It's Not Always Right to Be Right

Chapter 11Get a Life

You have to be incredibly brave, methodical and disciplined to strive for and achieve balance. Philippe Petit, French high‐wire artist extraordinaire, said, ‘My journey has always been the balance between chaos and order’.

Most of us can only sit back, admire and wonder.

We talk, we preach, we debate, we oscillate.

We do, we don't, we master, we stumble.

Live to work or work to live?

A deceptively simple question.

THE MESSAGE

Some people live to work and others work to live. It doesn't matter which side of the ledger you're on; what matters is that you're aware of the consequences, both good and bad, of choosing either path. The consequences for not only yourself, but the messaging you send to other aspiring leaders.

I want this chapter to do two things. First, I want it to provide you confidence that leadership does not always mean sacrifice. This will be difficult to achieve, yet I am convinced it is true. Second, I want it to issue a reminder that every leader is responsible for role‐modelling effective life–work balance. Challenging as this is, I know with certainty that it can be done. I also know with conviction that it must be done.

Where to start?

Maybe we commence with detailing the many reasons why people believe leadership means sacrifice. The greater the success, the greater the impact. The higher the position, the higher the burden. You get the picture. When we rise up the corporate ladder, we're under more pressure and invariably, ...