Although balancing work and life is often a juggling act, two Ivey alumni revealed how they are making it work at the Ivey Idea Forum, Making Time for Life: The Path to Work/Life Balance .
Ivey Assistant Professor Charlice Hurst, an expert in organizational behaviour who participated in the session, said balancing work and life is a critical leadership skill.
“In order to grow as a leader you need to delegate. You need to take quiet time to reflect. It’s about character. It takes courage to do this. It’s also about candour because you need to ask for what you want,” she said. “Saying what you need is a leadership skill and developing other people is a leadership skill.”
The session was led by Jessica DeGroot, Founder and President of ThirdPath Institute, an organization focused on developing leaders with an integrated approach to work and life. She stressed that work-life balance isn’t a pie-in-the-sky concept and those who don’t focus on it may pay a price.
“A lot of people feel like they have to choose between work and time for life. They think that work comes first and that those who get promoted are those who put work first,” she said. “There are consequences to that. People who put work first are less involved with their families and they are not developing integration skills.”
DeGroot said integrated leaders create efficiencies at work, such as developing other people or focusing on the most important tasks, so they have more time for life.
John Nyholt, HBA ’79, MBA ’83, Partner, Deals-Transaction Services with PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada, works late on weekdays so he can have most weekends off. He has only worked eight weekends in the 20 years he has been a partner with the firm. He stressed taking vacations is critical and can help leaders to recharge and reconnect with their families.
“If you’re deliberate about planning vacations, they happen. You need to book the trips and buy the tickets,” he said. “It takes some deliberate planning to not have something in your calendar so you have time for a vacation.”
Tired of the time constraints of her full-time job, Andrea Lekushoff, MBA ’01, took a risk. She quit and founded her own company that offers employees a new way to work. Her virtual public relations agency offers services from senior public relations professionals who work from home.
And with a war for talent on the horizon, Lekushoff predicts other organizations will follow suit.
“Professional services can really lead this change. They can deliver the same quality of service with less of a focus on being in the office,” she said. “Technology has been the biggest enabler.”
DeGroot encouraged people striving for work-life balance to align with a supportive person within the organization. She also advises people not to assume their needs won’t be met.
“Just because people are chronic overworkers doesn’t mean they don’t want to change,” she said. “We often assume people won’t go for something so we don’t even ask.”
For the full presentation, please see YouTube video .
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