These intense work styles are often celebrated as the only way to get to the top and be a

super-productive leader. Indeed, surveys show that managers and executives describe the
“ideal worker” as someone with no personal life or caregiving responsibilities. And a majority
of leaders themselves — the ones who set the tone for organizations and model behavior for
everyone else — think work-life balance is “at best an elusive ideal and at worst a complete
myth.” In an interview, three CEOs rated as top performers by HBR said the job was 24/7 and
admitted they weren’t great role models.