According to a recent study, getting disconnected from your office work after working hours can help you become a good leader.
Compared to managers who worried about work during their free time, those who detached from their jobs at home felt more rested the next day, were regarded as more capable leaders, and helped their staff stay on task.
Less seasoned leaders were particularly vulnerable to losing their effectiveness if they spent their time concentrating on their work at home.
As a result, a better work-life balance may be the secret to effective leadership in the workplace. The new study was presented by researchers from Florida University, the University of Arizona, and Florida State University, and it was released in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
According to a professor at UF’s Warrington College of Business who led the research, the clear takeaway from this study is that if you want to be a successful leader at work, leave work at work. Young leaders should take special note of this advice because they appear to benefit most from recovery experiences while they are at home. It can be difficult for leaders to balance their own needs with those of their followers, and they also need time to recover from the rigours of their position.
Managers and their staff at American companies were polled for the study in 2019 and 2022. The capacity of leaders to switch off from work while at home the previous evening, as well as their level of energy and how firmly they identified themselves as leaders the following morning, were evaluated by the researchers. Employees gave their managers a grade based on how well they managed their teams.
This research does not ask the reasons or methods the managers are using to relax at home, but there are some methods that can be used for relaxing your mind, like exercising, spending quality time with friends and family, being social with friends, engaging with books, and watching TV. And not a particular method is helpful for everyone; each person has their own way to relax, so find your way to decompress from the pressure of work as much as possible.
