The corporate world is susceptible to fads.
Work-life balance, a push to properly prioritize work in relation to lifestyle, features the kind of fad-ish thinking that can lead gifted people down the wrong path. It's something that I've noticed in my role as co-founder and managing partner for Y Scouts (yscouts.com), a purpose-based leadership search firm.
Think of those who love their job — for them, it's not exactly "work" as they exercise their capabilities fully toward a goal that they believe in.
Finding the right fit — whether an organization is searching for leadership or an individual is seeking the right job — is more important than people realize. The problem of work-life balance starts farther upstream. When the appropriate person is aligned with the appropriate goal, balance is natural.
A concept like work-life balance is a claim on how we should prioritize our lives, which, if believed, can be confusing. An organization's employees, from bottom to top, can benefit from a more helpful perspective.
Don't buy into the notion of the "work you" as being separate from the "real you." We spend 8.8 hours of each day working, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics – the largest amount of time spent in any single activity (sleeping is second at 7.6 hours). Work-life balance enforces a strange notion that you are essentially different on the clock than off the clock, which hurts both employers and employees. Who wants this divided personality? Why not be yourself while doing what's important – providing for your well-being and that of your family?
