Work Life Balance for Leaders

According to recent studies, a staggering 70% of employees report struggling with work-life balance. This statistic highlights the pressing need for leaders to address this issue and create supportive environments for their teams.

In this episode “Bring Out the Talent,” we discuss effective strategies to help leaders navigate the delicate balance between work and personal life with our guest, Phil Cicio. Phil, a certified high-performance coach with over 20 years of experience from small companies to fortune 500, brings his expertise to shed light on the challenges and opportunities associated with work-life balance. We will explore practical strategies that leaders can implement to foster a healthier and more harmonious integration of work and personal life because achieving work-life balance is not solely an individual pursuit but a collective effort that starts with leaders.

Tune in for a compelling conversation that will equip you with strategies for fostering a healthier work-life balance.

Transcript

Maria Melfa (SPEAKER_03):
I feel like we're dancing like the guys at Night at the Roxbury.

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
It was like every single move I just pulled out was either Will Ferrell or Chris Kattan. It was one or the other. What is love? You're going to give me a concussion with the head thrashing I just did. Let's not go there. It's early still.

Maria Melfa (SPEAKER_03):
I used to have fun back in the days imitating them on the dance floor.

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
Oh, yes. So good. You have to, especially if that song comes on, which I feel like it always does. It's like it's opening the dance floor for that type of interpretation.

David (SPEAKER_02):
Yes, David. So good.

Maria Melfa (SPEAKER_03):
So good. So I'm very excited about today's topic because I believe it's something that we all struggle with. According to recent studies, a staggering 70% of employees report struggling with work-life balance. This statistic highlights the pressing need for leaders to address this issue and create a supportive environment for their teams. In this episode of Bring Out the Talent, we discuss effective strategies to help leaders navigate this delicate balance between work and personal life with our guest and our long-term friend, Phil Ciccio. Phil is a certified high-performance coach with over 20 years of experience working with both small and Fortune 500 companies and everything in between. Phil brings his expertise to shed light on the challenges and opportunities associated with work-life balance. We will explore practical strategies that leaders can implement to foster a healthy and more harmonious life. I like that word, harmonious integration of work and personal life, because achieving work-life balance is not solely an individual pursuit, but a collective effort that starts with leaders. Welcome, Phil. Thank you so much.

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
Appreciate you having me.

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
To say we are excited is an understatement, my friend. I think that this is a long time coming, not only because of how fabulous you are and working with you has been an amazing experience. But like Maria said, this subject matter is so important. We're never going to stop talking about it because it's something that is not a perfect science. We were just talking before this episode even started that it's one end of the spectrum or the other. We haven't quite figured out the middle yet. What that middle means is different to everybody. But work-life balance, I mean, and again, bringing it back, Maria, that word harmonious, like making a harmony between both of the responsibilities that you have, which is like your professional life and your personal life and maintaining both of those. So we're reading all over the place about it, especially now, all of the changes that have happened in the world the last five years or so, we'll call it that because it's been just about that long already. When did this become such a big topic? Has it always been that way? And has recent burnout factors played a part in this resurgence of the work-life balance term in conversation?

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
Well, I really believe that there's more hyper-focus now on it, right? I think that work-life balance, it's been out of balance for quite some time...

 Full Transcript – Part 2

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
...And so if you look back and you really think about it, maybe the boomers sort of started this, right? The boomer trend where mom and dad went to work versus just dad going to work. And so both people at work striving to keep up with the Joneses, things got more expensive during that period of time, bigger homes, bigger, nicer cars, greater vacations, kids and activities, all these things accumulated. So the boomers tended to have really poor work-life balance, right? Putting in a lot of effort, extra hours. It was sort of a notch in your belt to have overtime and things like that...

(continues detailed history through Gen X, Gen Y, pandemic impacts, remote work blending)

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
Yeah, you make a very good point because I feel like the scales...

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
...So ultimately, we're awake essentially 16 hours a day. If you get eight hours of sleep a day, let's just say those that do. And eight hours, 10 hours, 12 hours are working...

(continues with his personal experience, hospitalization from burnout, shift in mindset from managing hours to managing fulfillment and presence)

Maria Melfa (SPEAKER_03):
So for many organizations, it is a challenge for them to figure out what is the right balance between ensuring productivity, making sure they're meeting goals and allowing their team to have a healthy work life balance. Where do they begin?

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
Well, I think there's some... you could look at some, we were talking about this before we actually started recording here...

(continues with international comparisons, siesta culture, encouraging breaks, flexibility, policy reinforcement)

Maria Melfa (SPEAKER_03):
So we're starting two and a half hour siestas today, Jocelyn.

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
I know Phil, when you said that Maria looks at me, she starts nodding her head. You were like, I'm not suggesting two and a half hour lunches. Maria's like, I am.

