Why managers should find especially their own work-life balance

Managers should urge subordinates to work sustainably and try to create an environment in the team that allows all its members to balance their personal and professional lives. This principle is quite clear; however, many managers forget it applies to them too: they preach work-life harmony but at the same time are far from perfect themselves in this respect and could in many cases be considered workaholics. Here are some good reasons why managers should strive primarily to find a work-life balance for themselves.

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Setting an example to others

As the Harvard Business Review states, a manager sets an example to subordinates by their behaviour. A good parallel here is raising children, who also do not behave according to what their parents tell them: instead, they copy what their parents do. Since achieving a sustainable work regime of subordinates is one of the priorities of any manager, for this reason alone the manager should always try to balance their own personal and work life.

A career in management is a marathon, not a sprint

Being a really good manager requires years of work, experience and learning. A managerial career, if you are serious about it, is therefore more of a marathon than a sprint. If you try to give your all to work and neglect your family and personal life, sooner or later you will run out of energy and motivation, and end up unnecessarily exhausted or burnt out. Managing people is a demanding task and managers are therefore more prone to burnout. Do not increase the risk by working in an unsustainable way.

Overwork leads to health problems and higher error rates

Last but not least, long-term overwork leads to health problems associated with chronic stress, such as high blood pressure, obesity, insomnia or various psychosomatic symptoms. Similarly, an unbalanced personal and professional life leads to increased fatigue and consequently more frequent errors in judgement. This is then felt not only by the manager themselves, but also by their entire team.

 

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Article source Harvard Business Review - flagship magazine of Harvard Business School
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