Mark Lamberti on Why Prioritizing Work/Life Balance Makes You a Better Leader

As a lifelong student of human behavior, veteran CEO Mark Lamberti reflects that some of the most important lessons he’s absorbed over the course of an education that includes a Bachelor of Commerce, an MBA, and a DBA in business administration (as well as transformative leadership roles at the helm of three global corporations) are the ones he learned simply by observing his peers and the people with whom he’s worked. The information Lamberti garnered and the conclusions he reached as a result of having witnessed both the mistakes and triumphs of his peers and colleagues were integral in helping him successfully navigate his own path, both in his personal life and his professional ventures.

Modeling Behavior Based on Observation

Observational learning, a method by which humans gain understanding through watching the behavior of others, begins in infancy. In its earliest manifestation, young children often emulate the actions, attitudes, and emotional responses of people with whom they have frequent contact. However, according to the widely-accepted social learning theory set forth by Canadian-American psychologist Albert Bandura, older learners are usually able to observe model behavior and learn from it without necessarily mimicking it.

In a business setting, Mark Lamberti posits that observational learning can be a powerful tool for leaders to understand where things are going right in a company and where they’re going wrong. He believes strategic observation and analysis of executive actions as well as pertinent workforce behavior can also shed light on potential opportunities to implement positive changes.

How Unhealthy Workplace Examples Lead to Negative Outcomes

One of the errors in judgment Lamberti most frequently witnessed over the course of his corporate career was that of leaders who fell into the trap of defining themselves solely by the title on their business cards. He concluded that when work became the be-all and end-all of a CEO’s existence to the exclusion of a personal life, their performance suffered. Through observation, Lamberti determined executives who lacked work/life balance often tended to be unhappy.

“They sometimes don’t know why, but there is a longing for that part of their life that is being crushed by one or both of the other parts,” he reflects. “My observation is also that without balance, leaders are ineffective. They do not see the big picture, they are not as creative as they need to be, and their interaction with people lacks empathy.”

Lamberti cautions that CEOs and other C-suite executives who focus solely on the bottom line without giving due attention to life outside the office are in for a rude awakening come retirement time. As part of the research for his doctoral thesis, “Exploring Postretirement Role Identity Emergence in Public Company CEOs,” he noted a wide disparity between the post-retirement lives of public-company CEOs. “Some seem to be fulfilled, active, alive and well,” he recalls. “Others were retiring to the coast playing golf three times a week, and you couldn’t quite have a conversation with them in two or three years’ time. Their lives became very small.”

However, not only are single-minded CEOs doing a disservice to themselves, as company role models, they may also be creating an unhealthy precedent for their employees. As echoed by this Forbes Business Council post dated Apr. 3, 2024: “The culture of a business is often set from the top down. While many leaders aim to build a transparent and supportive workplace culture, seemingly innocuous leadership habits can sometimes end up setting a bad example for employees. For instance, when employees see leadership keeping a grueling schedule with long hours and few breaks, this can lead to teams feeling pressured to do the same and eventually burning themselves out completely.”

To Maintain Balance, You Must Define Your Priorities

But just what constitutes a balanced life? Mark Lamberti cautions that there’s no one-size-fits-all formula. “Each of us has a different set of circumstances that determine our priorities and each of us must be clear about defining who we are and how we will address those priorities. When you define yourself as a business person you cannot expect to work 40 hours a week. When you define yourself as a spouse, you cannot be a spouse only on Saturday nights. When you define yourself as a parent you cannot put an hour of ‘quality time’ into your diary to talk to your son. When you define yourself as a sports person you cannot play once a month and expect to be competent. When you define yourself as a friend you cannot leave all arrangements and contact to the other party,” he explains.

While most people are engaged in a variety of interests and activities, Lamberti breaks down the totality of a person’s life into three key components: ourselves, our relationships, and our careers. “A balanced life is about defining yourself such that no part of your life is dominated by either of the other two.”

A task, Lamberti concedes, that may be easier said than done. In the final analysis, the first step toward achieving balance is setting boundaries. “We have to learn to say no,” he declares. “We have to know just how important each part of our lives is, and we must be very clear on what sacrifices we are making when we allow one part to dominate the others… A balanced life is not about how many hours you apportion to work, relationships, or self. It is not about sitting down with your diary and allocating time to various activities,” Lamberti asserts. “It is about defining yourself and deciding on what kind of life you want to live — [and then living it.]”