Leadership in the Balance
Are Balanced Leaders Better Performers?

Don't sacrifice balance for career success - it might backfire, suggests CCL's Joan Gurvis. Research from CCL shows that work-life balance improves a leader's effectiveness.

"The typical assumption in U.S. culture is that a leader's effectiveness is correlated to the amount of time and energy spent on the job. If that were the case, leaders who are rated with a high balance between work and personal life would receive low marks on performance," says Gurvis. "In fact, the opposite is true."

Leaders who are rated by coworkers as having more balance between work and personal life are seen as significantly more effective by their bosses. The "more effective" leaders have balance scores that are 16 percent higher than less effective leaders.

The findings are drawn from CCL's database of 360-degree leadership assessments completed by participants in its leadership development programs. These assessments provide leaders with feedback from their boss or superior, peers and direct reports on a wide range of behaviors and skills. Many of the assessments have items that correlate to balance, such as:
Strikes a reasonable balance between work and private life.
Acts as if there is more to life than just having a career.
Has activities and interests outside of career.
Does not take career so seriously that his/her personal life suffers.
Does not let job demands cause family problems.

"When we looked closely at the data, we learned that executives and managers that received high scores on the balance questions had high scores on leadership effectiveness," explains Gurvis.

"Now we know that the link exists between balance and better performance," says Gurvis. "We can lead balanced lives and be more productive and effective in our work. The question is, what will organizations and leaders do to support a more balanced approach to work and life?"

Study Shows Family Commitments Can Help You at Work

Being a committed parent can enhance managerial ability because child-rearing develops skills that are useful at work, according to a recent study by CCL and Clark University.

The study, published in the January 2007 issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology, contradicts conventional wisdom that parents are easily distracted by their responsibilities at home - in particular their children - and therefore are more likely to be ineffective at work.

"Our study shows for the first time that being a committed parent can improve a manager's work performance," says Dr. Marian Ruderman, a research director at CCL. "Raising a family helps develop skills such as negotiating, compromising, conflict resolution and multitasking, which are important traits of successful managers."

http://www.ccl.org/leadership/enewsletter/2007/SEPbalanced.aspx