Life Balance: Importance and Approach

SHRUTI MEHROTRA, ASHLEE MILLER, RAGHU NAYANI, KEVIN NEWELL, ORLANDO O’NEILL, CLIFF ORR, DREW PALIN

LIFE BALANCE IMPORTANCE & APPROACH

Agenda – Life Balance

q  Importance of life balance

•  To companies

•  To individuals

q  Company actions to implement employee balance

q  What you can do to achieve balance

Balanced leaders are better performers…

q On average, more effective leaders received 16% higher scores on “balance” questions

q Leaders who exercise regularly were rated significantly higher on their leadership effectiveness by their bosses, peers and direct reports

Source: Center for Creative Leadership

. . . companies are beginning to realize the productivity benefits of life balance…

Link between employee satisfaction

and profit

Increased return on capital

Companies with highly committed employees had a 22% higher 3

year stock return

86% of employees satisfied with life

balance stay with the company

Flexible work arrangements have a positive impact on productivity

Users of flexible work arrangements reported lower stress levels and

had more energy

. . . along with employees, who are pushing for new ways of working

q  84% prefer jobs that let them realize their professional aspirations while having more time outside of work

q  55% are willing to sacrifice their income

q  73% believe senior management jobs can be restructured to increase productivity and balance

Source: Miller & Miller

Recognizing its benefits, companies are systematically facilitating employee balance

q  Corporate Lattice, Not Ladder •  Deloitte, Cisco, Thomson Reuters

q  Time is the New Currency •  Brunner Advertising

q  Predictability, Teaming and Openness •  The Boston Consulting Group

q  Telecommuting •  Capital One, Virgin and many

others

q  Vacations •  Virgin

Companies can assist in achieving balance, but employees must also be proactive and responsible

Every Kellogg student should understand that this will become an issue in mid 30s and beyond. I never anticipated it, and am not sure I would have done things differently, but it might have been easier if it hadn't been so surprising.

- Kellogg Alum, on maintaining life balance

Proactive

q  Take responsibility for everything in their life

q  Control situations that arise

q  Cause things to happen

q  Anticipate and prepare

Reactive q  Let their life be dictated by

circumstances, others

q  Let situations control them

q  Respond to whatever happens

q  Wait, rely on impulse

From primary and secondary research, four themes emerge for managing life balance

Planning

Flexibility

Boundaries

Prioritizing

q  Interviews •  Seven professionals on

different career tracks

q  Alumni survey - LinkedIn •  235 responses •  Across various life stages

and industries

q  Prior books and articles •  CEO Road Rules •  Just Enough •  NY Times Corner Office •  Inc.com articles

Prioritizing “Set priorities and stick to them.” – Kellogg Alum

q  Need to periodically reassess and adjust priorities as necessary

q  35%1 of survey respondents

prioritize to determine how to spend their time, both at home and at work

1.  Life balance management methods utilized by respondents often incorporated multiple themes, so percentages do not sum to 100%

Planning “I follow a daily schedule with priorities aligned to my personal balance.” – Kellogg Alum

q  Significance Plan: your dreams, vision and goals as determined by what is significant to you

q  Just Enough: Ask What’s enough for me? when setting goals in four areas of your life:

1.  Happiness 2.  Achievement 3.  Significance 4.  Legacy

q  42%1 of survey respondents use planning to manage life balance


Flexibility “I go into work early so that I can be home for dinner with my family.” – Kellogg Alum

q  Flexibility is about retaining and exercising options •  How/when/where you work •  Industry •  Job

q  35%1 of survey respondents rely

on flexibility to manage life balance

q  Take advantage of flexibility at home and at work


Boundary Management “I make a daily commitment. Pencils down at 6:30pm.” – Kellogg Alum

q  Boundary management: establishing and following rules, based on your plans and priorities, to manage life balance q  26%1 of survey responses

q  Five key steps to boundary management:

1.  Establish values-based priorities 2.  Determine tactical boundaries 3.  Communicate expectations to

managers and employees 4.  Discipline yourself to follow 5.  Re-evaluate periodically


Takeaways to Achieve Life Balance

1.  Career productivity/success and balance are reinforcing, not mutually exclusive

2. You are chiefly responsible for achieving your own balance

3. Prioritize and plan, but most importantly, implement – consistent, daily execution is the key to managing life balance

THANK YOU

APPENDIX


Prioritizing: Each week, take an hour to think about what your priorities are for the week. And each day, take 10 minutes to think how you are going to use tomorrow to achieve this week's priorities. - Wendy Kopp, Teach for America


Setting Boundaries: Need to have guidelines in your life. Be sure to implement those guidelines, but be open to adapting. Don’t compromise the values/guidelines that are most important to your priorities. -Lydia Fisher, Author/Entrepreneur


Systematic effort: Regardless of if you have the drive and passion to work 24/7, realize that others around you likely do not. Most people need time off, and as a leader you should seek to provide your team with balance by striving to limit the workweek to 5 days in order to keep your team fresh and prevent burnout. -Jeffrey Katzenburg, Dreamworks Animation.


