All work and no play can lead to burnout. When you’ve reached the upper level of management, you need to ensure that you are the best possible leader. However, you can only do that by ensuring that you are taking care of yourself — both in and outside of the workplace. New research reveals how important your work-life balance is to your career.
Chad Price MAKO Medical CEO oversees a team of more than a thousand staff members, ranging from delivery and logistics team members to experts in the research and testing fields. The entrepreneur knows how intrinsic it is to establish a work-life balance when you are at the head of a company. In the following article, the business leader explains why that is and offers his unique insights into how you can create the right balance in your life.
Why Leaders Need a Good Work-Life Balance
When you head home after a grueling day of work, it’s important to get some down time. While leaders often preach this to their employees, they should take a leaf out of the same book. Research from the University of Florida found that managers who disconnect from their jobs at the end of the day end up feeling more refreshed the next day. That move means that you have a better overall approach to your job and can inspire your staff.
“The simple message of this study is that if you want to be an effective leader at work, leave work at work,” said Klodiana Lanaj, research leader and professor at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business. “This is particularly important for inexperienced leaders, as they seem to benefit the most from recovery experiences when at home. Leaders have challenging jobs as they juggle their own role responsibilities with the needs of their followers, and they need to recover from the demands of the leadership role.”
As part of the study, the researchers surveyed both managers and their employees. The survey gleaned whether leaders were able to “disconnect” from work the night before when they were at home plus how they felt the following day. On the other hand, employees were asked by the team to rate how effective their managers had been. The researchers brought together these two data banks to see what effect rest had.
“What we found is that on nights when leaders were able to completely turn off and not think about work, they were more energized the next day, and they felt better connected to their leadership role at work,” said Lanaj. “On those same days, their followers reported that these leaders were more effective in motivating them and in guiding their work.”
Put simply, that means that getting a good night of rest can help you become a better manager. When you don’t get the time out that you need, it can impact all areas of your life. It’s not just about getting the amount of sleep you need — you also need to make sure that you get some space away from the pressures of your managerial duties.
“But on nights when leaders reported that they were thinking about the negative aspects of work, they couldn’t really recuperate their energy by the morning,” Lanaj said. “They saw themselves as less leader-like and they weren’t as effective, as rated by their followers.”
The results are a clear indication of the importance of having a good work-life balance. However, for many professionals, this is oftentimes a background thought. When you have a hectic career, it is vital that you learn how to get away from the stress that it can cause. Only then can you embody all of the characteristics that make you an excellent leader. Of course, it takes time to work out how to have a good work-life balance.
How to create a work-life balance
Do you need to improve your work-life balance? If you’re thinking of ways to get ahead, you need to make sure that you have a solid foundation. Here are some ideas to try:
Don’t check emails at home
The moment that you leave your workplace, you are no longer on duty. Don’t make the mistake of constantly checking your emails when you are at home. That won’t do you any favors. Instead, turn them off and only check them when you are on the job. When you set this boundary, you will realize that you have much more headspace when you’re at home.
Start a new hobby or interest
If you can’t take your mind off work when you leave, consider ways that you can unwind when you are at home. One of the things that you can do is start a new hobby or interest for yourself. That may mean joining a club, becoming a member of a sports team, or looking into other activities. Think of something that will help you detach mentally.
Prioritize your sleep routine
Having a stable sleep routine is one of the easiest ways to make sure that you have a work-life balance. If you find that you struggle to get to sleep each night, you may want to change things up. Going to bed at the same time each night is one way to make sure that you get the rest that your mind and body need. Wind down well before you go to bed.
Conclusion
Creating a work-life balance that suits your lifestyle is essential no matter what level you are at. However, it is all the more important when you are leading and inspiring a team. Should that responsibility land on your shoulders, you need to be at the top of your game on a daily basis. You simply cannot do that when you are not switching off at the end of the day. As a leader, I recognize that this can be challenging for some people. Start by taking head on the advice I have shared in this guide and consider ways you can improve things.
