15.1
BALANCE: TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!
Inspired by Kevin Cashman, Stephen Covey, David Irvine,
Harold Kushner, Robin Skynner, John Cleese, and Robert Pirsig.If you want to be around for a long time as a leader, you need to find balance in your own life,
and help others find balance in theirs. Fast Companysays it all about the corporate culture of
the new millennium. “Sleep Is the New Status Symbol for Successful Entrepreneurs,” says a
Wall Street Journalarticle. The refrain is the same: faster, smarter, creative destruction; shorter
cycle times; the customer is always right; business at the speed of light. Alongside this frenet-
ic organizational culture are disturbing societal problems: rising divorce rates, rise of depres-
sion, increasing use of violence, overuse of mood-altering drugs, downsizing and early retire-
ments creating an underemployed class.
This tool will help you navigate the maze of external influences toward finding, establish-
ing, and maintaining your own balance. Suggestions to start an exercise regime and schedule
quality time with the family are merely platitudes if you don’t first answer the fundamental
questions outlined here.
- Understand who you are.If you do not regularly step back to ask and act on some fun-
damental questions about who you are, your purpose and your priorities, you are con-
demned to live at the mercy of external influences. Blaming others for your circum-
stances provides only temporary venting and relief. You need to take control of your
own life. - Distinguish what is urgent from what is important.This fast-moving world encourages
high-energy fire fighting—dealing with urgent matters. Being busy, amassing tons of
airline points, receiving hundreds of e-mails, and making big bucks are the hallmarks
of success. But as Stephen Covey points out, the truly important things in one’s life are
rarely urgent, yet they get shuffled behind the ever-increasing urgent items demanding
our immediate attention. - Nurture your close relationships.Close relationships are not business acquaintances or
people in your network. (Note the word workhiding there!) Human beings are social
beings. You need people in your life who make time for you, with whom you can dis-
cuss any issue, on whom you can depend in times of stress, and vice versa. - Simplify your life.Advertising and the urge to keep up create many false “oughtta
haves.” Separate what you really needfrom a) what others may think you need, and b)
what you want. Every one of those unnecessary wants complicates your life. Like mon-
keys on your back, they demand to be fed, they defecate, and they tend to procreate. - Integrate more reflection and renewal into your life.A good leader needs to think. A great
leader needs to think at much higher and broader levels, and in a much longer time
frame. Find a time and place for reflection. Many leaders find reading reflective books
a source of insight and inspiration. Listen to your body. Take your vacations! Reserve
your weekends. Take responsibility for taking care of yourself.
SECTION 15 TOOLS FORTAKINGCARE OFYOURSELF 451