Stay Disciplined: Use "forcers" to stay disciplined. If you want to focus on improving your health, commit to an ironman or a marathon, this will force you to stay dedicated. There is a more visible consequence- failure- if you get lax and think about ignoring this focus. -Jana Eggers, Spreadshirt

Interview – Lydia Fisher Kellogg Class of ‘80, Author/Entrepreneur, www.cinderellaofwallstreet.com

¨  How important is work/life balance to you? Very important. Parents were immigrants, and they instilled a strong sense of balance between education and family. Furthermore, her mom always pushed her to pursue her own career. She credits 3 items with her emphasis on life balance:

1) Upbringing/values

2) Vocation

3) Belief that life satisfaction comes from being balanced and self-reliant

In her career, she has seen that being balanced leads to happier, more creative employees.

¨  Has work/life balance become harder to achieve as you have moved up in your career? Her priorities changed as time moved on. Early on, she focused on spending time with her children. She found a job at Bear Stearns that allowed for flexibility, openly communicated priorities with her team, and set expectations. Later in her career, after her kids were in college, she was able to put more hours into her work, which she loved, so she didn’t mind.

Nonetheless, she looked for other activities to fill some of the time she had previously spent with her children. Thinks it is very important to do things outside of work because it provides perspective.


¨  Do you have a work/life balance “philosophy” or work/life balance rules? How do you maintain work/life balance? Need to have guidelines in your life. Be sure to implement those guidelines, but be open to adapting. Don’t compromise the values/guidelines that are most important to your priorities.

Don’t compromise yourself for your work. She was devoted to Bear Stearns, but it was not the center of her universe. So when it was taken over, while painful, Lydia was able to reinvent in another direction. Putting too much emphasis on 1 thing distorts your perspective.

Remember, can’t undo your decisions. She laid out a plan for her life, with specific goals for 5, 10, 25 years, etc. She looked at her career as a vocation, and paced herself. Didn’t have to get everything done in 10 years. Thinks it’s important to know what your goals are and where you are going.

¨  How do you spend your work and free time? Before, she used her free time for her kids. Now, she is engaged in philanthropic activities, including mentoring.


¨  How did you and do you establish boundaries at work for work/life balance? Which methods do you feel are most successful? She lived by her values and communicated them to her team and employer when appropriate. Thinks it is crucial to live by the values, or else it becomes just talk.

¨  What kind of career trade-offs have you made in the past to preserve your work/life balance? Lydia chose her career with work/life balance goals in mind. She wanted to work in investment banking, but knew she couldn’t be a banker due to the long hours and travel. She needed to have flexibility and independence, especially given that her family had random time requirements. Although Bear Stearns was a smaller firm when she joined, her position in the commission-based sales and trading side had more defined hours and no travel requirements, so it gave her the flexibility needed to spend time with her children.

Initially focused more on her children, but as the kids grew older she began ramping up her work hours appropriately. It’s important to love the work you are in because you are going to spend so much time at work. Make sure you are getting something out of it (personal satisfaction).

Need to have a long-term, sustainable career outlook. Don’t burn yourself out early on, because it’s not a sprint into the c-suite.


¨  What kinds of lifestyle trade-offs have you made in the past to preserve your career trajectory? Had to make trade-offs throughout her career. ¤  Prioritized the most important things and put the time into those things ¤  Sacrificed her social life early on to focus on career and family, so she wasn’t able to network as

much ¤  Gave up on some of her personal interests while finding ways to integrate the others into her

larger scheme of priorities. For example, she bought a step machine so that she could do exercise while her children did homework

¤  Accepted slower career advancement initially, but she was still able to eventually reach the top spot of Senior Managing Director and become one of the top producers in the Private Client Services Division at Bear Stearns

Need to be incredibly efficient in your life. Cut the fluff out, because if you don’t invest in the things that matter most to you, you won’t get the desired returns.

