The Work/Life Balance Myth

I have read in numerous publications, blogs, and posts that people need to find work/life balance.  Americans are “burning out” and one of the ways to help with this “burnout” is to strike a better balance between work and life.

This is total bull. 

Work is life.  Life does not end when you start work or start after you leave work.  Life is happening during every minute of the day and night, with or without your participation.

A better approach is to:

Ø Accept that you have one life.

You are one person with one continuous moving life.  This one person appears in all areas of your life.  Dissecting the one person into acting one way during “working” hours, another way during “non-working” hours, another way with friends, another way with family, etc. adds a huge level of undue stress.  Instead of hiding, improve and grow this one great person to show up in life.

Ø Focus on living your core values.

These are your own unique qualities of a life lived fully from the inside out.  You hold these to be of worth and act upon in all aspects of your life.  Once you are conscious of your core values, you can choose to make the changes that will allow you to live a more fulfilled life.

Ø Learn the art of prioritizing.

Prioritizing take practice, what is important today may be less important tomorrow due to different circumstances.  By consciously choosing to prioritize what is important according to your core values, you can make choices that are right for you.

Leadership Tip: Share Targets

Make the conscious choice to share targets with your team.  Keeping a hidden agenda fuels the grapevine, decreases moral, decreases customer service, and negatively impacts the revenue.  Without a clear target, your team works in the dark.

Managers have hidden agendas, Leaders have open agendas.

 

Sharing targets with your team members provides a more cohesive team environment, encourages open communication, increases moral, improves customer service, and ultimately increases revenue.  When you add the why with the how (it was created) and toss in a little team input, then the sky is the limit.  If the team knows what they are aiming for and what success looks like, then they can determine the best way reach the target and achieve success.

Managers want to look good, Leaders want the team to succeed.

What is in your way to being a great leader?

Do You Want To Be A Manager or A Leader?

I can summarize the priority of each role in one word:

             Manager = “Me”                                                                  Leader = “Us"

It’s easy, a Leader has a “us” mindset and a Manager has a “me” mindset.

A Leader’s priority is external, focusing on the entire team (or “us”) and what is best for the team.  A Manager’s priority is internal (or “me”) and what is best for me so I ensure my needs are met.

Stated in these terms, all Managers will claim they are Leaders.  So, be careful of the Manager wearing a Leader’s disguise.  If you look closely, fake-Leaders expose themselves quite easily.

Look for these 6 fake-Leader (or Manager) cues:

1.  Managers use the words “I” or “Me” extensively in conversations.  Leaders use “Us” and “We”.

2.  Managers wait until annual reviews to provide negative feedback to team members and rarely provide any positive genuine feedback.  Leaders provide positive and negative feedback as needed so team members can continuously grow.

3.  Managers take all the credit for team member’s ideas or great work.  Leaders ensure that everyone knows so the team member is recognized.

4.  Manager team members are afraid to make mistakes, cautious to express opinions, and encouraged to play it safe.  Leader team members work in a collaborative environment, so learning from mistakes, taking calculated risks, and expressing different opinions are welcomed for continuous improvements.

5.  Managers show favoritism to a few team members.  Leaders ensure that all team members are provided similar opportunities to excel.

6.  Managers want to hold people back so they can remain on their team to ensure their needs are met. Leaders genuinely want their team to become leaders and will encourage them to move towards other opportunities.

Can Managers be Leaders?  Absolutely!!  With a genuine shift of priorities and attitude, Managers can become great Leaders.

Who do you want to be, just a Manager or a Leader?  Your choice will determine your long-term success.