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This content is produced by The Australian Financial Review in commercial partnership with Salesforce.
Leaders today operate in a world of permanent connectivity world, facilitated by smart mobile devices. Flatter workplace hierarchies and fewer senior jobs have also fuelled increased competition among executives seeking steeper career progression.
This often means working what feels like unsustainably long hours. There is a sense among many leaders that they have to always be available.
There is a danger however that they are putting personal well-being on the line and risking burnout.
Participants at The Australian Financial Review / Salesforce Trailblazers round table discussed their experiences and shared strategies that help them cope with workplace stress.
Deloitte's national lead partner for Innovation Strategy, Andy Bateman, says that often the cost of leadership is mental health. He said mental illness affects a large number of people in the community, though most are reluctant to admit it. "You don't talk about it – especially men. We don't tend to name it. We tend to be heroic," he said.
"We tend to fly at this altitude in leadership positions, where we think we're OK until we land. Then we realise, actually, we're really not OK and we might need some help – but we hardly ever ask for it."
Drawing from his personal experience, he said rebuilding yourself is important. "I remember after I had left Telstra, I was absolutely exhausted. It took me three months – I went and rode my bike in France just to restore my sense of who I was, because I'd worked myself into a frenzy."
Bateman describes how it affected him and the people around him. "It changed how I felt about myself, how I felt about my family, how I felt about my friends," he said.
Expert360 co-founder Bridget Loudon admits that due to her being "innately always driven, and persistent," leadership comes at the cost of her personal life. "I think certainly in terms of personal cost, your work and your personal life become very intertwined and difficult to distinguish," she said.
"Many leaders do. It's innate. No one is killing you to do this, for example. If I weren't doing this, I wouldn't be sitting on a boat.
"I have very limited personal time that is not related to building our business."
Loudon believes the expectations are the same whether you are a startup or working for a corporate. She does, however, try to manage her work/life commitments through outsourcing, and took heed when her mother said "Get yourself the support that you need."
She said that for her, that meant "having a good team around you that sort of pulls you back and puts the brakes on a little bit".
Belinda Vassallo, GE Digital country manager for Australia and New Zealand, said, "You've got to be careful. I think the personal cost is burnout. If you are a high achiever, and innately driven and persistent, sometimes you don't know when to stop."
Having again a good team around you that pulls you back and supports you is important, she says. "Sometimes you need to put brakes on a little bit. Success is there, but maybe it's going to take a little bit longer."