The Head of Operations that felt overwhelmed with her day-to-day

This story is about Brick Ibex, a Head of Operations feeling she’s carrying all the responsibilities at work and in her personal life. Each of Wave’s clients is known as an alias to preserve confidentiality. Each alias is granted randomly and is a coloured animal.

When Brick Ibex came to Wave a couple of months ago, she was looking for a way to find a healthier work-life balance. As a Head of Operations, she felt overwhelmed with her day-to-day, carrying responsibility for everything, from strategic decisions to tactical tasks. Both at home, and at work. How did she end up stuck in the situation?

During her weekly sessions, she shared how it was impossible for her to rely on anybody. She felt like she couldn’t count on her team nor her life partner, and that feeling created resentment and communication troubles with everyone around her. Throughout 3 months of coaching with Wave, she untangled her issues and changed the paradigm:

• First, by making space in her schedule — setting better routines, and restructuring the way she prioritizes her days. She gained some headspace and some confidence in the process. She started to feel more productive, able to get more done.
• With that solid ground, she explored what truly prevented her to trust people around her. Using visualization exercises, Brick Ibex worked to deconstruct her inner barriers. Guided by Wave, she took concrete steps in her day-to-day and started to delegate tasks, one step at a time, in the personal sphere first, and in the professional environment then. She prepared these difficult conversations with Wave, re-aligned with her team, and changed her delegation practice within 2 months.

In the end, Brick Ibex was able to hold people accountable, instead of handling everything herself. Her responsibilities are now more fairly shared, at her company and in her household — and she reported feeling more balanced, and aligned with herself and with the people around her. She ended her ride saying: “it’s us vs. the problem, it’s not me vs. someone”.