Leaders: Why You Need a Work-Life Balance Coach

Being a leader is lonely; you’re expected to shoulder it all, put a brave face on it, hold it all together.  But recognizing when YOU need a work-life balance coach is crucial for maintaining your well-being, your ability to lead, and the effectiveness of your team.

The challenge is compounded by several factors. Everyone expects you, as a leader, to manage your time well:  someone of your status shouldn’t have a problem with work-life balance, now should they? Many leaders have trouble admitting they need help:  If you are not able to lead your own life, what kind of a leader are you? And some leaders even feel guilty for taking time off. Indeed, for many leaders, it is hard to find good work life balance examples to emulate.

One of the most common myths about work-life balance problems and solutions is that you simply need to take more time off for your personal life.  But if you want to know how to find balance in life,  the first step is to become a better leader:  you first have to learn how to work smarter, prioritize, clarify your values and goals, focus your intentions, delegate, stop spinning wheels, and make sure you are doing only the work that really requires you.

Here are some clues that your life is out of balance and that a work-life balance coach could help you: 

You frequently (or increasingly) feel swamped by your workload and responsibilities, and struggle to find time for rest and recovery.

Are you answering  emails at the gym? Distracted on holiday? Checking your phone late at night? Not being truly present with your family and friends?

You are tired, irritable, easily triggered, or having  mood swings. These dynamics may be caused by prolonged periods of work-related stress without adequate self-care.

Is work taking precedence over vital personal needs such as exercise, adequate sleep, spending time with loved ones … even visiting the doctor?

Despite putting in even more hours, are you noticing a drop in your performance, creativity, or engagement at work?

Are you having trouble maintaining meaningful relationships with family, friends, or colleagues? Have you lost touch with people you really care about?

Health problems, such as headaches, insomnia, or digestive issues, are often symptoms of chronic stress and poor work-life balance.

Are you lacking a sense of purpose in your work, or not doing the hobbies that you love?  Is your work getting in the way of satisfaction and joy?  

Exhaustion and burnout–from not taking enough downtime–can render you unable to see the big picture. You can’t prioritize, focus on long-term goals, or maintain your focus on the “big stuff.”  You are sweating the small stuff, overwhelmed by the day-to-day demands, always putting out fires … and no longer acting like a leader.

The sad irony is that any one of these symptoms of work-life balance problems creates a vicious cycle. For example, if you are not sleeping, it’s hard to work efficiently, make good decisions, or prioritize. If you’re not prioritizing, you are likely to spend more unproductive time at work, hurting your family life.

For leaders, work-life balance professional coaching means looking first at how you are leading. Have you accumulated toxic habits? Is your “operating model” out of date? Is the way you are managing your time appropriate for a leader of your level … or are you still acting as if you were at a lower level?  What are the hidden beliefs that constrain your effectiveness and your ability to enjoy your life and your work?

As life coaches for senior leaders, and organizational effectiveness consultants, we go straight to the heart of the matter: how you spend your time. There are several ways we help leaders like you:  

With Calendar Coaching™, we sit down with you and your calendar to gently but firmly interrogate how you are spending your time, each day … and it’s revelatory. You get that critical “outside” perspective, enabling you to prioritize and delegate better, get better at saying no, and put your energy only where it really matters. We can also include key stakeholders–particularly your EA–who have to be fully aligned with your work-life balance goals to help you achieve them.

With our proprietary technique of TimeFraming, we train not just you, but your team to be intentional and effective with each block of time, hold more constructive meetings (and fewer of them). And most of all, find time for what matters — both at home and at work. 

With Question Urgency™ we train you and your team–quickly–to reduce the culture of false urgency that is eating up your resources, interfering with your home life, and depleting everyone’s energy.

When you are equipped with strategies to manage your personal and professional life effectively, you can maintain peak performance levels, leading to better decision-making, increased productivity, and higher overall team performance.

Work-life balance coaching includes training in the skills and mindset needed to manage your own stress effectively, preventing burnout and promoting long-term well-being. It is vital to learn these skills not just to recover from stress but to prevent stress.  

A leader’s ability to balance their work and personal life sets the tone for the entire organization. When you prioritize work-life balance, it sends a message to your team that their well-being matters. This, in turn, fosters a positive work culture, leading to higher levels of employee engagement and retention. Investing in a work-life balance coach for a leader also demonstrates a commitment to the well-being of employees, which also improves morale and loyalty.

Effective leadership extends beyond professional competencies; it encompasses emotional intelligence, resilience, and self-awareness. Work-life balance coaching helps senior leaders develop these critical leadership qualities by making sure you have enough time for self-reflection and introspection. Taking time off is essential for decision making and the vision required for innovation.

As leaders become more attuned to their own needs and priorities, they can better understand and support their team members, leading to improved collaboration, communication, and overall leadership effectiveness.

Ignoring work-life balance can have serious consequences for top talent, including burnout and disengagement. By investing in a work-life balance coach for senior leaders and their teams, organizations can mitigate these risks and ensure consistency in leadership.

In today’s competitive market, prospective employees, investors, and stakeholders increasingly value companies that demonstrate a commitment to employee well-being. But this means more than ping-pong and paintball. By publicly promoting work-life balance coaching initiatives, organizations can attract top talent, improve investor confidence, and strengthen their brand as an employer of choice, ultimately driving long-term growth and success.

At the One Moment Company, we envision a world where life is time well spent, where you feel aligned with time. Discover how our leadership programs and consulting services can empower you and your teams to, finally, find time for what matters most. To learn more, get in touch via this contact form.