The Myth of Balance

Everyone says it, actually. Balance between work and family. Between speed and strategy. Growth and sustainability. Balance between being available and being focused.

My major problem with this? It’s a myth.

The suggestion of balance implies one can hold all the weights at once, perfectly level, like they’re fresh off stage from Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand. (Is it the Grand? The Mirage? I’m sure I could google this.)

In reality, leadership feels more like juggling chainsaws while standing on a moving treadmill.

In our own lives at times, “balance” is hilarious! Career transitions, constant change, kids having a record-breaking season of activities. One day the energy is high, as frameworks get built and published and introductions get warmly doled out like unlimited breadsticks. The next day, exhaustion and fear and uncertainty can leave you staring at a wall, real or imagined.

There’s no balance there. That way lies prioritization. And that’s a real leadership skill: constant re-prioritization.

Some weeks, a job search gets the spotlight.

Some days, it’s the kids, because they need consistency more than your LinkedIn needs another post.

Some hours, it’s health in the form of the gym or sleep, because without that nothing else runs.

And yes, sometimes it’s rest, because grinding without recovery is just burnout with a head start.

Leaders who chase balance end up frustrated, guilty, or burned out. Leaders who embrace prioritization can survive chaos, because they know what matters right now. They’re willing to put down the other things until tomorrow.

Personally, I’ve never been asked if I was “balanced.” I was asked if I could drive results, build teams, and show up for the things that matter the most. That’s more of a daily triage.

Balance is the myth. Prioritization is the practice.