Just ask my kids. I’m really not that coordinated so I was intimidated by the idea of Stand up Paddle Boarding (SUP).  I’ve had the opportunity to try SUP over the past few years, but I would smile and pass, using excuses like the water is too cold… or my knee hurts.  Something so I wouldn’t be put to the test around my balance.

But a few weeks ago while in Maui for a family wedding, I ran out of excuses.  Plus, our host paid for the rental board, so I felt obligated to try it.  I was still hesitant, but when he got out into the bay and shouted the turtles are here, I knew it was now or never.

What I learned was that the key to balance is to find that special place where things are in equilibrium.  When it just feels right.  When things seem to be aligned.

Sometimes it takes a little trial and error, but when you find that sweet spot, calm reigns and you get rewarded.  And yes, I found that magic spot with SUP and soon paddled among the green sea turtles.

And I thought about balance in our workplace, and howchallenging it is to find:

- The right balance: working extra hours at the job and burn out

- The right balance: creativity and analytics when approaching a problem

- The right balance: positive feedback and “opportunities for development” when coaching staff

- The right balance: delegating tasks and doing them yourself

- The right balance: intensity and play at work

Conscientious leaders must be thoughtful – weighing the pros and cons – looking at tradeoffs and cautiously, sometimes after trial and error, finding that place where balance rules and employees thrive.  

Management is both an art and a science and finding one’s balance is a solid bridge to finding harmony in the workplace.

But the mysterious part about balance, is that only you can find that place where all things “work” and do so in equilibrium.  It takes some soul searching, but each person needs to find that spot themselves.  

My friend gave me some tips when I was trying SUP for the first time, but it was only through experience and some experimentation, that I found the spot where I could stand and watch the turtles… now where was my camera?!

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