Finding Balance as a CEO
Balancing personal goals and family life with the 24/7 demands of the workplace is a challenge for the CEO or any senior executive. Shareholders, key customers, other executives and the media are among the long line of people who make demands on your time.
It’s no wonder that many CEOs need to “disappear” from the organization at least once or twice a year to recharge their batteries by playing golf, fishing, traveling or simply relaxing at home. But it’s also essential to maintain your personal balance during those long days on the job.
In that regard, it may be helpful to consider the 10-point plan for happiness outlined by Pope Francis in a recent interview. Regardless of your religious faith, following these suggestions may help you maintain a balanced perspective on life, as well as a sense of personal satisfaction. Here are his points, along with a few thoughts about applying them in the corporate world.
- Live and let live. Don’t try to change the personalities of your senior leadership team. There are more productive ways to spend your time and energy.
- Give yourself to others. It’s easy for CEOs to give themselves to the company. But you should also be able to give yourself to your spouse, partner, children and friends.
- Move quietly. As you go through your work week, your career and your life, move calmly and don’t let stress affect you or those around you. Serenity projects an image of confidence and strength.
- Enjoy your leisure time. Spend part of every day away from the job—mentally as well as physically.
- Devote time to family. Whether you choose Sunday, another day or parts of each day, you should devote some time each week to family and/or friends. It’s important to take these moments away from work to regroup and refresh, and then return energized and enthusiastic.
- Find jobs for young people. How can you help the next generation find satisfying work and build meaningful careers? You could start an internship program, become a mentor or take part in volunteer activities.
- Respect nature. Sustainability is an important consideration for all stakeholders in an organization. Taking part in environmentally related activities can benefit your organization, while providing a sense of personal satisfaction.
- Let go of negatives. As a CEO, your decisions and actions are likely to generate both positive and negative responses. Don’t pay excessive attention to those pessimistic viewpoints and stay focused on your goals, objectives and values.
- Don’t proselytize. A leader is not always right, and aggressive conversion tactics won’t change that. People see things from different perspectives, and that should be respected.
- Work for peace. It’s not always possible or even desirable to achieve complete harmony in the workplace. But an organization that is divided into warring factions is in serious trouble. As the CEO, one of the roles you need to play is that of the peacemaker.
Successful CEOs recognize that devoting themselves exclusively to the job leads to a one-dimensional life and invites burnout down the road. It’s far better to strive for a balanced work style that includes time for family, friends and yourself.