(more laughter and discussion about applying flexibility, example from TTA’s internal culture of trust, contractor management, productivity measures)

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
So what role though, with all of these different facets... what role does leadership play in ensuring that that happens?

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
Well, I think that leaders have to take a look at themselves too, right?...

(continues with importance of modeling behavior, individualizing definitions of work-life balance, examples from managers learning what people actually want)

Maria Melfa (SPEAKER_03):
Yes, versus somebody coming in. Yeah, I only want to work Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10 and 12, and I need to leave Fridays at one. So rare, right?

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
I think that the flex time is probably what most people would say, yes, that's what I want. Most people... if you can create an environment... where some could have the four-day work week and some could have flex time, then that would be a great thing...

(explains how satisfaction leads to contribution, differences in what satisfaction means to each employee, adapting roles to align with strengths and fulfillment)

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
I agree. With both things that you both said, because I think that there would be some weeks that I would want like a four-day work week...

(discusses how feeling accomplished fuels enjoyment of life, how team flexibility builds engagement)

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
...So how does that balance and accommodation really affect employee engagement and overall job satisfaction? What have you seen from your trainings?

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
Yeah, well, what I've found is if you want to have the most contribution, look, leaders... what they want is maximum contribution...

(continues with powerful point: contribution is driven by satisfaction, satisfaction comes from flexibility, culture fit, and being heard)

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
I love that. So what about helping people disconnect, right? Because like you said, we're looking for contribution here...

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
Yeah, well, I think, first of all, leaders have to disconnect too...

(shares story of Vermont sales team and how leader posted framed photos of personal goals in each office – deeply motivational and connected to individual purpose)

Maria Melfa (SPEAKER_03):
I love that example that you just shared... Are there any other ones that you would like to mention?

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
So other organizations that I work with, when we were focusing on work-life balance... really their main focus has been to lead by example...

(continues with culture-building strategies, disconnect behavior, vacation usage, manager-led permission to recharge)

Maria Melfa (SPEAKER_03):
Yeah, I totally agree. I know we certainly have worked on some initiatives... One policy we implemented many years ago is fun days...

(explains how TTA introduced spontaneous time off to remove guilt around personal days and sick days)

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
That's really powerful... because most people, if it's a really sunny day, and they want to go to the beach... they're going to call up and lie...

(emphasizes how removing guilt and encouraging honesty fosters commitment and loyalty)

David (SPEAKER_02):
Yeah.

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
...grown adults sneaking out to the golf course... that feels horrible to me...

(shares personal story of being reprimanded for taking care of his wife—highlighting the impact of poor leadership behavior)

Maria Melfa (SPEAKER_03):
Although I do send emails sometimes on the weekends. Don't do that...

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
Yeah, I do. And I'll be like, oh, Maria's doing some research, I see.

Maria Melfa (SPEAKER_03):
Yes. And a lot of times I am a night owl...

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
Sounds like people know... but I like to schedule emails instead of sending them at night...

Maria Melfa (SPEAKER_03):
Yes... is there a way to do a delay send on my iPhone?

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
We should look into that... We'll put a tech meeting on right after this.

(laughter and side chat about delay send feature and a late Mother's Day email mishap)

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
So... we're coming close to the end here, but would love to hear from you, Phil... What are the consequences of not instilling that balance? And what is one tool that you can recommend?

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
Well, the consequences are burnout, unhappiness, stress... I ended up in the hospital...

(final takeaway: contribution and life enjoyment must be balanced—leaders should sit down with individuals and ask directly what support looks like for them)

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
Great info. And while we're on the subject of fun days... I think it is time for the TTA 10.

David (SPEAKER_04):
It's the TTA 10, 10 final questions for our guest.

TTA 10 Segment Begins

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
All right, Phil... I'm going to ask you questions. We'll put 90 seconds on the clock...

David (SPEAKER_04):
90 seconds on the TTA 10 clock starting now.

(fun rapid-fire questions: favorite SNL member, mood-lifting song, best golf course, chicken vs. egg, hot pepper, favorite TV show, etc.)

David (SPEAKER_04):
With a time of 1 minute and 17 seconds... Phil is indeed a TTA 10 champion.

(playful sendoff in full Sicilian flair with Chef Boyardee metaphors, Chianti, and Godfather references)

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
Thank you so much. Your Sicilian was very good, by the way.

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
Oh my gosh, David. Impressive.

Maria Melfa (SPEAKER_03):
Fantastic job, Phil. Really was excellent.

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
Great dialogue. You created a lot of really good flow.

Phil Cicio (SPEAKER_00):
I enjoyed it as well. Thank you for the opportunity.

Maria Melfa (SPEAKER_03):
Thank you so much.

Jocelyn Allen (SPEAKER_01):
For more information on Phil and bringing work-life balance into your organization, visit us at thetrainingassociates.com. We'll see you later.