To balance or not to balance? Relating perceptions of work-life balance to leader outcomes (Poster presentation)

Abstract

The present study investigates how self- and other-perceptions of a leader’s work-life balance impact the leader’s perceived leadership skills and motivation. Using a multi-source feedback tool, we collected data from 182 managers with supervisory responsibilities, as well as their supervisors and direct reports. Within-source analyses showed that supervisors and direct reports tend to evaluate balanced leaders better on cognitive and interpersonal skills, suggesting that these raters use perceptions of the leader’s work-life balance to infer information about the leader’s skills. Within- and multi-source analyses also showed that leaders who see themselves as more balanced tend to be seen as less ambitious, not only by themselves but also by their supervisors. Moderating effects were found for the position of the rater, but not for the gender of the leader.