Aligning Family and Work
If you don’t yet know who she is, Jacinda Arden is one of the greatest political leaders of our time. In the aftermath of the Christchurch Attack, as prime minister, she has navigated the community with empathy, love and political grace. She has requested other world political leaders to focus on peace and empathy for their muslim communities, as she leads the way on how to do this in New Zealand.
She is a powerful, peaceful force to be reckoned with. But what has this got to do with working
parents?
In an interview with Waleed Aly, she is asked the question, “Have you had time to be with family?” She has a 9-month old baby. She replies, “No, not much. Actually, at the moment my time with them probably wouldn’t be quality because I feel such a draw to be focused on doing what’s needed for those who have lost loved ones” (An interview worth watching). She responds with conviction and congruency that her nation needs her presence more than her family right now. A few short months ago, she made political history by taking her baby to the UN and in an interview at that time when asked what made her take her baby, she replied that her baby needs to be fed to keep her alive. Amen to that!
How often do you find yourself torn between work and family? How does Jacinda manage it all?
Now of course not all things are equal – Jacinda has a great deal of support and flexibility in her role as prime minister. However, she demonstrates what is fundamentally meant by Aligning Family and Work. To begin with, she is focused on the principles of work-life blend, not balance. There’s no ideal day, week or even month. It’s being able to keep your priorities top of mind and not lose sight of them, knowing that there are times when your attention will be directed to one priority over the other and that’s ok as long you are able to keep all your priorities in check.
There are three fundamental pieces you can focus on to allow you to align family and work:
PASSION: Do work that is meaningful to you
PRIORITIES: What is MOST important to you
PRESENCE: Where ever you are, whatever you are focused on, be ALL there.
Being aligned with how you operate as a working parent helps you feel energised, empowered and connected, enabling you to show up as the leader you want to be at home and at work.
