Balancing Demands with Direction
Last Monday, I put out the following question on Linked-In: “What leadership issue matters most to you in Q3?” I really didn't know what answers to expect, so while the “hard” goal of metrics was definitely represented, it was the so-called “soft” goals of Balance and Focus that surged to the fore. Interesting.
I say "so-called" soft goals, because experienced leaders come to understand that the anthro-centric concerns of the human side of business are integrally woven into the eco-centric dimension of metrics. While it is theoretically possible for one side to thrive while the other languishes, it's uncommon. Most of the time, the soft and hard sides of business are directly proportional to one another.
To start, let's take a hard look at the challenge of Work-Life Balance. What we all know is that the demands of life and work pull at us from every side such that we are rarely outside the grip of needs beyond our capacity to meet. No matter how much of a workhorse you are, there is simply not enough of us to go around. Work is never done. Life is never done.
Encouraging, isn't it! (Thanks, Jerome. Needed that.) Which leads us directly to high-response #2: the need for direction and focus.
23 years ago, Andy Stanley put out a little book that has stuck with me, called Choosing to Cheat. In it, he builds the case that we will always be disappointing someone or something's demand upon us... and that the answer is to "cheat" wisely. In other words, we must discern the priorities that are most relevant to this day, this week, this season.
Direction and Focus, indeed.
When we talk about Work-Life Balance, what we are really reaching for is the wisdom and awareness to evaluate the genuine welfare of our responsibilities at home and work--and then respond accordingly. This is a seasonal reality and shifts continuously. One child may move from super-needy to pretty stable within a week or a day. Or the other direction, from stable to needy. Work projects move similarly in and out of urgency. But when everything is in crisis all the time, balance is a phantom of our imagination.
Leaders with Gravitas recognize that urgency is a construct of our own making... and the making of others around us. I'm not saying that timing isn't crucial on both home and work fronts; I'm saying that how we respond to pressure is one of the measures of Gravitas. The grace to hold our emotional center when feelings of urgency rise is the essential work of self-leadership and is a central element of my mentoring of leaders.
It's not easy for any of us, but let's press toward that mark together!