Hubby and I have a difference of opinion.
It certainly isn’t the first time this has happened, nor will it be the last.
(After all our years together I feel pretty darn confident making that prediction! But, of course, I’m been wrong so many times before!)
What’s fascinating this time around is that we’re endorsing the opposite of what people who know us would expect.
Note: the root of the content of this post is in politics yet it isn’t about politics! It’s about believing/embracing/accepting that it’s OK for adults to play.
Work or play?
Hubby says it’s inane for the President to complete his NCAA brackets. Says the president he has more important things to do. Says doing so diminishes the power and authority of the position.
I say it’s perfectly appropriate for the President to do his NCAA basketball brackets because of all the important things he has to do. We’re leaders who have a job to do and human beings who have a right to be ourselves. To let the gravitas of a position dictate that the holder of the role can’t play or have fun is just so limiting, so unrealistic.
(Insightful note: I’m the workaholic in this relationship and must confess that it took years for me to get to this point of view.)
Must leaders be all work and no play?
Is it unprofessional to have fun?
Do share your thoughts!
Image source: morgueFile.com
I think that great leaders should be able to switch off and therefore enable their teams to do the same. It is all about communication. If I am going to my sons sports day, my team know the time my phone will be off, what to do if it really is an emergency & when it is back on, for example. As a leader you have to have the respect of your team, for that you need to respect them and their circumstances. Having no time away from the business, sends out a message that you are stressed and over-worked, that dissipates to those around you. Structured time away for family / personal time, is a really positive example to set as a great leader.
Beki – you’ve obviously established the right parameters with your team regarding work and play…kudos to you for that. Allowing room for a personal life, for learning, and for reflection does make one a better leader. Thanks for sharing!
Jane, I have to say PLAY is important. Being married to a work addict some days I think he might implode… sports gives him the outlet he needs to fire off that steam….
Amy
Amy – it’s good that your hubby has his sports outlet – that’s important renewal and release time for him. Thanks for providing a good example of how activities away from work do benefit leaders.
I agree that play is important. Being serious isn’t the only way to get things done. Humor and play are supposed to provide access to great new ideas…so let’s play more!!!
Maybe what it takes to be a good leader is the ability to balance seriousness and play. Not too much of one or the other, but recognizing that both of them are important to success.
Dawn – great point! Play and seriousness is one of those polarity thinking items that leaders (and probably most of us) need to accept as an ongoing both/and life and work activity. Delighted that you stopped by and shared!
This comes back to the work/life balance equation doesn’t it? Work productivity suffers if there isn’t a time out, a time to destress, to down tools and to establish some “me”, “family”, quality time. There is also a lesson in boundary setting here too. Beki Davies states that she turns off her phone. HOORAY. Someone knows where the “off” button is. How many of us don’t, or choose not to, make ourselves unavailable, believing that we must always be available because we either need to be needed, or feel that our job is at risk if the boss can’t get to us immediately.
Set Boundaries. Know when to say Yes, and How to say No. And take time to PLAY and rebalance. You’ll burn out otherwise.
Thanks for the post Jane. Brilliant as always.
Kate – as usual, you nailed the core issue. Business typically looks askance at those who take time to play, viewing it as unprofessional. Workers who spend hours and hours at their desk are rewarded (and who knows whether or not that time was productive). As a (mostly) recovered workaholic, I can attest to your good point about burnout and the importance of rebalancing. Thanks much for sharing!
To be all work and no play means to be unbalanced. I can recite many relationships that broke up because someone did not take the time to balance their life. I can also recall many clients when I was doing counseling who were suffering from mental and emotional issues because they did not take a time out. I believe there is a wealth of research on burnout and work-life balance that would attest to this. Yes, the President’s job and the problems facing us as a whole are very important, but to take 10 minutes to do a NCAA bracket, or to take a jog, or spend a few minutes with the family shouldn’t be criticized in my opinion. With any leader, I am more interested in the quality of their performance while doing job related tasks.
Dale – what an excellent point about focusing on the quality of the work produced! It’s another example of how business has gone stray in measuring the wrong things, e.g. focus on either effectiveness or efficiency when it really should be both. Thanks for adding to the richness of the discussion!
I find this thread so a enlivening discussion that is so timely during this time of change that is happening all around us.
Play is inherent to our success as humans. There are so many things that occur while engage in either free play or serious play. We learn about ourselves and the way we interact with the environment around us.
It helps us to lighten up to spark our creative genius which help during this time of Conceptual Age when we are building a New World.
Working hard only leads to worry, fear, frustration because the energy reserves are depleted without sufficiant time to restore and rebuild as if an athlete was working out 8 hours 7 days a week training in an intense sport. We learned what happens to both human and animal athletes due to over work, injuries and mental fatigue.
I have supported many entrepreneurs, coaches, speakers and business owners to clear some time off their calendars so they can refresh and renew.
It Pays To PLAY!! Increase profitability by playing.
Think about what the average person makes annually working as a roofer or farm field hand. They expend the more energy and yet make the least about of money. So the old lie we were told.. Hard work pays off… is debunked.. It is the ones who stay fresh, working with ideas and putting them into action or serving great numbers are were the numbers increase.
I welcome any discussion because I am very passionate about helping free the minds and hearts of our Entrepreneurs so they can be their best.
Marianne – your positive passion for your topic does shine through!
I’m not a big fan of the phrase” work/life balance” as I think equilibrium over time is more descriptive of reality. Thinking in terms of balance in the short-term can cause more stress. However, if one is focused on equilibrium over time, what follows a spurt of long hours to finish up an important work project is some dedicated self-care time.
Thanks much for sharing!
Love this post!