I'm a senior leader at my company and about to experience a major life change, my first child is arriving soon. What advice do you have for the change in my priorities and work/life balance that is to be expected? What can I do to manage my anxiety of not performing at the same "always on and available" level that I have historically?
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Director of Dataa year ago
It will take adjusting but you have the opportunity to model to your team the values you want them to live by. You become 'relatable' in a new way to employees who have their own outside of work obligations may that be a child, a dependent loved one, a pet or personal hobbies. Be transparent to the extent you feel comfortable and set expectations. 'I'm leaving to go pick up from daycare but I will check email / messages this evening when little one is settled.' Or 'I may answer emails at odd hours when I am up with little one but I don't expect the same from you, I'm just finding balance.' Let others know that for things that are truly urgent - you can be reached by phone and text and non-urgent items can be done asynchronously. You will find a new rhythm and model work/life balance, it just takes some time. Treat yourself with grace during that process.VP HR, Change and Org Effectiveness in Transportationa year ago
Give yourself grace. Lean on others to help and know that whatever stage you are in, it won't last long. Director of HR in Energy and Utilitiesa year ago
Congratulations! It is an adjustment and as others said, give yourself grace. You won’t be able to do it all at the same time. Take time to think about what you value and prioritize. As you return to work, review how your values align with how you are spending your time. Be intentional with your time, set boundaries, say no and look at it as an opportunity to have some of your HIPOs take on more, get exposures to other areas of the business. Be gentle on yourself.
Senior Data Scientist in Miscellaneousa year ago
Congratulations!!!One would say, it's the most sustainable achievement one can ever reach.
I remember my situation. That's the perfect start for agility. Don't think about work-life balance, ensure that you have prepared to be agile. Your child and also your wife will need you and your time on short notice. This can be that also your wife is exhausted and you need to take over for giving her some minutes to recover or your child needs something urgently. Especially when it's the first child, you will visit the doctor more often, because you lack in experience what might be serious and what's not. Try to delegate more than you did before to free time for your family. maybe even set a target to have at least every day half the day without any meetings or other appointments. Prepare for not having slept sufficiently when arriving in the office and therefore ensure that you control your attitude and behavior.
in any case, all the effort will give you much more in return, even when you sometimes start to believe, it won't.
VP of Financea year ago
Work life balance is a grey area. I think you will find that you have shifting priorities between family and career and will become more agile balancing the two. One piece of advice I got was “if you have to grind late, grind late at home. At least you’re present in the home, together with your family”. Best of luck.