Work-life Balance: The Impossible Dream? No, actually.

For many executives, the idea of achieving work-life can feel like trying to nail jelly to the wall. The competing demands of a successful career and personal life can create a tug-of-war that leaves little room for wellbeing. While mythical visions of perfect work/life harmony that appear seductively in social media feeds may seem unattainable, realistic, meaningful balance is within reach – with the right support. Executive coaching is that support. With its unrivalled access to an executive’s thoughts, behaviours, feelings and relationships, coaching can create a vision of work-life balance and the means of achieving it.

Understanding the Reality of Work-Life Balance

A good coach will quickly spot whether someone is seeking work-life perfection and set them on a path of sustainable equilibrium that reflects their values and enhances their wellbeing. For executives, the challenge often lies in recognising where imbalances exist. Some leaders are so immersed in their professional responsibilities that they lose sight of their personal needs. Others face external pressures—such as organisational demands or family responsibilities—that make balance feel impossible.

Coaching helps executives become helpfully aware of their current work-life balance or plans for it. Why ‘helpfully’? Well, most executives know at some level that life is out of quilter e.g., they know they are stressed, but not at the level that matters: full cognition. Coaching transports its clients to this level by shining a light on internal and external forces at play, such as perfectionism or workload. It supports them in designing tailored strategies for their unique circumstances.

Why Work-Life Balance Matters

Work-life balance isn’t a luxury item; it’s a non-negotiable one. Neglecting personal lives can and often does lead to burnout, decreased productivity, and strained relationships. Research supports this: a study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that long working hours are linked to a 29% increase in the risk of stroke and a 17% increase in the risk of heart disease. Put another way, poor work-life causes simultaneous harm to someone’s present and future health and wellbeing.

Conversely, when leaders achieve a healthier balance, they experience greater resilience, energy, and focus. Coaching presents these two perspectives to its clients and, in a supportively challenging way, suggests which one to choose.

Coaching: Focusing on the Climb, Not the Summit

One of the unique strengths of coaching is its focus on the process as well as the outcome, not just the latter. Rather than fixating on an unattainable vision of work-life balance, coaching emphasises the process or ‘climb’. To use a mountaineering analogy, a coach knows that the climber reaches the ‘summit’ (outcome) by prioritising the piece of rock in front of them because focusing solely on the summit means hand and foot holds are lost and, well – it’s a long way down.

Coaching encourages executives to take the following steps up the mountain:

• Identify core values: aligning professional and personal decisions with what truly matters to them.
• Challenge limiting beliefs: addressing internal barriers like guilt, perfectionism, or fear of failure.
• Set achievable goals: breaking down large objectives into manageable, actionable steps.
• Build resilience: developing mental and emotional tools to navigate setbacks and maintain momentum.

This approach reframes work-life balance as a steady, considered process connected to a realistic outcome, helping leaders prioritise their wellbeing while preserving what they love about their professional lives.

Navigating Internal and External Challenges

A combination of internal and external factors often influences work-life balance:

• Internal challenges include mindset issues, such as self-imposed pressure to overperform or difficulty delegating tasks.
• External challenges involve structural or cultural factors, such as demanding work environments, unrelenting schedules, or family obligations.

Coaching provides a framework to address these dual layers of complexity, ensuring leaders don’t waste precious resources pursuing external solutions for internal problems and vice versa. For example, a leader struggling with internal perfectionism might develop a more self-compassionate mindset, while a leader grappling with organisational demands works on boundary-setting and advocating for systemic change.

How Coaching Enhances Wellbeing

A good coach provides the support, techniques and strategies the individual needs to explore challenges and experiment with solutions. Coaches have seen it all, meaning they bring a wealth of experience from diverse industries, enabling them to offer fresh perspectives and practical strategies that leaders can relate to and be inspired by. By focusing on both personal and professional dimensions, coaching helps leaders achieve:

• Clarity: Understanding what balance means for them and identifying realistic goals.
• Confidence: Building skills to navigate complex demands and make empowered choices.
• Sustainability: Creating habits and routines that support long-term wellbeing.

Ready to Make the Climb?

If you’re an executive struggling to balance the demands of work and personal life, coaching can provide the support and structure you need to thrive. By working with a coach, you’ll gain clarity, develop practical strategies, and create sustainable changes that benefit both your personal and professional life.

• Work-life balance doesn’t have to be mythical. With the right support, it can be a realistic, manageable goal.
• Coaching provides clarity: It helps executives understand and address internal and external challenges.
• Wellbeing drives success: Prioritising balance enhances personal health, productivity, and resilience.
• Focus on the journey: Small, consistent steps lead to meaningful and lasting change.

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