It’s easy to think that you have to be a slave to your business for it to grow and prosper. But it’s simply not sustainable in the long term. The lack of work-life balance might cause you to burn out, or distort the reasons why you started the business in the first place.

Stewart D. Friedman, a professor at the Wharton School of Business at UPenn and founder of Wharton’s Work/Life Integration Project, says that building a successful business and living a sustainable life “requires conscious investment in clarifying what matters most to you”. It’s a philosophy that is akin to those we promote at Agnentis.

In an article for the Entrepreneur website, Friedman argues that business owners should attempt to achieve better performance in “all domains of life”, rather just focussing on making their business a success.

Whole person perspective

Decades-long research at the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project proves that the mindful pursuit of both personal and professional achievement “can realistically lead to greater success, over the course of a life”, according to Friedman.

In a nutshell, personal success fuels professional success and vice versa.

It’s for this very reason that our approach at Agnentis is based around a whole person perspective – that you can’t separate your personal and working lives; the two feed into one another.

But, how do you get to that point whereby you’re performing well in all parts of life?

Friedman says it takes a certain set of leadership skills and an understanding that a one-dimensional life is counter-intuitive to long-term entrepreneurial success.

Here’s his advice for achieving that holistic mindset:

1. Be real: act with authenticity by clarifying your values and your vision

This comes down to knowing what matters to you and embodying those values. That means aligning actions with values and envisioning your legacy.

2. Be whole: act with integrity by respecting the whole person

This requires you to be consciously aware that you are the product all your relationships. So, you should always look to help others and build supportive networks.

3. Be innovative: act with creativity by continually experimenting with how things get done

This requires you to open your eyes to new ways of doing things and challenging the status quo, embracing change courageously.

“What happens in one part of your life affects the others,” Friedman stresses. “Keep this in mind as you take your next steps in climbing to the pinnacle of entrepreneurial achievement.”

Agnentis can help you get on that path to sustainable success. We are currently offering a complimentary one-hour coaching session to all business owners who wish to start that journey.