¨  What would be your main takeaways for graduating MBA students? ¤  Know yourself and your priorities, your strengths and weaknesses, and then find the right venue

through which to flourish ¤  Prepare a blueprint for your whole life; need to look at both short and long term ¤  Try to have a targeted number of different goals consistent within one’s overall life plan, and go

for it ¤  Don’t forget to live


Lydia spent near three decades on Wall Street, the last two as a Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns. She built one of the largest producing teams within the Private Client Services Division investing for corporations, families and executives. Lydia graduated with a BA in English Literature from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the JL Kellogg Graduate School of Business. She is the Founder and President of Galyda Media and, publisher/author of “Cinderella of Wall Street.” www.cinderellaofwallstreet.com Lydia participates in multiple professional and philanthropic organizations. She is a member of the Chicago Finance Exchange (a Chicago-based women’s network of top finance professionals) and a member of 85 Broads (a New York-based global women’s network). Lydia has been invited to host an event for the Kellogg Women’s Business Alumni in Finance and is a member of KAMP (Kellogg Alumni Mentorship Program). Lydia is an Honorary Member of the Center for The Study of The Great Ideas. She is a long-time member of the Joffrey Ballet Women’s Board and a former Governing Member of the Chicago Symphony. Lydia is the mother of two sons and a pianist.

Interview – V.J. Singal Kellogg Class of ‘79, Communication Consultant/Speaker, www.verbalenergy.com

¨  How important is work/life balance to you? Very important. There are 3 key events that drove home the importance of life balance to V.J. in the early 1990s.

1.  He read an article in Fortune magazine where the author mentioned he has done countless interviews where Fortune 500 CEOs have wept, expressing regret for not having spent enough time with their families when their children were young. V.J. also highlighted two movies, Harvey (1950) and Lost Horizon (1937), that teach that anyone can create a peaceful place in their mind. It is a lesson that he thinks helps when you suffer setbacks.

2.  His best friend died suddenly at age 42. He had witnessed the same thing at Texas Instruments, when his mentor, a Kellogg alum, contracted cancer in her mid-thirties and died 6 weeks later. It taught him that there are no guarantees in life, so you can’t keep deferring your priorities.

3.  He came across a presentation by Stephen Covey (author of “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”) that extolled the need to take care of the important items (priorities) first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VDxKLSyksI. He came away with the lesson that you can and should schedule 3-4 major items, like vacations, every year to nourish your life while still managing all of the day-to-day demands.


¨  How do you maintain work/life balance? 1.  Planning and scheduling activities in advance. If he didn’t preplan vacations, using

nonrefundable tickets, he would most likely not take them, opting to work instead. Fortunately, he has learned that once you schedule the things that are critical to ensuring a work/life balance, you can still somehow fit all the day-to-day work-related activities in the remaining space.

2.  Making public commitments, either in writing or verbally, to hold himself to his priorities. Once he has “thrown his hat into the ring,” he will definitely pursue or work on those items, such as taking the time to go to a nature preserve at least one weekend every month with his wife.

3.  Using rational fear as motivation to maintain certain activities, such as exercise, that he might otherwise not keep up with. For example, he has gone jogging every day for the past 22 years. When he first started doing so, it wasn’t because he was naturally athletic; in fact, he thinks that he is probably more inclined to not doing exercise. But, he was able to motivate himself to do it because of his fear that he is more prone to illness (due to hereditary factors). He has learned to embody some fears through specific events, like the death of his best friend, to make them more effective motivators.


V. J. Singal is a Houston-based communication consultant, coach, trainer, and speaker, and the author of The Articulate® Professional (3rd Edition, 2008). His recently launched blog Juicy and readily applicable communication tips on how to communicate with impact can be viewed at www.thearticulateprofessional.blogspot.com. Educated at Welham Preparatory School and The Doon School, he has a B.Tech. in civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and an MBA with Distinction from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. His opinions have been published in The Wall Street Journal and The Economist, and aired on the BBC, CNN Headline News, and KTRK-TV (Houston's ABC affiliate). V. J. spent over 20 years with Fortune 100 corporations, most recently with Texas Instruments. He has presented workshops on How to Emphasize Your Point in Just Three Sentences, The Five Techniques of Highly Effective Communicators, Advanced Public Speaking, and related topics to, among others, ExxonMobil, Shell, City of Houston, and students at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

Interview – Mike Brunner Entrepreneur and CEO of Advertising Agency, www.brunnerworks.com

¨  Can you describe your perspective on work/life balance? Has your perspective evolved over time? I see work and “life” as almost interchangeable, as business is fulfilling for me. I don’t define myself by “work” and “life” and totally agree with the “life balance” concept versus a “work/life balance” concept. As an entrepreneur, I had to make sacrifices to build the business. You have to have critical mass, or your firm won’t make it. I was OK with the trade-offs in the early part of my career, but I was realistic about them.

¨  Do you have a work/life balance “philosophy” or work life balance rules? How do you maintain work/life balance? My life balance philosophy has evolved over time. I’m not a big rules guy. I believe that for every law you have, you have an outlaw. My goals were to build the company and have fun along the way.

¨  How did you and do you establish boundaries at work for work/life balance? Which methods do you feel are most successful? Listen to your body, it’s like an athlete. You can’t run yourself into the ground. Most folks that are fairly driven must watch out and put “gas in your tank”. The holidays, especially around the New Year, help me to recharge. I’m a big believer in fitness and try to get in 4 work outs a week. It’s a great stress reducer and helps me to clear my head.


