Balancing Leadership And Life: Insights From Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes

One Humanity Lab: Into an Ecology of Wholeness

Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes has dedicated her career to public service and currently serves as the Director of the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, leading a robust team. Throughout our conversation, she shares insights on balancing her career and motherhood—a challenge faced by many parents, especially women, every day. While some may avoid the topic of managing both children and a career, Dr. Morris-Hughes addresses it head-on, always striving to make the workplace better for future generations.

Dr. Morris-Hughes discusses the significant impact that coaches and leaders have had on her journey, particularly when she began her career, while at the same time becoming a new mother. Dr. Morris-Hughes highlighted the distinction between being a leader and being the leader, sharing a personal story where she initially thought coaching was being offered because she was falling short. In reality, it was the opposite—she was being given the support and resources to grow into the potential her superiors saw in her. From the beginning of her coaching journey, values have been a cornerstone of her professional and personal growth, prompting all of us to reflect on our own guiding principles: What values do we prioritize?

Later in the episode, Dr. Morris-Hughes talked about how her upbringing influenced her career and how coaching helped her realize that she didn’t need to "burn the candle at both ends." This realization not only made her a more effective leader but also a better mother, demonstrating how an external perspective can dramatically reshape our own.

Towards the end of our conversation, she introduced the concept of "becoming a corporate athlete" and emphasized how the same steps an athlete takes to stay at the top of their game also apply to leaders aiming for peak performance. Dr. Morris-Hughes also discussed her concept of “professional vacations”—time she sets aside specifically for innovation—and how she encourages her team to do the same, leveraging the coaching and development tools that have been instrumental to her success.

We concluded our conversation with Dr. Morris-Hughes shares three key lessons she’s learned through coaching: protect your time, create space to rest and recharge, and always maintain perspective. She carries each of these every day, and does her best to instill them in each person she mentors along the way.

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