Let's Talk Work-Life Balance: Why It's More Complicated than Ever

If you're new to Unscripted Strategy, you'll quickly learn that work-life balance is a huge deal for the Strategic Stacey team. We've been engaged in this topic since it really gained traction during the dot-com boom in the 90s, and the term has definitely evolved.

Back then, dot-com companies were famous for perks – think catered lunches, fully-stocked kitchens, even arcades. Sounds fun, right? But those amenities were really there to make those incredibly long hours a bit more bearable. Startups meant intense work, and we all went into it knowing balance would be way off. Work was the priority, everything else came second. It felt like an adventure, maybe a once-in-a-lifetime shot.

Even after the bust, that mentality spread. The lines between work and life blurred even more. And for a long time, the unspoken rule was: work comes first.

But things feel different now, don't they? I believe many of us – employees especially – no longer agree on what "work-life balance" even means. It feels like the term itself is becoming a battleground, and employees are often caught in the middle.

Take the recent viral clip from The Diary of a CEO podcast with Emma Grede (Good American, Skims co-founder). Her take is pretty stark: "Work-life balance is your problem. It isn’t the employer’s responsibility... We have to be really honest about what it really takes to be really successful.” She even suggested you can't achieve an extraordinary life while maintaining strict balance and called questions about balance a "red flag" in interviews.

Work-life balance is your problem. It isn’t the employer’s responsibility... I have had to figure out how I would think about my own ambition balanced with my parenting. That’s the truth. - Emma Grede

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Ouch. While she later mentioned offering employees flexibility for appointments, it seemed she didn't connect that to work-life balance, highlighting how disconnected her view feels from many employees' realities.

Considering recent pushes for RTO, it seems many leaders might align with Grede, viewing profit as the sole company focus and seeing employees' desire for balance/flexibility as counterproductive.

But I see it differently. While some leaders are stuck in that mindset, others wisely recognize that prioritizing employee well-being and balance actually boosts productivity and profit. We need to support these forward-thinking companies!

The good news? There are way more employees than CEOs. While shifting the broader narrative takes time, we have collective power.

Most of us aren't asking for dot-com era perks. We're asking for reasonable expectations, flexibility, and careers that add meaning to our lives, not consume them entirely. So, in the meantime, let's focus on what we can do.

Become strong advocates for yourself. Define what balance looks like for you.

And let's learn from each other! Do you work for a company with great flexibility, a positive work-life balance perspective, or policies that make a real difference? Share your experiences in the comments or hit reply!

We're putting the final touches on our Work-Life Balance Assessment, designed to help you pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses so you can more effectively define and refine your balance. We'll share it with you very soon!

Let's navigate this together.

Navigating Client Self-Sabotage: Part 3 - Turning it Around

Hey everyone, welcome back! This is our third article diving into client self-sabotage, but we're shifting gears a bit today. Instead of just pointing out how clients (or organizations) get in their own way, we want to start talking about tools to help them – and you – navigate these challenges and move forward.

Let's kick off with a story from my past...

Years ago, I led a big sales transformation at a large company. We were changing processes, technology – pretty much everything – for their enterprise sales deals. This kind of major change naturally brings risk and, honestly, a built-in resistance from people. It’s a completely normal protective reaction! We knew getting buy-in was critical, even before the new tech or processes were ready.

This transformation wasn't just about the sales team, though. Proposal teams, marketing, finance, solutioning – so many groups were touched by it. As I started connecting with people across the organization, I stumbled upon someone who wasn't directly involved in the sales process or the new tools, so she wasn't even on my radar initially.

I decided to grab lunch with her on a hunch. Best. Decision. Ever.

Identifying a Change Champion Hiding among those who are uncomfortable with change - actively resisting change - are those who are cautiously awaiting the benefits of the change. They are cheerleaders-in-waiting.

Turns out, she was a goldmine! Because she wasn't directly in the line of fire for the changes, people felt comfortable sharing their real concerns, pushback, and complaints with her. She’d been with the company for decades and was a trusted advisor to a ton of folks who were skeptical about the transformation.

In one hour, I got an earful of valuable insights and even a heads-up on who the most concerned people were. Instead of ignoring the "squeaky wheels," we could proactively work with them.

That project was a tough but rewarding two and a half years. And folks like this woman were absolute keys to success. Our team actively sought out these "trusted advisors" throughout the organization, even those not directly impacted by our work.

Turning these informal leaders into change champions built trust with hundreds of people who were directly involved. It made all the difference, helping us hit our sales goals while implementing massive change.

Honestly, having these internal cheerleaders can be the deciding factor between an improvement initiative succeeding or landing in that common 20%+ failure zone.

So, here’s the takeaway: If you’re leading or involved in any significant change at work that impacts more than just your immediate team, make it a priority to find these internal trusted advisors. Reach out, listen to them, and see if you can get their support.

It might feel outside your usual process, but connecting with these influential people – wherever they are in the org chart – can absolutely make all the difference. It's a powerful tool against potential self-sabotage and a huge step towards successful change.

Think about who those people might be in your world!

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