ATTACK
Last week, I shared how I am ATTACK-ing 2015. ATTACK is my 2015 Word of the Year. You can read more about how I’m starting, but I left one thing off my list:
- Reading. I want to read more books this year – at least 2-3/month.
So far, I’ve ready Creativity: Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration (story of Pixar by c0-founder Ed Catmull) and My One Word: Change Your Life with Just One Word by Mike Ashcroft and Rachel Olsen. I’m currently reading Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t.
Leaders East Last is by Simon Sinek who you may know from his famous TED Talk – Start with Why. It is the 2nd most watched TED Talk ever (viewed over 20 million times!).
Great Leadership = Work-Life Balance
In this new book, Sinek shares his thoughts on leadership, and how it relates to creating a successful team or a tribe based on research he has done. It’s interesting, interesting stuff.
Though we clash on his basic worldview (Sinek comes from an agnostic or atheist view), but his philosophy on leadership I love. This philosophy led him to write this passage in the book, and it made me to stop to re-read it.
This is what work-life balance means. It has nothing to do with the hours we work or the stress we suffer. It hast to do with where we feel safe. If we feel safe at home, but we don’t feel safe at work, then we will suffer what we perceive to be a work-life imbalance.
Sinek goes on to write more about this thought, but consider this…
If you want work-life balance you need a workplace that is safe. Safety allows you to work long and hard, but work knowing you are valued and important as a person. The way you find safety in a job is to find a great leader. Great leaders provide a safe place to work.
I encourage you to either read the book or check out this presentation on 99U.
What can you change?
So why does this matter?
I believe we all are leaders in one way or another. As leaders we have the opportunity to create a culture. Whether it’s as a little league coach, a parent, a management position or greater, we all have the opportunity to create a culture that is a safe place to fail, learn and figure out what works best.
With this in mind, what can you change?
holy cow. Seriously, do you have access to my library “holds” list or something? I just picked up Simon’s book Saturday along with round two for Catalyst Leader. Good stuff
Good to see we are on the same page! I continue to enjoy the Leaders Eat Last book – very well written and thought provoking!