The concept of balancing work and life can often lead to burnout and misalignment if pursued too rigorously. Instead of striving for balance, individuals should assess where they are in their career and life, identify priorities, and focus on honoring those priorities. This may involve leaning into the discomfort of saying no and understanding that one cannot do everything. Reframing the idea of balance to align with current priorities is crucial to avoid burnout. Acknowledging that there are busy and less busy seasons in work and life can help individuals navigate these fluctuations without feeling like failures. By recognizing and embracing the different seasons of focus and priorities, individuals can have meaningful conversations about how to best manage work demands throughout the various seasons.
Sohee Jun: The Aligned Mindset
Sohee Jun is a leadership coach for female executives, leaders, founders, and entrepreneurs. She is also a TEDx speaker, Forbes Coaches Council member, keynote speaker, leadership development expert, and author. With over twenty years in the corporate world, she has worked with Fortune 500 companies, including those in the entertainment, production, and media sectors such as Netflix, Fox, and Disney.
In 2020, Sohee released her first book, Mommytracked: How to Take Authentic Risks and Find Success on Your Terms, with the goal of helping ambitious women tap into their inner core throughout the different phases of their lives. She's now the author of a second book, The Aligned Mindset: Secrets of High-Achieving Women for Navigating Work and Life*.
In a world where still too few women are represented in senior leadership roles, many of us want to do whatever we can to support high-achieving women. In this conversation, Sohee and I explore what her research and experience indicates that leaders can do to better support women in their careers.
Key Points
Leaders can support both women and men by framing the larger “why” or North Star. Providing context helps a point of focus to emerge.
Do it afraid. Provide support to work through fearful situations with success.
When supporting women in building confidence, help them recognize what they’ve already achieved.
Normalize the discussion about financial literacy. Opening the door to dialogue around salary negotiation helps equalize the salary gap.
One question can set the tone for better work and life integration. Leaders can proactively ask about boundaries.
Resources Mentioned
The Aligned Mindset: Secrets of High-Achieving Women for Navigating Work and Life* by Sohee Jun
Interview Notes
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Related Episodes
How to Prioritize, with Christy Wright (episode 545)
How to Protect Your Confidence, with Nate Zinsser (episode 573)
The Path Towards Your Next Promotion, with Adam Bryant (episode 653)
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