U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Clayton Cupit

Balance is a commonly misunderstood topic in the Army. When leaders mention the need to have balance, many react with an eye roll (here we go again), or a smirk (does it really exist?). Many leaders are viewed as having workaholic-like characteristics. A cursory Google search confirms this: Army leaders possess workaholic characteristics. We come in early to free up time during the day; we spend more time at work than intended; we work hard because our buddies are working hard.[i] But we are who we are: Soldiers and leaders who have endured 17 years of persistent conflict, force structure realignments, force reductions, and lowered promotion rates. We are in a profession that comes in early, works hard, and depending on requirements, stays late. Balance is difficult to understand.

My recent promotion triggered me to reflect on my years as an “Iron Major,” the years often considered the most challenging in an officer’s career. It subsequently led me to reflect on the ebbs and flows of balance during my career and ask myself where I was out of balance, why I was out of balance, and how did I manage to balance it all? When I looked at the problem through this lens, I concluded balance really does exist, and it is a combination of personal choices and professional requirements.

The Personal Choice

First and foremost, we must define who we want to be and have that common vision with our families and people who help us find balance. Upon graduating CGSC in 2013, I quipped to my wife, “I’ll see you in three years.” The comment was tongue-in-cheek, but what I was really saying was my professional demands are about to become very high, and that I needed my family to understand why I was about to stress the meaning of the word balance. I was reporting to a unit pending an Afghanistan deployment and training at a CTC rotation. I was assuming the role as the brigade fire support officer (FSO), never having served in an FSO position before. I had the personal goal to be a lieutenant colonel and a battalion commander; the road to success – I knew – was paved with hard work. Balance was going to be a personal choice where professional requirements stressed personal decision space. This required my family and I to define what was acceptable to us.

A few examples lend credence to people – both civilian and military – in situations where tough personal choices are balanced with professional requirements. Sports commentator Colin Cowherd dedicates a portion of his book to discuss balance and professional athletes, challenging how balance is viewed. Regarding elite athletes, he writes:

Like any industry, the top of the sports food chain is filled with serious people who have pruned away life’s excess branches at an early age. They’ve found jobs and projects they love, and they’ve set out to create a path they can control to achieve goals that are within reach. They seek the kind of certainty a relentless work ethic can make possible.

Cowherd continues to cite examples of Peyton Manning’s dedication in the film room, and Michael Jordan’s workout routine following every game.[ii]

In another example, Lieutenant General (LTG) Matthew Ridgway’s assumption of command at Eighth Army during the Korean War offers a challenging personal choice. While attending a holiday party in Washington, D.C., LTG Ridgway received a phone call informing him that the Eighth Army Commander, LTG Walton Walker, had been killed in a vehicle accident and that he was selected as Walker’s replacement. Ridgway kept the news that evening to himself and closed the evening quietly with his wife. The next morning Ridgway notified his wife of his pending command and deployment. Upon his departure, LTG Ridgway had no family gathering, no goodbye; he departed quietly from his office, boarded a plane and reported for duty. The Vice Chief of Staff of the Army informed Ridgway’s wife of his departure.[iii]

These cases – while on the extreme end of personal choices in relation to professional requirements – are easily relatable to decisions Soldiers and Leaders make on a daily basis. Whether it is a late-day meeting for a planner or a serious incident report (SIR) for a platoon sergeant, professional requirements influence personal choices. How balance is defined becomes a difficult choice.

The Professional Requirements

Not all Army jobs put huge demands on your personal/professional balance. Professional requirements and high-pressure demands to produce results ebb and flow. Knowing where you are in your professional timeline and knowing your unit’s disposition are two critical components to seeing yourself clearly and defining balance appropriately.

Your professional timeline is a sine wave of demands and requirements. Certain jobs require you to be “all-in.” Jobs such as command or direct leadership of either staff or platoon-sized elements fit into this category. These jobs demand personal time, energy and a willingness to go the extra mile. Conversely – and not to downplay importance – there are jobs where you may only be in charge of yourself, or feature few direct-leadership requirements. The impetus to produce results in a compressed timeline is lessened. Certain broadening assignments and professional military education (PME) fit into this category.

