Career Balance: At Rest or In Motion?

What does it mean to achieve balance in a career? My scientific training told me, be pragmatic. So, I looked for more studies and research-based coaching tools on this topic to support my clients. At the same time, I have always trusted my instincts and instinct told me, peer deeper into the concept of balance as a natural reaction to imbalance.

Imagine you are riding a bicycle, balanced as you propel forward, and you arrive at a stoplight that has just turned red. You can put your foot down to balance yourself, or with small movements, challenge yourself to maintain balance while standing on the bicycle pedals until the light turns green. It is possible, even if it is impractical. The light turns green. As soon as you are in motion again, balance is also restored.

What does motion have to do with our career balance? We learn from stillness as much as we learn from being in motion. I believe in lifelong learning and thoroughly enjoyed becoming a certified Career Coach and engaging with a talented and focused cohort organized by Career Counselling Services. In the recently released book authored and researched by my trainers, The Holistic Career Coaching Handbook: A Guide for Managers and Employers, Rob Nathan, supported by Kate Mansfield, et.al., offered a structured approach to looking at balance in our careers at different stages in the employee life cycle. Managers and employers have a key role in creating conditions that support employees in finding their balance, and “it seems imperative that the culture, values and practices of the entire workplace contribute to the well-being, engagement and retention of employees.” Whether I am coaching a manager or a team member, both finding balance contributes to strengthening the organizational culture, particularly if it is in transition.

From the perspective of a leadership and team coach, the coaching I have engaged in over the past 14 years had a lot to do with helping professionals find their balance while in motion. This may have been with building relationships, the flow of work with colleagues or partners, looking at how much energy an individual put into themselves versus into their employer or, among other reasons, what caused their balance to be disturbed or lost. Invariably, career was a topic that came up with my longer term coachees and the need to find balance without the luxury of being able to stop and have a work pause. Some clients postulated: Wouldn’t this disrupt the concept of career?

In the span of one’s working life, it is highly unlikely for balance to remain constant. Eventually we lose our balance. What it means to each of us to be balanced also changes as we move, adapt and grow. Fortunately, we can work to regain that balance and there are people around to help, especially when a fast-paced world keeps coming at us with relentless demands and constant motion.

Balance at rest. Balance in motion. What does balance in your career mean to you? You can send me a comment via the contact link or visit this post on LinkedIn.