Busy professionals face many similar challenges. Finding the elusive work-life balance is likely one of the biggest problems.
You spend your days leading teams, making decisions, solving problems, and guiding the big work effort, but how do you make the transition going home? I’m talking about the change that happens as you leave the office or facility and walk through the door at home.
At home, you face a spouse, children, the pets and many other combinations of personal living arrangements. They may not care what kind of day YOU had. They had their own issues.
How do you avoid the kick-the-dog entry or worse yet, the lashing out to your life partner or kids? How can that be avoided?
I’m the guy who loves simple, but elegant solutions. Remember I speak a lot about finding common sense ideas to improve your leadership effectiveness.
Are you ready? Here is the most basic, yet powerful set of tools I can recommend to solve this homeward bound transition. This is how you get ready to walk in the door at home and be a better YOU.
The Answer
I’m going to give you 4 simple questions to ask yourself during the commute. Print them out, put them on a reminder note. Stick it on the visor of your car or on the flap of your briefcase or backpack.
Every day as you begin the trip home, ask yourself these 4 questions:
1.What did I learn today that’s going to be valuable?
2. What did I do well today?
3. What are the 3 greatest blessings in my life?
4. How can I be the best _________ (Mom, Dad, Spouse or friend) I’ve ever been, right here, tonight?
Make the Shift
To find and keep your sense of balance between work and life, you must allow yourself a shift. Few of us can make the change with a snap of our fingers.
While I coach on a whole-person basis, the reality is few of us live one perfectly harmonized existence between home and work. Somewhere there is a change we make. Sadly for some, the change may not be effective, so problems get created with the family.
They don’t deserve the tension and pressure you may be feeling. As a leader, you have to figure out your own way to decompress from the day.
Centering your attention on these 4 simple questions just might make a big difference that can save a marriage, or endear a family member.
I like to ask the question “do those you lead endure you or are you endearing?” Endure or endear? Wow. Think about that.
