Leadership-life Fit and the Wheel of Life
Having a leadership-life fit that works for you is an important aspect of a
happy, fulfilled life. Occasionally, we find ourselves expending a great
amount of our time and energy in one or two areas of our lives and
neglecting others. This lack of “fit” can leave us stressed out and
frustrated, which in turn affects all areas of our life.
The Wheel of Life, a tool used by many life coaches around the world,
helps you to create a visual representation of your life that will enable
you to compare your current ‘fit’ to your ideal. By considering each area
of priority and documenting the time and attention you are currently
devoting to that area and then identifying your preferred fit, you can see
the gaps and begin to take steps to reduce and eliminate those gaps to
attain a better fit.
Analyzing your Fit:
1. Brainstorm the 6 to 8 dimensions of your life that are important for you.
a. The roles you play in life: husband/wife, father/mother, manager, colleague, team member,
sports player, community leader, or friend.
b. Areas of life that are important to you: artistic expression, positive attitude, career,
education, family, friends, financial freedom, physical challenge, pleasure, or public service.
c. Your own combination of these (or different) things, reflecting the things that are your
priorities in life.
2. Assess each area:
a. Consider each dimension in turn.
b. On a scale of 0 (low) – to 10 (high), write down the amount of attention you're devoting to
that area of your life. You might also think of the ranking scale in terms of how satisfied you
are with this area.
c. Mark each score on the appropriate spoke of your Life Wheel.
3. Connect the dots!
4. Consider your preferred fit.
a. Not a ‘5’ for each area—that echoes of that antiquated notion of balance.
b. Recognize some areas need more focus at any given time than others.
c. Leadership-life fit is unique to each individual—one person’s fitness may be another’s stress!
d. Energy and time are not in unlimited supply!
5. Plot your preferred scores around your wheel.
6. Note the gaps between your current fit and your preferred fit as indicated by your wheel.
a. Gaps can be both in areas that are not getting as much attention as you'd like and in areas
where you're putting in more effort than you'd ideally like. These areas could be sapping
energy and enthusiasm that may better be directed elsewhere.
b. Start with the neglected areas:
c. What things do you need to start doing to attain a better fit?
d. In the areas that currently take your energy and time, what can you stop doing or reprioritize
or delegate to someone else?
7. Claim your commitments on the back of your wheel.
8. Consider having a colleague or close friend complete the wheel for you so you can compare your
perception with theirs.