Here's how you can manage guilt when prioritizing your personal life as a leader.

In my experience as a leader, there is always more to a role than any job description or interview may reveal. No person has 100% of everything a role may demand, so you prioritize and develop as you grow. Some of the best laid plans need revision. Some of the best hires don't work out. Leading dynamically for the situation at hand draws much energy. Humans have certain capacities for giving, receiving, and processing. High achievers understand the ultimate importance of self-care. They role model this so their teams can perform at their best. It's healthy to take a pause, a break, a vacation, to come back stronger. Encourage teams to rejuvenate. Be upfront with overwhelm and next steps for trust. Leaders can be factual without regret.

Very aptly put, learn to identify and acknowledge the guilt. E.g. working mothers start having this guilt that when they work, they are doing injustice to family and when they take care of family they are falling short on professional responsibilities. That's not true. One should identify what works for them, have an open conversation with the team/ organisation and create the right balance. More often than not this is more in your head rather than the reality. If the intent is right and you want to make things work , you CAN !

Instead of acknowledging guilt, we need to ditch it altogether. This needs to be part of your culture. You cannot be an effective, purposeful and energised leader without balancing your work and personal life. There is never an end to your 'to do' list, so prioritise your work time to complete your tasks according to priority level, urgency and necessity. When the work day is done, then it is done. Whatever is left is on the list for tomorrow. Yes, there will be occasional situations that require out of hours attention, but make this the exception not the rule. And remember, your team take their cues from you on how to behave at work. If you model behaviours that show healthy work life balance, they'll be more comfortable doing the same.

This is something many working women and leaders face. Many women I have spoken to at our 1000 Women Leaders Program express this issue often. Feeling guilt when they are focused on work, thinking that they are neglecting their family and feeling guilt when they are focused on family, thinking that they are neglecting their work! More often than not it's in our heads :). The key here is to acknowledge this feeling and be self-accepting. We need to get over the superwoman?syndrome!

Instead of shying away from guilt, embrace it as a stepping stone towards growth and self-awareness. Here's a creative approach: Imagine guilt as a gentle whisper, nudging you towards reflection and introspection. Instead of drowning out this whisper with denial or defensiveness, sit with it in quiet contemplation. Feel the weight of guilt like a heavy cloak, and then, with courage and vulnerability, unravel its threads one by one. Embrace guilt as a gentle whisper guiding you toward self-awareness. Acknowledge mistakes without judgment, using guilt as a compass for growth. Treat guilt like a garden of lessons to tend, nurturing self-awareness amidst imperfections. Welcome guilt as a guest, listening to its guidance for growth.

Visualize boundaries as a shield that protects your personal time and well-being. Define and communicate your boundaries with confidence, establishing a clear line between personal life and professional responsibilities. Treat boundaries like a garden fence, nurturing balance and well-being while keeping out burnout and overwhelm. Fortify your boundaries like a castle, standing firm in self-worth and commitment to personal well-being amidst the demands of leadership. So, when faced with the challenge of balancing personal and professional priorities, fortify your boundaries like a castle, standing firm in your self-worth and commitment to your well-being.

It's helpful to go back and ask 'why' you started out. Are you living the way you want to? Are you still achieving your original goals? If not, reflect on why that may be and set yourself a plan to overcome those. It's important to step back regularly if you're feeling burnout.

I set specific times during the day when I'm unavailable for work-related matters, such as during family dinners or personal activities. I communicate these boundaries to my team, explaining the importance of personal time for maintaining overall well-being and productivity. Initially, I felt guilty about not being constantly available, but I soon realized that setting these boundaries not only improved my personal life but also set a positive example for my team. They saw that it's okay to prioritize personal well-being, which in turn created a healthier, more balanced work environment for everyone.

Look at workloads regularly. It's very easy for people to take on too much. Delegate tasks to your team, but be transparent in your reasoning. When you let team members know they can be trusted with other responsibilities, you show that you value them. Building up that trust in your team not only makes them feel good, but it can ease your stresses when you need to focus on personal matters.

Think of delegation as a relay race, passing tasks to capable team members like a coach empowering their players. Assign tasks strategically to team strengths and personal priorities. View delegation as a collaborative tapestry, weaving skills for shared success. Trust and empower team members by planting seeds in a garden, fostering autonomy and accountability. Approach delegation as a strategic partnership to lighten the load, achieve collective success, and inspire empowerment and growth.

I started identifying key team members who could handle specific responsibilities in my absence. I provided them with the necessary training and support to ensure they felt confident and capable. By delegating tasks, I was able to take personal time without feeling guilty, knowing that the team could manage well. This approach also fostered a sense of ownership and development within the team. Effective delegation allows you to prioritize your personal life, reduces guilt, and enhances your team's skills and confidence.

View self-care as essential nourishment for your well-being and effectiveness as a leader. Prioritize self-care with intention, setting boundaries for activities that replenish you. Treat self-care as non-negotiable, nurturing a garden of self-love with self-compassion and mindfulness. Make self-care a top priority to sustain your resilience and success in balancing personal and professional responsibilities.

I realized that self-care is crucial for maintaining my energy and focus. I started scheduling regular self-care activities, such as morning or evening meditation and weekend workouts, and treated them as non-negotiable appointments. I communicated to my team the importance of self-care and encouraged them to do the same. By modeling this behavior, I showed that taking care of oneself is key to being an effective leader. Prioritizing self-care helps manage guilt by reinforcing that maintaining personal well-being is not only acceptable but necessary for sustainable success and leadership.

Imagine reflection as a journey of self-discovery, where you navigate the terrain of your actions and decisions with courage and humility. Travel inward to uncover the roots of your impact, tending to the soil of your intentions and the branches of your outcomes. Reflect with empathy and authenticity, acknowledging both your successes and shortcomings as opportunities for growth. So, when reflecting on the impact of your actions, approach it as a creative and transformative process. Use reflection as a mirror, compass, and painting to deepen self-awareness, learn from your experiences, and shape a more intentional and positive impact on those around you. Reflect with curiosity, openness, and empathy, embracing the journey of self-discovery

I started reflecting on how my personal well-being directly influenced my professional performance. By taking time to recharge, I returned to work more focused, energized, and effective. I noticed that when I prioritized my personal life, I became a better leader, more patient, and supportive. This not only benefited me but also improved team morale and productivity. Reflecting on this positive impact helped me manage guilt and reinforced the importance of balancing personal and professional life. This set a healthy example for your team, showing that it's possible to achieve both personal well-being and professional success. This reflection helps you understand that prioritizing personal life is a strength, not a weakness.

Make work-life balance a core aspect of your culture. Build a shared understanding and expectation across your organisation of the importance of balancing work and personal life and then provide practical assistance at a role, team and division level to help achieve and recognise this. Getting this right will have benefits to employee health and wellbeing, engagement and satisfaction levels and overall productivity, as you will be minimising chances of fatigue and burnout and creating an environment which promotes a healthy and balanced work ethic.