Leadership In And Around The Home

I write many articles concerning leadership in business and in the workplace. But reflecting on an incident I faced a while ago, I realise that leadership is just as important, if not more so, in and around the home. You see, the problem today is that most of us do not have a harmonious work/life balance. 

Most people seem to think that in order to be seen to work hard and deliver the demands of our job and our boss, it’s imperative we work longer hours. Consequently we neglect our home life. But your home life is your foundation for success at work and the moment something goes wrong at home, it completely upsets the balance. Take this particular morning, when my ceiling collapsed just as I’m about to leave for work at 6am, because of a leaking pipe underneath my bath!

If only I have taken the advice of my neighbour to shop around for the best home insurance. Frankly I was far too busy to spend time online obtaining home insurance quotes – I had a report to finish which needed to be presented to my boss at 9am the next morning. 

Now I’m in a total predicament. Try to fix the problem and miss my train, thereby missing the report deadline, or run out the door and spend the rest of the day worrying about the flood and not giving my presentation its fullest attention. Have you ever been in this position? Where an issue at home, percolates on your mind all day at work?

Today there are greater and greater demands being placed on us as managers and leaders.  How do we wrestle with getting the balance right and manage all those ‘small but important’ tasks around the home, ensuring we have both a happy home life and work life?

What does Simon Teague think?

Think Money says 'think of the future'

Think Money, a financial solutions company, has warned people to think about the future, especially if they're already struggling financially today.

The warning follows a report by Lloyds TSB which says many people's finances aren't in great shape. According to the report, as many as one in five individuals (19%) spend their entire income on essentials like their mortgage and utilities - with no money left over for discretionary items.

Moreover, around a quarter of people believe they'll be in a worse financial situation - with less discretionary income - in six months' time than they are now.

Think Money says that when millions of people in the UK need to make every penny count, managing your money well is especially important in case things did get tougher further down the line. Income rises were outstripped by rises in the cost of living throughout 2011. If you can't make your money stretch far enough now, how would you cope with less income?

A budget can identify areas of overspending and help you to gain a better understanding of where your money goes. However, cutting back isn't always enough. If you're in debt, it's possible you could lower your monthly payments to an affordable level with a debt management plan, although you would need to speak to a debt adviser to see if it's right for you. They may be able to advise on other methods to reduce your outgoings too, if that's appropriate.

Steve Backley OBE Supports Guide To Better Leadership

Olympic medalist Steve Backley OBE

As we draw nearer and nearer to the Olympics 2012, against the backcloth of significant turmoil in Europe and biting austerity measures, Athletes from the 205 nations of the World are focusing solely on their own and their teams performance and preparation. No matter who they are up against, each individual desires that elusive gold medal. And the minimum they will accept is to achieve a personal best - who could ask for more?

But how about those of us competing every day at work and in business. Are we training hard? Are we focusing only on giving it our all and delivering a winning performance every day?

In the athletics world, morale is currently at an all time high. People are reaching their peak. But what about in the business world? How is your staff morale?

Behind every great athlete is a highly motivational support structure and in particular a strong leader in the form of a coach and mentor.

Does your organisation have an equivalent structure? Does it have strong leadership? So that people can remain focused, committed and want to win and achieve their personal best EVERY DAY?

The answer sadly for the vast majority of companies, whether we are prepared to admit it or not, is NO!

Companies, business owners and HR managers are recognising the widening gap between the winning ethos of Olympic athletes and that of their own managerial teams.

Steve Backley OBE, Great Britains Silver medalist in the Javelin, offers motivational leadership training, along with Partner Roger Black. Details can be found here.

Simon Teague BA (Hons), Leadership Expert, formally from the corporate business world, offers a comprehensive low cost leadership toolkit to enable managers to self-develop the skills they need to be at the top of their game.

The endorsement from Steve Backley OBE of the Ultimate Leadership Guide, makes this toolkit worth its weight in gold...

See full report by Trevor Sturgess of the Kent Messenger business news

You can obtain your own personal copy of The Ultimate Leadership Guide here or directly from Amazon.