One of the main things I preach is that to be a great leader, it’s imperative you find some form of balance in your life. I believe this is critical for us as leaders to be our best so we can be there for our people and organization. When someone tells me they’re working 80 hours a week, I immediately wonder how effective they are at what they’re doing. Perhaps they can’t let go? Perhaps they need help? Perhaps they’re stuck doing work that’s not the highest and best use of their time. Occasionally, I see people stuck in work loops doing activities that aren’t of real value.
I believe that the higher up the leadership structure you go, the more important it becomes to take some time to ensure you’re spending time where you should. Part of this helps guarantee you get the necessary downtime and clarity breaks required of great leaders.
I’ve recently been reviewing this for myself. My natural tendency is to hit a wall about every three years then dive in and try something different. I’ve been in one of those headspaces recently; however, now I’m not worrying about. I’m embracing it and defining what my ideal ‘next chapter’ will look like.
The good part is that I’m embracing that I don’t want or need a full directional change or reboot. In fact, I can lean in more and formalize some of my areas of expertise and interest. Though these adjustments will be minor, the clarity in my head will enable me to be much more effective.
I will refine, improve, and double down on these three areas of my work life:
My advisory work with CEOs and owners
This is a rather discrete area, as I talk very little about it. My advisory work is 100% referral-based. I find this work to be tremendously rewarding, and is definitely a part of my highest and best use. I love to empower great leaders to become even better by blending confidential collaboration, coaching, and accountability.
EOS©/Traction implementation
I still believe this to be the best process I’ve ever seen for businesses to achieve a common vision, create accountability, and nurture a healthy environment. My sweet spot is helping grow a $30 million company that wants to grow to $120 million – this is fun. I work with others, but this is my sweet spot. I love being an expert in this field and I’m fortunate to be part of a small group of other implementers that all want to improve our skills. For this work, I’m expanding my approach and looking at EOS© as one of the tools in my toolbox, with the ultimate goal of using any of the tools I have to help teams be great.
Writing and managing my other businesses
I love to write blogs and I’ve completed the first manuscript draft for two books. Currently, I’m focused on finishing up a book that will help individuals who’d like to transition from working in a business to owning their own solopreneur practice. The Aspiring Solopreneur is slated for release in Q1 of 2019. I enjoy writing and feel it provides me with a creative outlet and it allows me to feel like I’m giving back.
So, why does any of this matter to you? I’ve listed my areas of focus to illustrate how I’ve defined where I want to invest my time and energy. Yes, there’s some shameless self-promotion there as well, but hey, this is my blog. I need to get some ROI. The real intention is this: Now that I’ve gone through the mental gymnastics to actually document my plan to know where I’m going, I can put my head down and go out and get it.
I’d encourage you to review where you’re at in your work life. Do you have the balance you crave? Is the work you do the highest and best use of your time? Do you love what you do?
If not, that’s okay. However, I would state that it’s your obligation to determine these things. This doesn’t mean you quit your job and go live in an ashram to figure it out. Work through it and define where you want to go. Once you have a destination, build a plan and timeline to get there.
It’s worth it.
Are you in need of a balance-booster? Do you struggle with efficiently using your time and skills? We can help you with this! Reach out to us today for a no-obligation consultation.
