Should you focus on work-life balance or set an intense example by pushing ambitious targets?
Sverre Steensen
Gründer av bla. Enklere Liv, hjelper n? selskaper med vekst (ideators.no) og annen konsulentvirksomhet.
In preparation for the upcoming quarter, your Chief of Staff, Karen, approaches you. "I've noticed you've been sending emails late at night and working weekends," she says. "The team feels pressured to do the same." You respond, "We're in a critical growth phase. I want to demonstrate commitment to our goals."
Karen suggests, "But by modeling work-life balance, you could encourage healthier habits among employees, which may improve overall performance." You ponder, "If I scale back, will that signal a lack of dedication?"
She replies, "Not necessarily. It shows that you value well-being, which can boost morale and productivity." You consider, "Should I model work-life balance to promote a healthier culture, or continue setting an intense example to drive ambitious targets?"
You are the CEO—what would you do?
Expert 1: Model Work-Life Balance
I recommend modeling a healthy approach to work-life balance. Leaders set the tone for organizational culture. According to the Harvard Business Review, CEOs who prioritize balance encourage employees to do the same, resulting in higher job satisfaction and productivity.
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By demonstrating that you value personal time, you reduce burnout risks and promote a sustainable work environment. This approach can enhance creativity and innovation, as well-rested employees are more engaged and effective. Balancing ambition with well-being can lead to long-term success and a positive company reputation.
Expert 2: Set an Intense Example
I advise continuing to set an intense example. Your dedication can inspire employees to exceed their own expectations. A study by McKinsey found that high-performing organizations often have leaders who model a strong work ethic and commitment to ambitious goals.
By pushing hard, you create a culture of excellence and urgency, which can be crucial in competitive industries. While it's important to monitor for burnout, the immediate gains in productivity and market positioning can justify the intense pace. Implementing support systems can help manage stress levels among the team.
My opinion
The easiest way to get a competitive edge in Norway is to work until five on Fridays and 10 hours on weekends. The easiest way to succeed is to work more hours. If the mission is important, you need to push yourself and everyone around you as hard as possible and be on the edge of burnout.
Inklude - hjelper bedrifter med arbeidsinkludering & mangfoldsrekruttering
1 个月Spennede - leser en bok av Jon Ivar Johansen n? som heter ?less is more?:).
I Get You More Traffic & More Sales...Point Blank!??
1 个月I personally think that you can do both. You can have systems and bots working extremely hard at the task at hand while you focus on work-life balance. It will require some intense hard work to spark things but in the long run, it won't require the typical grind that we are all accustomed to. It will be more working hard on the strategy (which is the fun part)
Recruiting leaders, specialists and commercial roles within tech
1 个月Just be aware of the research from Berkeley. It is individual, but on average they found that the net effect of the 56th hour is negative. Also does not make much sense to put in the 54th hour as effect is minimal. So I guess 8 hours pr weekday plus 10 on the weekend (50 total) makes sense if performance is the only goal, but above that is not worth the sacrifices.
Daglig leder i SOOLO AS | Effektiv og smart logistikk med IoT
1 个月? bare putte inn mer timer betyr ikke n?dvendigvis at man f?r et konkurransefortrinn. F?r man putter p? mer timer ville jeg: 1. S?rget for ? ha satt kursen riktig, ellers kommer du bare fortere til feil m?l 2. S?rget for at du har det riktige laget med deg 3. Pass p? at laget vet hva som er m?l og retning 4. G? igjennom alle m?teserier i bedriften, kartlegg form?l, deltakere og om de overlapper med andre, kutt s? mye som mulig 5. Sett alle m?ter til standard 30 min 6. Kurs alle i god m?tekultur 7. F? KPIene som betyr noe opp i dagen, enkelt tilgjengelig s? alle kan se de. F? p? plass automatisk rapportering s? en ikke kaster bort tiden med ? lage PowerPoints og grave gjennom Excel filer fra ett system til et annet 8. Bygg en "kontekst" p? selskapet slik at en enkelt kan bruke AI til diverse lederoppgaver hvor en kan trenge litt sparring - Her sparer du mange timer hver uke. 9. Forvent mer av deg selv enn de rundt deg. Kan godt v?re at de mange av punktene over er "selvf?lgeligheter" - men jeg tror ogs? det er mye produktivitet ? hente for mange, f?r en begynner ? lesse p? med timer og jobber "on the edge of burnout".
CTO at Mestergruppen AS
1 个月Couldn’t agree less! Find a good company and team, work short, but productive days over time to achieve success and a happy life.