The chart below depicts my career timeline and how I assessed personal choices in relation to professional demands. I propose two terms, “Performance Zone” and “Balance Zone,” to describe my approach to defining personal balance. The Performance Zone characterizes jobs where my professional demands are high, and where it was imperative to make the deliberate effort when defining balance. Battery XO, battery command, brigade FSO, battalion S3 and XO were jobs I determined fit this category. The Balance Zone characterizes jobs where my professional requirements were lower, and personal choices had more leverage. Battery fire direction officer, battalion S1, HRC assignment officer, corps chief of plans and PME fit this category. The teams I led were smaller in size or didn’t exist. I had more freedom to pursue personal goals and family equity.

Table 1.The Balance Meter. It describes duty positions in relation to personal decision space. Created by the author.

The model isn’t intended to be one-size fits all; it is intended to help you see yourself clearly to aide in your definition of balance. Everyone has unique timelines and personal situations. Taking time to reflect on what makes you unique helps Soldiers and Leaders to better define balance.

Tips for Success

It is critical Soldiers and leaders take time to assess their personal decisions and professional requirements. We need to not only see ourselves, but our subordinates, superiors, and organizations clearly. Below, I’ve attempted to capture these considerations and provide tips for managing the balance equation.

• As leaders, we must first take the time to know ourselves and our families. As mentioned, different times in our careers call for different levels of responsibility (see Table 1). Open communication with our families and loved ones is key – develop the definition of balance together! It is also important to encourage family participation in work-related events. Organizational days, FRG meetings, etc., assist Soldiers and leaders with having that common balance vision; as a by-product, you are spending time with your family in a work environment. Different people will have different perspectives.
• Know your subordinates; emotional intelligence plays a critical role in this capacity. It is imperative to understand not only the professional demands you place on subordinates, but to understand the balance choices you are influencing. Knowing when to lessen requirements on a subordinate requires you to share the wealth elsewhere, or personally assume the responsibility.
• Communicate how you view balance with your subordinates by living it. Put family events on your calendar, and more importantly, follow through with those events! This will not only force you to maintain personal balance, but by setting the example permeates with those you lead.
• “Leading up” is a critical component to the balance equation. Leaders need rest too, even your boss. As a battalion S3, I had to know when the commander’s balance meter was pegged. If he was off balance, the unit would be off balance.
• Be comfortable with the risk associated with your balance decisions. An example, after completing my battalion XO time, I was offered the position of DIVARTY S3; I declined the DIVARTY S3 position and attended the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS). I risked attaining more key and developmental (KD) time for my promotion and command board files by making the personal choice of a lower OPTEMPO position.
• Know your organization. Find perspective on: what echelon you work and how that effects downtrace units; what position you are in; where the unit is in its deployment or training cycle. The list goes on but understanding these components of your organization allow you to define balance appropriately.
• Relentlessly manage your calendar. This becomes more important the more senior you become. Calendar management permits personal and professional flexibility, ultimately creating more space in the balance zone.
• Most important, understand how all of these personal and professional choices and requirements interact so you can best define your personal balance. A mentor of mine counseled me using a tool on how he sees balance. The table below is a modification to the tool he coaches on making balance decisions. For instance, if you choose to request to forego an NTC rotation in order to attend your daughter’s recital, you may be out of balance. A second example, if you choose to go to a parent’s funeral instead of a PT test, you’re probably in balance. These choices should also take into account all those considerations above like family situations, duty positions, etc.; that is what the middle bubble insinuates.

Table 2.Balance Decision Matrix. An adaptation of a model received by the author during a recent leader counseling.[iv]

Conclusion

Balance is the relationship of personal choices with professional requirements. One size does not fit all. Do your best to see yourself and organizations clearly. Communicate this effectively with your family and personnel in your organizations; only then will you come to a definition of balance that is right for you!

LTC Dan Von Benken is a Field Artillery Officer and recent graduate of the School of Advanced Military Studies. He currently serves as America’s First Corps Chief of Plans and has been selected to command 2^ndBattalion, 17^thField Artillery Regiment.  

[i]Morin, Amy. “7 Signs You May Be a Workaholic.” Forbes.com (September 2014).Accessed 22 August 2018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/09/18/7-signs-you-may-be-a-workaholic/#4187098c70d7

[ii]Cowherd, Colin. You Herd Me. New York, NY: Crown Archetype. 2013, pp.52-54.

[iii]Ridgway, Matthew B. The Korean War. New York, NY: De Capo Press. 1967, pp. 79-80.

[iv]This model is a conglomerate of myriad models presented by various Army leaders – of all ranks – through the years. It has been adapted to reflect how the author views balance. Models considered include those presented at the Pre-Command Course at Leavenworth and those used during leadership counsel with the author.