Speaking to a couple of senior leaders of a firm, they independently told me that they were really high on a particular manager who they considered to be a high performer (HP). They reported that he was smart, got things done, met deadlines and did great work. He was one of their “keepers” and would go the extra mile to make sure he was happy and wanted to stay. So you can imagine how interested I was to speak with this manager.

In my coaching call with him, this HP made a surprising assertion early in the call—that his career was second on his list of priorities. He made it very clear that his family was his first priority. He wasn’t aggressive; he simply stated his primary allegiance in a matter-of-fact way.

HP Commitments

This intrigued me. How could he be considered a HP when his career was subsequent to other, non-career areas? Most people believe that in order to be recognized as a potential partner, you have to dedicate yourself to your job, work all kinds of crazy hours and make regular sacrifices to your personal life. Can you really have a reasonable work and life integration and still be considered a HP? Apparently so. So I asked him to fill me in on what his secret sauce was.

He told me that he is so dedicated to his family life that his goal was to optimize how he works. So early on, he committed himself to learning and practicing efficient disciplines and routines. When he is at work, he IS AT WORK. He doesn’t spend time meandering through his day, touching this project, then picking up something else, and falling for the various distractions that we all face. While he didn’t actually say it, he intimated that he stayed true to his disciplines in order to have a fulfilling personal and family life. His family dedication was the motive for a successful work practices. Interesting.

HP Career

It is not often that I encounter professionals who use their dedication to their personal life to inspire them to work effectively. It is a testament that they can have a balanced life in the profession. Isn’t it unfortunate that too many professionals never experience this level of integration? Instead, too many believe that the profession itself, with its compression seasons, is so overwhelming and exhausting; when maybe it’s also how they approach their work.

Next week, I will share with you some of this manager’s strategies that he told me he uses. Some of them you already know—you just haven’t committed yourself to practicing them. Hopefully they will ignite a spark in you. In the meantime, please know that you can be a HP with a balanced life.