I recently gave this simple Satisfaction Assessment to a group of business owners at our CEO Peer Advisory Groups in Dallas and I asked them to fill this to show how satisfied they were with a variety of areas in their Personal and Professional life. The results were surprising to many.
First, we filled out the Business Wheel and in most cases, the business wheel showed a level of satisfaction in most areas that filled up each section close to the edges. Not surprising as they are experienced Owners, Presidents, and CEOs who have worked hard to achieve success.
However, when it came to filling out the Personal Wheel, things did not look so good. Maybe they were exaggerating on the Business Wheel so, by comparison, the Personal Wheel looked weak. The comparison between our satisfaction in our work compared to our personal life was evident.
“We often give so much of ourselves to our business at the expense of our family, romance, and even our health!”
How about you? If you were to take this quick assessment, how would your wheels look? The goal would be to have a balanced circle in each wheel with no one category drastically larger than another. Balance is hard to achieve, and things can fall out of balance subtly if we are not careful to set limits for ourselves.
Our CEO groups tackled the idea of having a balance in life last year and it made a big difference in their lives. I’m not telling anyone to work less, I’m just saying you should be intentional to spend your time and resources focused in areas to deliver the results you really want in life.
Having a Work/Life Balance seems impossible for most business owners so I prefer the idea of Work/Life Integration. Let your two worlds be seamless so you can pop from one to the other at will. The reality is that life is less like a pie and more like a teeter-totter. So when you are at work, give 100% of who you are, and when you are at home, give 100% of who you are. The trick is to be the kind of person who can be the same at both. If you are a jerk at work because that’s the only way to “get things done” then you will bring that jerk home and the family will not put up with it. If you are the same person in both places, you can pop in and out of work and your personal life and keep things steady. Make sense?
Leaders need to lead by example and your team needs to know it’s okay to seek balance in life by the example you set. These wheels can be a discussion tool to help you and your team get back on track. Let me know if you’d like a blank copy of these wheels for you and your team to fill out. Email me at RobertH@REFdallas.com
Robert Hunt