Leadership Success with Life Balance – an antidote to Stress

Leaders commit to a mission, a purpose, a goal and shed sweat to accomplish their mission. But all that glitters is not gold. We see the outer accomplishments of the Leader, however there are so many external and internal stressors that threaten the Leader and their sense of Self. Do we really know them? Does the Leader really know their stress patterns? 

Do they experience few of these:

o  They are preoccupied even after work and just can’t shut their mind 

o  They are unable to give enough time to their relationships and feel guilty

o  They toss and turn at night having disturbed sleep 

o  They are not able to be mindful about self, others and surroundings 

And more…..

Our lives are so fast paced and chaotic, that we lose sight. As leaders, we may not lose sight of our mission or goals but rather of OURSELVES. We dissolve into the expectations, pressures, and standards and try fitting into this ideal “strong” and “nothing can break me” box. Leaders need to strike a balance between supporting others and managing their burnouts. 

Research has found that many leaders experience greater stress levels holding their positions. Added to that is when organizations fail to provide adequate resources and facilities to manage stress. Leaders are expected to complete tasks faster but with lesser resources. This discrepancy then becomes the root of stress. 

The amount of stress leaders experience on a day-to-day basis not only impacts their professional life but also other aspects of life. The whole fundamental of “Leadership Success with Life Balance” is challenged!

The following are the unique stressors that leader’s face today: 

Job Responsibility and accountability – higher productivity expected!

2.      Work-life balance - Leaders find it difficult to draw boundaries between work and personal life. This blurring of boundaries often leads to over working and stress, depleting their physical health and satisfaction levels. 

3.      High Expectations – This includes expectations from others and expectations from Self. Leaders can manage high expectations from management by continuously evaluating them and drawing boundaries with Self and others. When the Leader holds a dangerous expectation on Self, they are more likely to have an amplified inner critical voice causing increased stress.

4.      Perceptions – When the Leader believes that they need to always put up a strong front, it disallows them from being vulnerable leading to suppressing of emotions. 

5.      Interpersonal stressors from family, colleagues, bosses, peers – This could be real or imagined. We need to remember that stress is when the Leader feels they don’t have the necessary resources to manage the stressful stimuli.

6.      Stress from Living with inauthenticity – When the inner and the outer is incongruent, a Leader struggles with having to shut their inner realities and align with the outer demands.

It is a universal law that when the pain of living inauthentic is more unbearable than speaking one’s truth, the Leader would shed their mask and speak up!

 The Need for Self Awareness

There is a need for the Leader to look within. Living from achievement to achievement is great but not at the cost of Self. This allows stress to creep in and get manifested in their body, mind, thoughts, and more.  

So, who is responsible for this?

The Leader themselves!

An inside out approach is crucial to help leader’s hold a grander view of oneself- LEADERSHIP SUCCESS WITH LIFE BALANCE. If the Leader takes care of their body, emotions, thoughts and vision, they have an opportunity to become aware of their self, their stress patterns, and their resourcefulness to manage stress.

A Self-aware leader who prioritizes their wellbeing, can help their employees and organizations gain clarity and identify their strengths. This not only leads to business success but the holistic growth of the organization.

Isn’t that what a leader truly wants?

A Leader’s journey can be arduous, but Leadership Success that comes with Life Balance is sustainable and fulfilling.