Balancing Work With Total Life Fulfilment
A balancing act: The action orientated leaders dilemma
The leaders I work with like to get things done. They pride themselves on their achievements, consistently surpassing expectations, whether they're set by others or themselves.
As a coach, I'm drawn to clients like these; in fact I actively seek out leaders who share my passion for tangible results and seeing aspirations come to fruition through action.
However, in our conversations, a recurring theme emerges: to what extent do these leaders prioritise productivity over other aspects of their lives?
It's a question that often leads to deep introspection. While every leader possesses remarkable strengths and leadership styles, there's always a flip side. Strengths come with inherent weaknesses and blind spots. When we prioritise one thing, something else naturally takes a backseat.
For those who prioritise action and results by default, other facets of life inevitably slide down the list of priorities.
This in itself isn't necessarily a problem, as naturally not everything can be the top priority simultaneously.
Yet, many fast-paced, action-oriented leaders rarely pause to question their default settings; the habitual priorities that determine what does make the top of the list.
And while these defaults may serve them well, it is imperative to not let them dictate their lives without scrutiny.
Many of my clients have echoed this sentiment. Take George, for instance. Working remotely from home, he often finds himself engulfed in work, often to the detriment of spending time with his family. His dedication to his job is admirable, but it sometimes comes at the cost of family time. The allure of completing tasks and achieving milestones can overshadow other important aspects of life.
For leaders like George who thrive on constant progress, the challenge lies in resisting the urge to plunge headlong into the next big endeavour, or to just reply to that next quick email.
Your ability to deliver exceptional results has propelled you to where you are today - it is what has made you successful. And long may it continue.
But how you prioritise your energy and time to achieve what you really want can benefit from conscious thought and design.
As I discussed with one client preparing to move up to a CFO role - some CFO’s find success working 45 hours a week, others put in twice that time. Both paths are valid, but what many clients discover is that taking a moment to pause and reflect can lead to new insights and possibilities.
Because ultimately, how we allocate our time and energy determines the quality of our relationships and experiences, not just in the present, but for the rest of our lives.
Here are three prompts to help you review and reflect on yours:
Review: Think about what you naturally prioritise in life and where your primary energy goes. The first thing you think about may well be associated with what you instinctively love doing - or what people naturally count on you for.
How do you typically decide what activities take precedence in your day-to-day life?
What do you naturally prioritise?
What then, by default, naturally gets deprioritised?
Reflect: Take a moment to think about your current world.
What aspects or experiences are missing from your life that you would like more of?
How do you keep them out of your life?
What choices are you making, or not making, that contribute to that?
Identify: Think about your current priorities and how they align with what you really want.
What are the top three priorities in your life right now?
How do they contribute to your long-term whole-life goals?
Are there any areas where your immediate actions today don't align with what you really want?
If so, what steps can you take to realign them?
Read: In Essentialism, Greg McKeown explores how to focus on what truly matters, and the theme of balancing productivity and personal fulfilment for high-achieving leaders.
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