My balance is not your balance.
I love spending as much time with my wife and daughters.
Work also fulfils me.
I’m lucky that I love what I do.
But my perfect balance isn’t everyone’s. And here is where I see companies getting into trouble.
It’s an assumption that having a clear separation between work and personal life will reduce stress and increase performance and satisfaction at work.
There are two theories at play here:
The first is from Buckingham and Goodall, who proposed ‘that employees are more motivated and engaged when they find work that aligns with their passions/meaning in their lives’.
This results in the boundary between work and personal life becoming more fluid.
Second, in Collin’s book, ‘Good to Great’, he recommends the ‘Hedgehog Concept’ for hiring specific individuals ‘who are passionate about the company’s mission, values, and purpose.’
Finding personal meaning in their work results in employees putting in extra time and effort to contribute to their company (and co-workers’ success).
Some managers I coach are driven by career advancement.
Others want more time off.
But they’re committed to seeing the company succeed and accepting each other’s differences.
Be vigilant in your goals and remain flexible in the means for achieving them.
If you want to learn HOW I help organizations figure this out, I’ll check my email after reading my girls' bedtime stories.
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