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Leveraging Human Potential: Getting Work-Life Balance Right

Getting work-life balance right and the flexibility to make short-term changes are critical if we are to have sustainable performance over time. Wellbeing is essential to sustained productivity and to the dynamics of healthy, efficient teams. In this article, Angus McLeod provides us with strategies for revisiting and reflecting upon what is important and for taking action to change habits of both thinking and behaviour.

by Angus McLeod

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr Angus McLeod is the author of many papers and books on coaching, NLP and leadership. His books include, Performance Coaching and Me, Myself, My Team (both Crown House), Self-coaching Leadership (John Wiley) and Performance Coaching Toolkit (McGraw-Hill/OU, 2010). He designed distance-learning performance coaching diploma courses at Newcastle College, with over 15,000 students to date. Angus also researches and supervises academic research in the UK and facilitates master-classes in coaching, trains managers and coaches 1-2-1 internationally. Angus McLeod Associates Angus McLeod Associates offers and trains coaches. The company trains managers in the use of coaching skills to use in their day-to-day managing styles. The website provides a significant resource for free information for managers, leaders and coaches, as well as free newsletters and access to a library of videos.

Most executives have demanding jobs, so we seem to have good excuses for being late for friends, children and spouses. We also have a good excuse for being distracted at home and for not really being present in family life. However, we will not be able to achieve the right balance between our work and life at home without revaluing.

It is worth questioning whether excessive time at work over the mid or long time is actually efficient. Logic and experience suggest that persistently high levels of work-time increases errors and reduces efficacy. People who have gone from episodes of fire-fighting to persistent ‘fire-fighting mode’ are suffering from the Lock-in Syndrome. Once in the syndrome, they typically do not have mental the clarity to see their situation objectively.

One of the problems with addressing attention to life-balance in the first place is the effects of Lock-in Syndrome (or fire-fighting at the lesser level of issue). We get so focused, that the rest of our needs (and that of others) get sidelined. To make changes we must take the time to investigate the issues properly, not short-cut the process by following existing patterns. For those that have the desire and will to change, let’s look at an evaluation of life-balance and then strategies for making positive differences in the short and longer term.

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