Let me tell you why I think the term “work/life balance” is ridiculous: Because there’s no such thing as “balance” when things you care deeply about are on the table. Values First author, Laura Eigel, isn’t buying it either. In her “You Belong in the C-Suite” podcast, she says we should redirect the conversation away from balance, focusing more on values and priorities. When we stop seeking an elusive sense of “balance” and make personal and organizational decisions based on priorities and values, she suggests, we win.
How can comms leaders apply this advice? In a post-COVID climate, comms pros are increasingly seeking guidance on not only what strategic communications they should deliver, but also what work needs to come off the plate. As they plan for 2023, comms leaders want to prevent team burnout and “overwhelm,” and also want to avoid flooding their already-tapped audiences with too many messages, programs or tools. They’re asking how they can more strategically allocate their efforts, time and budgets, while still meeting partner demands.
Start with Priorities and Values
As a first step, I encourage CommsLede clients to revisit their organizational priorities and values. These questions can guide the conversation:
- What has the company committed to doing this year, and how has it committed to showing up as it does so?
- Is your team directly supporting those commitments today? What work is aligned? What’s not?
- How are you measuring, tracking and sharing your progress, and with whom?
- Are you, as a leader, mirroring your organization’s values?
At a high level, these are fairly simple questions. But when teams dig in, streamlining work and re-allocating resources against business priorities and values can feel painfully difficult. Similar to editing a great piece of writing, the art is in the detailed, delicate and difficult exercise of culling work down, while leaving the most precious material on the page. In this case, it’s not about “and”; it’s about a ruthless “or”.
The Value of Strategic Editing
Leaders who nail fewer, prioritized, meaningful projects or initiatives exceptionally well (and measure, package and report their results), will deliver far more for the organization than folks trying to balance and re-balance heaps of partner requests to “check the box,” fulfill asks, or launch yet another shiny new tool or channel.
Strategic editing takes thoughtful time, discipline and effort. (Physicist Blaise Pascal once famously said, “I have only made this letter longer, because I have not had the time to make it shorter.”) But this skillful work upfront can save teams a year of painful tradeoffs, frustrating concessions and mediocre projects. Leaders who edit well also protect their people’s well-being, and elevate their team’s reputation as strategic advisors within the organization, while leaving room to react to last-minute, business-critical needs.
Forget Balance
As 2023 strategy planning season begins, I challenge leaders to shift their mindset from “balancing” to “prioritizing” and using their company’s business priorities and values as their first filters. This offers a clear way to assess what work is most important–for their teams and their organization. Plus, everyone will sleep better at night, and have a much better chance of delivering meaningful results in the year ahead.
With more than two decades of communications experience spanning agencies, Fortune-100 organizations, non-profits and academia, Kristi Hinck Mills today brings her passion for employee communications to CommsLede Consulting, where she delivers strategic solutions and executive coaching for her clients. Visit the CommsLede blog for more tips.
