Middle Way Management and Life/Work Balance

In my last post, I discussed the role of reflective thought in your Middle Way Management™ practice. Taking a few minutes out of your hectic Middle Way Manager™ schedule to reflect on the day's events is a great way to center yourself and renew your physical and emotional energies. In this post, I suggest that balancing your work with home duties to relieve suffering for everyone in your busy life is a great way to practice Middle Way Management.

An Awareness that Suffering Exists
Regardless of the context in which we find ourselves--workplace, public, home--you may be sure of one thing: Suffering exists. In some ways, we are born to a life of suffering, especially when we let ego and a self-definition based on fear get the better of us. I know I have let them get the better of me in the past. Now, though, I see more clearly by practicing a daily, mindful walk of compassion and empathy that extends from my workplace to my personal life. Once you commit to practicing Middle Way Management, it's inevitable that it will affect all other compartments of your life.

As we acknowledge the suffering that exists in the world, we raise our awareness to include everyone around us. In previous posts, I talked about the suffering of your own manager(s), the suffering of the people you manage, and the suffering of your peers and colleagues. I've discussed the Ripple Effect that can be kicked off by a simple act of kindness and compassion. It's this increased awareness and mindful interaction with others that demonstrates the true Middle Way Management practice. An important aspect of this mindful awareness is the recognition that we reduce our own suffering and the suffering of those around us by developing and maintaining a reasonable balance between work and home activities.

A Balancing Act
Practicing any kind of management approach can be challenging. American-style organizations expect a lot from their managers and their managers typically respond beyond expectations (most often because their self-definitions are wrapped up in their job titles). This results in hard work and long hours that test the strength and durability of all sorts of relationships for the manager. As a Middle Way Manager, you must jealousy guard your time and energy because ample amounts of both help you develop a vibrant Middle Way Management practice. Allowing yourself to be stretched too thin at the workplace creates suffering for you and for those around you.

As you balance your work life with your private, personal life, you keep your priorities in a good place and you keep your relationships vigorous and healthy. As a Middle Way Manager, it is important to maintain a balanced life, especially if you wish to act as an example or counsel those you manage to do the same. Before we can help others achieve any kind of reasonable balance in their lives, we must embody the characteristics, behaviors, and beliefs that led us to achieve the balance in the first place. Without first doing this, we are in danger of approaching the Middle Way Management path with hypocrisy, which demotivates those we manage as much, if not more, than muddled, unclear communication.

Assessing the Situation
You may be thinking something along these lines: "This sounds great, yet the reality of the situation is that a perceived lack of extraordinary performance on my part may compromise my position at work." Given the treatment of managers in American-style organizations, this is absolutely true. So, once again (I've said this in previous posts), you must decide if the organization is right for you and if you are "right" for the organization. As your focus and goals shift and change under a Middle Way Management practice, you may find that you no longer believe in the objectives of the organization, or even its reason for existence.

This realization will require a decision on your part, one that is not easy. You really have only two choices: (1) To remain in your position and try to influence the organization by relieving organizational suffering through positive, compassionate actions or (2) Leave the organization for one that supports your Middle Way Management sensibilities. Either of these decisions requires honesty and courage on your part, both of which will become increasingly easy to exercise as your Middle Way Management practice matures.

The fundamental difference between this and other leadership/management approaches is the conspicuous call for a balanced life in the interest of increasing the levels of compassion and empathy in your daily walk.

In my next post, I will discuss Middle Way Management and accountability. Though Middle Way Management is considered a "soft" approach by conventional standards, it is anything but easy on people when it comes to holding them accountable for their words and deeds.

Onward! Darin

Copyright © 2009, Darin R. Molnar, PhD. All rights reserved.