Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/8.
Every high-achieving operations executive I spoke with this year named work-life balance in their top three challenges.
One SVP of Global Operations said:
“Sometimes I finish at 11:30 at night and am back online at 8 am. I lose sight of what’s important to me, including eating well and working out. I almost never log off before 8 pm and feel good about it.”
Are you in the same boat?
Succeeding doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice your well-being. It does require you to apply a bolder, sharper strategy to maintain a sustainable pace.
If you seem to be able to streamline processes for everyone except yourself, this episode is for you.
Listen in as I share six pro moves that you can put in place today so you can end the day without feeling burnt out. Time to find a better way.
Episode 8 - 6 Habits of Effective Operations Execs Who Don't Work Late Nights
Every high-achieving operations executive I spoke with this year named work-life balance in their top three challenges.
One SVP of Global Operations said:
“Sometimes I finish at 11:30 at night and am back online at 8 am. I lose sight of what’s important to me, including eating well and working out. I almost never log off before 8 pm and feel good about it.”
Are you in the same boat?
Succeeding doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice your well-being. It does require you to apply a bolder, sharper strategy to maintain a sustainable pace.
If you seem to be able to streamline processes for everyone except yourself, this episode is for you.
Listen in as I share six pro moves that you can put in place today so you can end the day without feeling burnt out. Time to find a better way.
Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/8.
Hello Ops Execs!
When an Operations Executive Hits the Wall
Without seamless operations teams and strong executives spearheading them, organizations implode. You know how the business runs and what’s needed to make it better, probably more than anyone else.
That puts an extraordinary amount of pressure on your shoulders. No matter how much of a rock star you are, you are human. You can only do so much before your well-being, relationships, and quality of life suffer.
I think back to some of my own late nights restarting the laptop on my knees while my tiny daughter slept next to me. I was determined and scrappy. Ever the optimist, I would think:
“Just a few more nights of this. Then I’ll be caught up. It’ll get easier!”
But I was missing a firm grasp on reality. I expected my body to perform the way it did when I was in college. Back then, sleep was for boring people, frankly. I could stay up all night with little to no consequence. I wanted to be a superhero.
Most importantly, I didn’t want to let anyone down. I knew my team was working their tails off. I decided very early on that I would never ask anyone else to do anything I was unwilling to do. I worried that one of them would be working later than me when I stopped. My conscience wouldn’t allow that.
So, I was overly ambitious and too accommodating. I undervalued my wellness in the hopes of over-delivering. And I jokingly called myself a different version of the ‘COO’ title’: It stood for ‘Chief of Other’ (Stuff No One Wants to Do).
Work-Life Balance as an Operational Imperative
It’s easy to get lost in all the piles of tasks waiting for you. Time to zoom out beyond your own workload and experience.
As a leader, you set the tone for your ops team and the broader organizational culture. Work-life balance is a key piece of it.
A recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that over 90% of employees believe that work-life balance is important to job satisfaction. More than 50% of employees reported that they would change jobs for a better work-life balance.
The study found that organizations that prioritize work-life balance have lower turnover rates, higher employee engagement and productivity, and better overall company reputation. So, promoting work-life balance increases the chance of success of the whole organization.
I don’t imagine this data comes as a surprise to you.
But are you getting the larger problem with all your late nights? Not only is it unsustainable to you personally, and a risk to the organization when you’re the bottleneck. It’s setting the tone all the team members who are watching you.
Firmly take control of your schedule. No one else can do it for you.
Take Control of Your Schedule with These 6 Pro Moves
- Get real about the situation. Grab a piece of paper (or your virtual equivalent). Make two lists: What is working, and What’s not working. Be thorough.
- Decide what you want your life and schedule to look like. Ask yourself: “What objective evidence will prove I’ve achieved it?” Name at least 3 things that would benefit you personally. They might be things like “I log off by 7pm every night,” or “I get to the gym at least three times a week.” Don’t worry if it doesn’t seem realistic right now. Just name it.
- Notice the voice inside you that drives you to be the superhero. Give it a name. It’s likely a voice that’s driven you most of your life. Mine is Mary Poppins because I want to believe I can pull anything out of that magical carpet bag of tricks. NOTE: This voice is not you! It’s a part of you. Noticing the voice that drives you increases your self-awareness and power over it.
- Now listen for another voice that can help you moderate the flow of tasks and requests. It's probably quieter and protective. Perhaps it sounds like a wise mentor or trusted friend. It says things like “No, this isn’t a priority,” “This can wait until tomorrow,” or even “Time to take care of yourself now.” Give this wise voice more airtime in your head.
- Implement an end-of-day shut-down routine that helps you detach from the day. It can be hard to shift gears from high-powered-executive to decompressing-self-care. Identify 2 or 3 things you can do quickly. Maybe something like: Shut down the computer, change clothes and go for a 15-minute run. Or Put my phone in personal focus mode, turn up music, and play a round of cards with my daughter. (That’s mine.)
- Master what I call “the ABCDs”: Always Be Curating and Delegating. Operations ninjas are choosy about where to spend time and energy and then delegate the rest. Got a lack of time, trust, or people trained up enough? Even more reason to shift from evenings full of mid-level tasks to days full of training and empowering others.
If you find yourself saying “Oh no, I’ll do this some other time when I feel more confident”, go back to episode 3, How Ops Execs Hack Imposter Syndrome, to learn about a quick mindset shift and tips to boost your confidence.
You can’t stop the chaos, but you can change the game.