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A Balanced Life Makes You a Better Leader

"Let's confront directly the notion of who are the better leaders: the eighty-hours-per-week executives who live for work and subordinate everything to the company's perceived needs, or the leaders who work equally hard during fifty to sixty hours but balance their work with the needs of their families?

Balanced leaders develop healthier organizations.  By appropriately delegating their work, balanced leaders are able to make more thoughtful decisions and lead more effectively.  Their employees make higher levels of commitment to the organization.  In the end they achieve better results on the bottom line.

Today's emerging leaders know from experiences in their own families that balance is imperative for leading a fulfilling life.  They are committed to excelling in their work, but they know that there is much more to life.  They certainly do not lack the passion to lead.  Quite the contrary: they will be better leaders because they are living balanced lives.

If we sell our souls to the company, at the end of the day we may find we have little to show for our efforts.  If we seek organizations that nourish our souls, enable us to grow into fully functioning human beings, and connect us with fellow wayfarers, we can live a full life (George, 2003, p. 46)."

Do you lead a balanced life?

Reference:  George, W. (2003).  Authentic leadership: rediscovering the secrets to creating lasting value.  San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass.

Authentic Leadership is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  To borrow this resource or any other resource please go to the resource search page http://140.254.85.212/winnebago/search/search.asp?lib

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Created: 2008-04-03, Updated: 2009-01-09