Leadership Resource
Significant learning points:
For
this activity, I read Leading
the Life You Want: Skills for Integrating Work and Life by Stewart Friedman. Friedman argues that “work/life balance” is a
misguided metaphor because it suggests two things: that we need equal amounts of competing
elements in order to maintain equilibrium and that gains in one area come at
the expense of another area. Instead, he
suggests that we look to integrate the four domains of our lives and find the
potential for each part to help produce success in the others. He call this “four-way wins.” The four domains are 1) work or school, 2)
home or family, 3) community or society, and 4) the private realm of mind,
body, and spirit.
This book is based on Friedman’s “Total Leadership” program which is a set of principles for achieving four-way wins and a sequence of exercises that flow from the principles. The three key principles are to be real, to be whole, and to be innovative. In the first part of this book, he profiles 6 people who exemplify the Total Leadership principles by finding unique ways to integrate the various aspects of their lives. Through reading their stories, Friedman hopes we will be encouraged to look for innovative ways to create our own four-way wins. In the second part of the book, Friedman lays out a series of exercises to help readers develop their skills in being real, whole, and innovative.
This book really hit home with me because I have always struggled with not having enough time to “do it all.” Now I realize that by blending the different aspects of my life, I can actually be more productive.
This book is based on Friedman’s “Total Leadership” program which is a set of principles for achieving four-way wins and a sequence of exercises that flow from the principles. The three key principles are to be real, to be whole, and to be innovative. In the first part of this book, he profiles 6 people who exemplify the Total Leadership principles by finding unique ways to integrate the various aspects of their lives. Through reading their stories, Friedman hopes we will be encouraged to look for innovative ways to create our own four-way wins. In the second part of the book, Friedman lays out a series of exercises to help readers develop their skills in being real, whole, and innovative.
This book really hit home with me because I have always struggled with not having enough time to “do it all.” Now I realize that by blending the different aspects of my life, I can actually be more productive.
Leadership characteristics enhanced:
The leadership characteristics that were
enhanced through this activity were #2 - Is aware of self and behavior, #18 -
Always looks for ways to be more effective, and #20 - Has the ability to change. The exercises in the book gave me an
opportunity to examine my behaviors and implement specific action steps to make
improvements.