W•F•S BALANCED
SUMMARY: W•F•S BALANCED
Courageous Leadership: A 12 Week Action Plan
Read Chapter 4, Characteristic #3 (Work, Family and Self (W•F•S) Balanced)
Schedule Meetings
Yourself (in-depth self-reflection) DOWNLOAD INVITE
Your Significant Other (Semi-Structured Conversation) DOWNLOAD INVITE
Leader you consider especially W•F•S Balanced (Semi-Structured Conversation) DOWNLOAD INVITE
Your Mentor (Advice, Information, Referral (AIR) Hot Wash) DOWNLOAD INVITE
Identify the best day, time, location & length for these meetings. DOWNLOAD CONFIRMATION
Journaling
During these seven days, focus your journaling on your W•F•S Balanced actions across your daily activities. During the first day of this developmental period, stop and capture your W•F•S Balanced actions for each previous hour. As you journal, label your activities as W, F, or S. Also, as you journal, please take particular care to capture the emotions, surprises, and new insights you experience and gain. After one full day, tally your W•F•S activities. Then analyze the results to determine your current ratio of activities. Plot your alignment percentages in the table below:
During these seven days, you may want to focus on the following topics.
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How important is achieving Work, Family & Self (W•F•S) Balance?
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Is it possible to truly balance W•F•S while striving for professional excellence?
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What is the appropriate W•F•S Balance for me at this stage in my life and career?
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Semi-Structured Conversations
Spend time with yourself (self-reflection), your significant other, a leader you consider especially W•F•S Balance. Prior to these conversations, observe each person and document in your journal, W•F•S Balance you see in their day-to-day actions. At the beginning of the conversations, summarize the philosophy of Courageous Leadership and the Courageous Characteristic of being W•F•S Balance from your own understanding. During the conversation, capture the findings in your journal. Questions for these conversations might include:
Questions for these conversations might include:
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How important is achieving Work, Family & Self (W•F•S) Balance?
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As a leader, how do you know if you are spending the right amount of time in each category (W•F•S)?
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Do you think it is possible to truly balance W•F•S while striving for professional excellence?
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What is the appropriate W•F•S Balance for me at this stage in my life and career?
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What suggestions do you have for helping me to maintain the appropriate W•F•S Balance?
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What has been helpful to you in making changes (i.e., increasing time spent with Family or Self)?
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Do you have recommendations for books or other resources?
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Do you have a recommendation for a leader that has achieved W•F•S Balance?
Mentor Conversation
When you meet with your mentor discuss-
Advice: What advice does he/she have for you regarding W•F•S Balance in general and your level of W•F•S specifically.
Information: Ask your mentor for sources of additional information that they have found useful regarding W•F•S Balance.
Referrals: Ask who should you speak to further regarding W•F•S Balance.
You may also use the questions identified above.
Appropriate W•F•S Balance
With your identified W•F•S Balance and the conversations accomplished, identify your appropriate W•F•S Balance in the table below.
Culmination Actions
Given the identified gap between your current W•F•S Balance and desired W•F•S Balance:
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Review and, if needed, modify your draft Individual Mission Statement
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(IMS) to match your current understanding of W•F•S Balance.
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Adjust your life and calendar accordingly to achieve your desired W•F•S Balance so that you may fulfill your IMS.
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Include W•F•S Balance in your Individual Development Plan
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Knowledge Measurement: To measure your progress toward your goal of Courageous Leadership proficiency, please measure your levels of knowledge at the end of this 10-day section using the Individual Assessment.
Bottom Line Value Creation
Now balancing your W•F•S at the correct levels of commitment for your life and career at this time, with inputs and support from significant people in your life and career, you now possess an agreed upon mix of Work, Family, and Self that permits undistracted fulfillment of your IMS.