How prioritising wellbeing makes men better business leaders

Recent research shows Australian workers are prioritising work/life balance, with 65 per cent choosing balance over pay. This ranks us eighth globally, with an average workweek of 32.3 hours. New Zealand tops the list for the third consecutive year, largely due to its six-month paid maternity leave.

I prefer the term ‘life balance’ (with ‘balance’ being the operative word!), as in my experience, work is simply one component – alongside family, relationships, social life, hobbies, and other activities we engage in, like sport, going to the gym, or bike riding.

For men, the focus on work can be particularly challenging, as many of us derive a deep sense of identity from what we do—especially when we’re the main financial provider for a family. This can lead to working longer hours in an effort to be a better provider, often seeking feelings of worthiness and value through our support and contributions to those we love.

Sometimes, we may receive little to no acknowledgement or recognition for our efforts. This then  feeds any feelings of unworthiness we have and can make us compensate by working ‘harder’ – leading to stress, overwhelm, burnout, chronic health conditions and even premature death.

It really can become a vicious and unrelenting cycle. So, what can we change?

Measuring wellbeing

A feeling of wellbeing means we feel well in our being, measured across our physical, emotional, mental and social health. It makes sense, then, to ensure as men we develop an awareness of the quality of our wellbeing.

Take a moment to think about the last time you felt your life was in inner and outer harmony …

As an example, when we’re struggling, whether internally with stress or a health issue, or externally with a troubled relationship, family or poor work environment, it can feel like we’re the Greek mythological Sisyphus, carrying the proverbial weight of the world uphill, feeling that if we let go even for a moment, we’ll tumble back down and have to start all over again.

So, we push on, regardless of the personal cost, in the hope that somewhere, in our yet-to-be-lived future, we will find some respite.

Sadly, we’re disappointed more often than not, as the cavalry rarely shows up to save us, reinforcing that it’s on us to save ourselves.

Alternatively, when our relationship with ourselves is strong and in balance, it feels like we can take on the world. We manage stress more effectively, find energy for fitness, experience improved mental clarity, regulate our emotional state, tend to eat better, and enjoy deep, restorative sleep.

These two very different states are like chalk and cheese: in the former, we’re far from our best, ‘making do’ with what limited capacities we have, while in the latter, we’re functioning at our best across all areas of our lives. If one area does require more attention, we at least have the awareness and resources to focus on the immediate need, and more importantly, know what we must do to restore life balance.

Prioritising wellbeing

It makes perfect sense, then, that when we prioritise our wellbeing we naturally improve across all areas of our lives. We find more patience and presence, listen more to understand than reply, create and value time to be with those we love, and present a much more settled mood and demeanour. We also feel more socially adept and therefore, more inclined to seek out social events.

If you are in a role where you need to lead, whether employed or as a business person or entrepreneur, who would you rather ‘follow’?: A man who carries a settled and centred presence, has the right balance of heart and backbone, demonstrates relational intelligence and supports the team, or one who is always stressed, emotionally, physically and mentally unwell, and doesn’t have the wherewithal to grow the people he leads?

Our wellbeing significantly affects all areas of our life, and therefore, we must ensure that we’re regularly investing in the things that fill our tank – to ensure the quality of our wellbeing is maintained. After all, trying to pour from a perpetual empty cup doesn’t work for anyone.

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