The work-life conundrum
In this first episode of the miniseries “Coaching with Costas”, Costas addresses the work-life conundrum.
Below are a few notable highlights:
- Try to figure out which times of the day you are most effective at work, and in which times are best for you to carry out mundane tasks instead. Once you have done that, plan your time accordingly by time-blocking.
- Some techniques are very useful for you to focus and manage your time. One example is the Pomodoro technique, which helps you work in 25-minute blocks. One other example is the 3-3-3 technique.
- Prioritise what is important and urgent. Understand what is important and urgent for you, as opposed to what is important and urgent for the organisation.
- A great tool to understand yourself is called the “wheel of life”. It is a way of disaggregating the different areas of life that you care about. The wheel of life helps you visualise which areas you are satisfied with and which areas you may need to focus on.
- “Ikigai’ is a great concept to work out your purpose and be less distracted as a result. Overall, the key is to be kinder to ourselves.
- Overall, the key is to be kinder to ourselves.
Our Guest: Costas Kalisperas
Costas is a Londoner of Greek Cypriot heritage and has worked as a barrister, solicitor, investment banker, private equity executive, angel investor and board director across a range of industries in a professional services career spanning 30 years. He has lived and worked in the US, UK and the Middle East over that time.
Now an executive coach, his clients describe his approach as one that encompasses structure and challenge on the one hand and empathy and support on the other. His focus is on helping leaders to be in tune with themselves and their environment, tap into their inner resourcefulness and manage their interactions with others more effectively. This helps to nurture greater collaboration and collective success, while having some fun along the journey.
Costas has been entrusted with leadership responsibility around team cohesion, morale, mentoring and career development in all his prior roles, including as a Head of a team and as Chair of year-end review committees at Barclays investment bank for many years, as well as in senior positions at Credit Suisse, Lehman Brothers and Bank of America. He has thereby gained valuable insights into the importance of transparency, collaboration, diversity and inclusion in achieving the best results.
Costas is a graduate of Meyler Campbell’s Mastered Programme, an accredited coach by the EMCC, a Fellow of the Institute of Coaching and a Hogan Certified practitioner.
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