that satisfaction comes from more than the hours, projects
and decisions made at work. Without stability in all aspects of life,
leaders risk becoming depleted - less focused, less energetic, less
decisive.
[About the Author: Ladan Nikravan is an associate editor of Chief Learning Officer magazine.]
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