Quote-A-Day: Day 361

Success in life as a #leader is directly tied to life that is led with success. #QuoteADay #Day361 #edchat #edu #satchat #LeadWell #LiveWell

I've been thinking a lot over the course of this last year about what makes for a successful leader.  I'm still not entirely sure I know the answer to this (I fully expect to never really know).  But, I have come to one conclusion, and as I scan back on the posts I've written over the last (almost) year, I think it is an underlying theme.

To be successful as a leader, we have to live the lives we lead successfully.

"Success" means different things to different people, I agree, but the most successful leaders aren't necessarily the ones who work seventy-five hours a week, or are on conference calls with business partners all day Sunday.  That may be a measure of success, but it doesn't necessarily typify a successful "life."

For us to truly be successful, we need to be successful in all that we do in the lives we lead.

And this often means internalizing a very important word:

Balance.

The most successful leaders I have ever met have discovered ways to give their professional lives all the time, effort, and energy that is needed, and still have more than enough for their personal lives.

This balance between two sometimes competing "Ps" in our lives is incredibly important.  Yet, the most successful leaders have found ways to move beyond the "competing" and instead see the professional and personal as two sides to the same very important coin.

Being successful is about more than how hard we work "on the job."  It's about making sure that we live for our friends and family, and importantly, ourselves too.

It also means understanding that finding and keeping this balance is a work in progress.  At times, we're going to lean in one direction or the other.  And yet, if we've led with balance in the past, those around us will understand when we topple, knowing it is just a matter of time for us to find our balance again.

I'm still searching for the perfect balance, but happily, over the last few years, I've become closer to finding it.

And guess what?  Everyone in my life is happier (and more successful) for it.