So here’s a question for you: How is your work-life balance at the moment? Often this is not an easy question to face. But it is something we should all consider from time to time. Coaching can be extremely helpful to you in first understanding and then improving the balance in your life. But before exploring the role of coaching, let’s first consider the key components:
Work
All too often the term “work-life balance” is used negatively to describe someone who works too hard and doesn’t have enough time for their family, friends or other interests. But it is important to recognise that a high quality of life is close to impossible without also making a useful contribution to the world around you, whether that is through paid or unpaid work. At our core, we are social creatures; and we are here to help one another, although we can do this in many different ways.
A good working environment involves work that you enjoy and find challenging, that matches your skill set, and through which you understand and support the contribution it is making to others, either inside or outside your organisation. It is also beneficial to work alongside people you like and respect and who respect you enough to give you an appropriate level of responsibility and autonomy. If you have all these things, no amount of salary increase should attract you away to another job where these conditions might no longer apply. But if one or more of these aspects of work are not in place, now is the time to consider either finding a new job or career, or of taking steps to improve your current situation. Coaching can be a great support in either respect.
