How can you be a better leader? Forget about work after quitting time

Employees deem leaders who psychologically detach from work when they aren’t in the workplace as more powerful and engaged in the office, new research shows.

“We found that when leaders psychologically detached from work when at home – they did not actively think about work-related issues, but instead engaged in activities that allowed them to disconnect and recharge – they felt more energized the next day at work, in ways that made them more effective as rated by their direct reports,” said Klodiana Lanaj, an associate professor of management at the University of Florida Warrington College of Business.

Managers best able to achieve a healthy work-life balance ended up “rated as more transformational and powerful by their subordinates,” said Lanaj, who has reported on her research results in both HealthDay News and Harvard Business Review.

“In contrast, on days when leaders kept ruminating about negative aspects of their work while at home, they felt more drained the next day at work, and were less transformational and powerful.”

Lanaj and her colleagues surveyed 73 full-time leaders and work managers in 2019, including human resources managers, directors of finance, general managers, and/or chief engineers. Each of them had been in their leadership roles for approximately eight years, and study participants led teams averaging nine employees.

For 10 consecutive workdays, the researchers conducted hour-long surveys with the leaders and managers. Survey questions asked them how their jobs affected them emotionally outside the office, how much sleep they had the night before, the quality of their sleep, their energy levels at work, and how they assessed their own competency and skills.

The researchers also surveyed 63 men and women who worked for those leaders and managers. Questions to the direct reports included how well the leader/manager communicated goals and vision, displayed energy and enthusiasm, and/or challenged their teams to think outside the box. Employees also rated their leaders’ effectiveness in wielding power and/or getting their teams to listen and execute requests.

“Our work emphasizes that it is important for leaders to find ways to detach from their leadership responsibilities after work,” Lanaj wrote in Harvard Business Review. “Leaders have a tendency to overwork and feel the need to always be available, but our results legitimize disconnecting from work and taking time to recover rather than continuing to think about work until late into the evening.

“Whether it is mastering a new hobby, exercising, spending time with loved ones, or simply reading a book to relax, leaders may be wise to find activities that they enjoy in the evening to turn their thoughts away from work.”

First Ascent Group, a people development firm, has done research showing the impact of disconnected or disengaged leaders or managers in the workplace. Signs of disengagement or detachment include:

• Leaders and managers not responding or listening to feedback and changing behaviour accordingly
• Leaders and managers are unwilling to accept ideas or viewpoints contrary to their own or that don’t confirm their own perceptions of themselves
• A lack of clear leadership or guidance leaves team members feeling stifled creatively or lacking direction during their working day.
• The workplace culture is driven by rules and procedures, with no room for individuality

Interestingly, Lanaj noted of her research findings, the negative effect of thinking about work 24-7 were particularly pronounced among the less experienced leaders in the study.

“Inexperienced leaders might find after-hours rumination particularly draining because they have less practice managing the challenges of leadership,” Lanaj wrote of the findings. “Finding rhythms of rest and recovery after work may be especially beneficial for those who are entering leadership roles for the first time.”

Feature image courtesy of iStock.com/MaFelipe