Finding the Harmony as a Leader

Welcome Friends,

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity, but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony. “ – Thomas Merton. 

The other day I was sitting in a coffee shop drinking some hot tea, when I came across this quote. I began to think🤔- how can I create a culture of successful harmony of work life and home life for myself and my employees?

First we need to ask: What is work/life harmony?

It is not only your time but your mental capacity during work and outside of work.

There is really no “one size fits all” when it comes to creating a balance between home and work. In fact, it really depends on your own priorities and responsibilities. Work/ life harmony will look different for everyone!

What has caused the imbalance of work and home?

Pre pandemic 😷 I would have said technology, which allows us to be easily accessible throughout all hours of the day. Now, I would say it is the lack of employees to cover the needs of the center along with an increase in work responsibilities.

I bet you are thinking: Where do I start? 

Here are 5 ways I created a better work/life harmony: 

Now, don’t start with all of these suggestions at once, just pick one of these techniques to master.

1. Delegation - This is very hard to do as a manager but you are not a manager, you are an early childhood leader! As leaders, we need to empower others to help them grow and develop new skills and talents. When you delegate tasks, it gives you more time while also elevating your team.

2. Set boundaries for yourself- This is not easy to do as a leader, because we want to be sure that all the needs of our staff, parents, and children are being met throughout the day.

   One way to do this is to set an auto-response daily, and don’t be afraid to make them fun! Here is an example for your email: “Hello! Your email is important to me but since it’s such a beautiful evening, I am on a bike ride with my daughter. I will respond first thing in the morning. Thank you for your understanding!”

   Remember, if you don’t set boundaries you may end up feeling overwhelmed, leading to you feeling stressed, less motivated, and decreasing your productivity at work. 

3. Stop 🛑Taking Work Home - Turn off your computer and silence the phone when you get home. If you have tasks that need done, schedule a time block to get these done, but only after you spend quality time with friends and family.

4. Stop✋ Procrastinating at Work - We all have things at work we don’t like to do, so we push these tasks to the bottom of our to-do’s. Here is a trick I learned: start with the hardest, and not-so-fun task first! 

5. Start 🏁Managing Your Schedule- Most of our daily tasks such as: meetings, tours, and interviews are repetitive. So why not, manage them by creating the times and days to complete them?

   If you missed the newsletter on time management click here 👈 to find more ideas💡to help mange your day and elevate your productivity as a leader to create a culture of harmony.

As leaders, here is how we can create a culture of work/life harmony for our employees:

✅Modeling Harmony- It all starts with the example we set as leaders!

✅ Be Observant- Notice when others are struggling and help set them up for success. This could be more training or a change in position that will better fit their skill set.

✅ Offer PTO- If your company doesn’t already offer this benefit, talk with your supervisor and let them know this is a great way to help retain current employees and attract new ones.

Benefits of work life harmony for you and your employees:

You will see an increase in employee morale🙌, retention 👏, engagement🥳, which will in turn lead to your center having a good reputation within the early childhood industry and employees wanting create long-term career goals with you! 

As I end my letter to you today, I would like to leave you with another quote;

“Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” -Dolly Parton

Till next time,

Jen 

P.S. Did you miss the post on the Golden Egg team building activity? Click here⬅️

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