Leading by Example
Sarah From’s article made us jump for joy! Straight and to the point she captures what we’ve learned from our “integrated leaders” – when leaders work flexibly, they become role models for more change.
Here are the examples she provides of how flexibility help leaders feel successful at work and life:
Working from home – Natalie, the director of campaigns for an international advocacy organization, has a huge job that involves setting direction for her organization’s work and supervising several teams of campaign organizers. Natalie arranged to work from home one Friday a month so that she can do the writing, reflection, and planning her role requires.
To do this, Natalie had to gain the buy-in of her supervisor, and communicate to her coworkers the importance of this time for the organization’s mission. Perhaps most importantly, she had to convince herself of the value of these Fridays and “protect” her calendar by saying “no” to meeting requests (something that required some practice).
Working flexibly – Dan, the founder and executive director of a rapidly growing organization, was unable to get traction on his “thinking work” amidst a nonstop stream of meetings, emails and requests for his attention.
To address this, Dan devised a three-part approach to use work flexibility to ease the pressure. First, he blocks off Tuesday and Thursday mornings to work from home for his “thinking work.” Second, whenever his schedule allows, he takes a midday yoga class on Wednesdays, which helps him manage his stress. Finally, Dan takes the first Friday of every month to spend with his family. This practice helps him feel more connected to his loved ones and more focused when he’s back at work.
Want to read Sarah’s article in it’s entirety? Click here.
Want help putting these ideas into practice?
This May we are launching our “Overwhelm Mitigation Groups” – OMG! for short! Click here to learn more. Ask about our reduced rate for nonprofit professionals or two-for-one rate for couples who want to develop these skills at the same time.