Last week we looked at the concept of leadership hurry. Hurry is the enemy of good leadership.  Consequently, more and more leaders are searching for balance, an elusive aspirational state.

This Week’s Edition

Does the concept of balance as a leader even exist? If leaders switch from sleuthing out balance to focusing on prioritizing their efforts, might they solve the problem for which they believe balance is the solution?

Clarify Your Thinking

“Robin, I just need more balance in my life,” Catherine said.

“Really… why?” I responded.

“I’m so overwhelmed.  This CEO position is a big job. I’m pulled in a million directions. I need to set some rigid boundaries. I need balance,” she exclaimed.

“Well, what I hear you saying is that you have limited time. The demands on you are greater than your available time. When you are focused on one thing the other things are pulling at you.”

“Yes, it feels like am juggling a dozen balls at once,” she declared.

“Consequently, the world feels a little out of control. You just want it all to be balanced?” I asked.

“Yes. That’s it exactly. Can you help me?”

“No!” I said.

“What?”

“I mean ‘yes’ I can help you. ‘No’ is the key to your future.”

The state of perpetual work, without a true set of priorities, leaves leaders pining for balance and causes them to begin questioning their leadership.

Old Thinking: If I can’t even balance my own professional life, how do I think I can organize this company and move us forward to success?

New Thinking: I can’t do it all. I can prioritize. I can say ‘yes’ to the most important things. I can trust my team to the other tasks. We can say ‘no’ to the things we just can’t handle right now.

Thoughts Lead to Actions

 Across hundreds of conversations, I’ve never found one leader who has unlocked the balance they sought to find. One leader even scoffed by saying, “Work life balance? That’s laughable. I’m just looking for work work balance.”

The minute a leader arrives at some semblance of balance something happens that throws things off:

·       A huge client opportunity arises

·       A key executive leaves the company

·       A once in century global pandemic hits

Instead of seeking balance, leaders can take the following steps to set their priorities and bring their leadership world toward greater stability.

1.   Determine your organization’s vision. Where are you going in the future? Write down the details of what you, your team and your organization will have accomplished by the end of 2023.

2.   Identify the three strategies you will pursue to achieve that vision. Commit to your three strategies to see them through to success and say ‘no’ to any additional things.  If one doesn’t work or is not useful, replace it.

Boost Your Performance

Richard Branson famously said “no” to an invitation to speak at an event that was offering a huge sum of money for his time. His rationale: the presentation did not further any of his strategic priorities at that time. No amount of money would draw him off his game. It is easy to say “no” to something good when you’ve said “yes” to something great.

What’s Your Opinion?

In what ways do you find yourself out of balance? Share it with me at robin.pou@robinpou.com.

Don’t let doubt count you out. Have a confident week!

Robin Pou, Chief Advisor and Strategist

If this was helpful, feel free to share it with another leader who needs to defeat doubt and complete their confidence.

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What is “The Confident Leader”?

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, I began a video series called “Panic or Plan?” It was designed to equip leaders to navigate the doubt they experienced and to rise in the confidence they needed to lead during turbulent times. It took off. I then started this newsletter to equip leaders in the same fashion each week for the doubt that crashes across the bow of their leaderSHIP.