Riding the thermals by M'reen
Here's How I Made Work-Life Balance a Choice
Bob Nardelli
In this series of posts, professionals reveal their best
antidotes to work stress.
I was introduced to the idea of work-life balance when I
met with my new human resources representative in Cleveland, Ohio. This was
back in the late ‘70s, and I had just been promoted
to a management position. The HR executive drew a circle
and divided it in half – with 50 percent marked “work” and 50 percent marked
“personal.” The “personal” category then could be divided into “family,”
“recreation,” “travel,” etc. While he didn’t actually use the word “balance,”
he politely warned that as I took on more responsibility,
I would need to be able to mentally handle the challenges of the job while not
cutting into my personal time.
I already understood how tricky that balancing act could
be. In 1971, I had started my first “real” job right out of college, and was
married that same week. So while I was excited to jump right in
and learn all I could about the company and its culture,
I had a high sensitivity to both “masters.”
It was a balancing act, for sure.
Back then, primarily working 8 to 5, balance seemed
doable. Outside of work and family,
sports dominated those early years for me. I was able to
enjoy a weekly round of golf.
I went back to Western Illinois University each year to
play in the alumni football game…
until my first child came along, and I decided this
full-contact thing was not such a good idea.
Living in Louisville, we always attended the Kentucky
Derby, along with an assortment
of college friends who just happened to be driving
through town the first weekend in May.
Non-sports? Well, there was disco, and I practiced my
“Staying Alive” moves in a white suit,
à la John Travolta. We always had pets, especially
Irish Setters. I took the kids skiing.
Partly out of necessity, I tinkered with our Chevy
Chevette.
And I went to school two to three nights a week to get my
MBA.
With each job of increasing responsibility, I cut back on
more of my hobbies —
including my unfortunate golf game — in favor of family.
But while the job was demanding, corporate America at the time was still pretty
much focused on domestic operations.
In those days, we certainly didn’t give the global
economy a lot of thought.
Fast forward to today. The baby boomer generation has
gone from pencil and paper
to analog technologies and through a digital
transformation. There’s Big Data, data analytics,
and the Internet of Things – terms we are all still
adjusting to. Corporations now are globally focused (I’ve personally traveled
to more than 100 countries for work).
We’re at the mercy of our smart phones, 24/7.
We have transitioned, then, from the age of work-life
balance to what I now call work-life choice.
As the rate of change continues to accelerate
dramatically, each of us must continue to make tradeoffs in real time.
So how have I navigated the business world and continued
to be thoughtful and responsive,
both at work and at home? First, I was blessed to have my
wife of 45 years by my side through
more than a dozen geographical moves. My family,
including our four now-adult children,
are totally supportive. With three grandchildren, my
spare time these days is spent relearning
how to assemble every imaginable toy, walker, and car
seat (which I’m constantly amazed by;
we didn’t even have seat belts when I was growing up!).
I creakily step over baby gates at every doorway.
We continue our family vacations, too. When our children were young, we spent
many vacations
on long drives to ocean locations, but the Holy Grail was
Disney World in Orlando.
The first time we could afford to stay one night on
Disney property, we were hooked.
Since then, we go almost every year, now with the
grandchildren in tow, too.
These days, I occasionally enjoy skeet and trap shooting. And one of my most
relaxing
and yet exhilarating activities has been NASCAR.
Attending a race as a sponsor to Coach Gibbs
and Tony Stewart was an eye-opening experience. Sitting
on the pit box with an earphone,
I was able to listen to the spotter on top of the
grandstand giving direction to the driver.
The level of trust needed is phenomenal as the driver
instantly powers his vehicle to 200 mph.
In fact, everything about the sport ties into business,
especially the teamwork on display as four tires are changed and two cans of
gasoline replaced in under 12 seconds.
Finally, every step is taped and reviewed for continuous
improvement.
Another of my hobbies, reading, also ties directly into
the business world. I think it’s extremely important to stay relevant, and I
read a variety of newspapers and business journals. That, plus
what I glean from other media, helps me remain on top of
the markets and global issues. As a result, I’ve been tapped to co-host several
business shows, another venture that I thoroughly enjoy.
Giving back is of critical importance to me, too. I am on
the boards of a few non-profits,
such as the Wounded Warrior Project, Cristo Rey Atlanta,
and Savannah College of Art and Design. Over the years, I’ve also worked with
Points of Light and KaBOOM!, among others, and I also served on the President
George W. Bush Council on Service & Civic Participation for four years.
I’ve known many solid contributors who decided to take a
step back from the corporate world
by deliberately turning down a promotion or leaving
corporate America altogether,
choosing to serve the community and their families
instead. Have they achieved balance? Maybe. But in reality they, too, made
work-life choices to meet their own needs and priorities.
So, while that 50-50 pie seemed great in theory, our
choices along the way can change the pieces considerably. After all, each step
we take is also a decision about how we want to control our lives. For me,
personal value and purpose are increasingly important,
both in my business and family decisions.
I urge you to take “could-a, would-a, should-a” out of
your vocabulary,
and slice your pie in the way that works best for you.
During his 45 years in the business world, Bob Nardelli
has grown the sales and profits of
a number of multi-national corporations including the
General Electric Co. and The Home Depot,
and he helped save Chrysler and its iconic brands when
the American auto industry
began to collapse. In addition to his board and
volunteer service, he is the founder of XLR-8, LLC, Investment & Advisory
Co., which helps companies identify weaknesses and improve performance.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-life-outside-work-heres-how-i-made-work-life-balance-bob-nardelli?articleId=9197648614321845828#comments-9197648614321845828&trk=sushi_topic_posts
You can pre-read all your course material for internal
knowing.
I can Turbo Charge Read a
novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember.
Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook
group ?
Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.
Turbo Charged Reading uses these skills significantly
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www.innermindworking.blogspot.com gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of
life
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com just for fun.
To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”
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