How embracing work-life balance was key to my success

Twenty years ago, I was working for a pharmaceutical company that had recently introduced the value of work-life balance into our culture. At the time, I was dragging my feet to get behind this change. Of course I wanted a more enriching life instead of being consumed by my work. But it was a challenge for me to rewire my brain. Not only was this a foreign concept, it was the complete opposite of what had been celebrated as I climbed the corporate ladder. I had been promoted on a yearly basis for being a workhorse—the type of person who would invest evenings, weekends, and holidays to get the job done. 

Suddenly, that same “grind” approach was the topic of my performance evaluation because I wasn’t modeling work-life balance for my team. I was encouraged to get a hobby that would help me lean into this new leadership style. I decided to take acting classes to develop my presentation skills but mostly to get my manager off my back.

Acting demanded that we be present in the moment. It was a master class in mindfulness, a skill that would forever change the course of my life. Little did I know that I would lean into work-life balance to such an extent that this experience would be the catalyst for quitting my job and reevaluating my entire life, including my career choice.

Today I run a leadership development firm that helps other executives and organizations ditch the grind mentality and begin the transformative journey of unlearning. Here are five nuggets I initially resisted that are now the cornerstone of this reimagined path of excellence: