Key Takeaways From a Day with Balanced Leader Clients

In January, I had the pleasure of hosting a day for my Balanced Leader clients, past and present, at Regina's Mackenzie Art Gallery (with remote attendees as well). It's hard to put into words what the experience meant to me. It was so meaningful to witness and hear everyone's insights, and see how they encourage each other. I am so grateful for the day and to have connected with them all!

Here are a few things on my mind from that day that may serve you . . .

Rethink connection: It was very special to meet in-person. At the same time, I believe you can connect with someone deeply without having been in the same room as them. I forgot a few of these ladies I had never met in person before that day because we have such a strong relationship. If you think physical presence is the only way to truly connect, I invite you to reconsider.

Figure out what works for you: Everyone's idea of balance – your values, boundaries, priorities and what you need to feel and be your best, what to say no to – is different. What helped one person in that room to be more balanced and confident in themselves was different from someone else. There are 1000+ ways we could improve ourselves. Be okay to focus on what works for you instead of what you think you "should" be doing.

Get clear on what success means to you: This ties to the last one. I am often asked, and it came up that day, what about other leaders who are successful working so hard and long hours. My response is typically, you could do it that way, but do you really want to? Besides, many of those leaders working long hours are also exhausted or burning out. Happiness, balance and high performance go together, so there is a different path if you want it.

Be a positive ripple: I may have had a tear in my eye a few times that day, seeing the positive impact the program is having for these women, helping them become more balanced in their lives and as leaders, and seeing how they supported each other. They, in turn, are having a positive impact on their families and teams by leading by example. The world needs more leaders who are willing to approach work in a different way.

Reframe failure: I originally was going to do this event in June with the public but didn't have enough people sign up. So I rescheduled to January and made it only for clients and it turned out so much better than the original plan. Remember, when something "fails" it can open the door for something even better.

Lift up others around you: How those women each showed up for and encouraged each other was inspiring. We can all get a lot farther in life when we are kind, supportive and celebrate each other rather than being mean, competing or judging.

Finally, a huge thank you to everyone there that day (if you're reading this). It meant so much to have you there. Your commitment to being the balanced leaders you want to be, and creating space for what really matters in your work and personal life makes a difference.

What Next?

You can sign up for Stacey's masterclass, The Confident "No" here.

Stacey L. Olson is a Leadership and Certified Positive Psychology Coach, has 15 years of corporate experience and has gone through her own transformational change from burning out to balanced in life while performing at a high level (both in her corporate career and own business). She works with professionals who want to work less, live more and be their best even with all the demands, high expectations and messiness of everyday life. Stacey is the founder of The Balanced Leader™ program and offers executive and leadership coaching, workshops, and speaking.