¨  How do you set expectations about your work schedule at home or with friends? This is really all about setting expectations with your loved ones and having open communication. You must put your choices in context and perspective and realize that (1) you are going to have peaks and valleys at work and (2) you have to realize it’s not just about your career.

¨  Any thoughts about life balance as an employer?

An important component here is that, as an employer, the game has changed entirely. Time is absolutely the new currency. If I want to make staff happy, I must give them time. It’s equal to or better than anything else I can do. I need to pay people well, but they are most interested in time off, flexible hours and have shorter summer hours. I shut down the office between Christmas and New Years. Flex time is also a great thing as it allows people to work different parts of the week from home. The work economy has completely changed and employers need to do these things now.


Michael Brunner is the driving force behind Brunner’s growth to $200 million since the brand launched in 1989. Earlier than most of the competitors, he foresaw the importance of differentiation in the ultra-competitive advertising arena and led the company with his unique perspective. He has developed an original business model founded on two key components: Number 1. People first. And number 2. Diversified strategic growth.

Michael’s accomplishments have not gone unnoticed in the industry. He served on the national board of the American Association of Advertising Agencies and was an active member of the American Marketing Association and Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Entrepreneurship. He also served as president of the American Advertising Federation’s Pittsburgh Ad Club and was on its board for six years. Michael is well known in Pittsburgh for his untiring efforts to serve the community and is a strong advocate of community service especially when it comes to creating opportunities for young people entering the marketing and advertising business. He earned a bachelor of arts at Bowling Green University and a master’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh. Michael and his wife Marita reside in Peter’s Township. He is an avid golfer and wine enthusiast.

Interview MBA Graduate, Former Retail Executive

¨  Can you describe your perspective on work/life balance? Always need to be conscious of the balance, while understanding that you aren’t going to have a lot of choices early on. Furthermore, your current life status (single, married, married with children, etc.) matters. Their advice: ¤  Be conscious of your balance ¤  Ask yourself if the work hours are worth it ¤  Answer the question honestly, and modulate your expectations

¨  Has your perspective evolved over time? First 10 years of their career were very imbalanced. Were managing their career through the philosophy of “whatever it takes.” Need to have a good partner or be a “strong” individual if you are on your own to make this work.

In the latter part of their career, they worked just as much as before, but now they had more flexibility, resources, and experiences, so they were able to manage their balance a lot better. This rebalancing occurred naturally as they progressed up the ladder. Found that priorities shift naturally as you grow older and become more mature.


¨  How actively would you say that you manage your work/life balance? There is a period of management, but then it becomes a natural part of how you live. It also depends on what you consider work and fun. Some things that might be considered work for others are fun for them, so they don’t mind putting the hours into those activities.

¨  Please describe your primary methods for managing work/life balance? ¤  Personal assistant: someone that helps you organize your life ¤  Delegation: knowing what to do and what to delegate out ¤  Prioritization: knowing what is and what isn’t important. “Will it move the needle or not?” ¤  Being organized ¤  Using time creatively: take advantage of dead time. Would hold phone meetings with different

locations on the drives in and out of work Thinks that your ability to manage work/life balance depends on: ¤  Where you are in your career ¤  What your priorities are: have your own personal Maslow Matrix ¤  What industry/profession you are in


¨  Were you able to manage your work/life balance as effectively when you first started working? Not as much. Found that it was much harder to focus on this early on in their career. As you move up, you get more flexibility, such as being able to set your own hours. Can also make tradeoffs that you didn’t have early on.

There are professions where you can manage the balance better, but you can’t expect to have a lot of balance early on.

Survey Data Administered to Kellogg alumni in different life stages

235 73

50

37

30

45

Total <5yrs 5-10yrs 11-15yrs 16-20yrs 21+ yrs

Respondents by Kellogg Graduation Date


1 4 5 9

35

83

98

0

20

40

60

80

100

Not Important at All Very Important

Importance of Life Balance

2 5 11

31

69 66

51

0

20

40

60

80

100

Not active at all Very Active

Level of Life Balance Management

All Respondents


2 4 3

14

25 25

0

6

12

18

24

30



1

7

12

26

15 12

0

6

12

18

24

30



< 5 Years Post MBA


1 2 3

19

25

0

6

12

18

24

30



1 2 1

8

15 12 11

0

6

12

18

24

30



5-10 Years Post MBA


9

13 15

0

6

12

18

24

30



1

6

10 9 11

0

6

12

18

24

30



11-15 Years Post MBA


3

12 15

0

6

12

18

24

30



1 2

8

13

6

0

6

12

18

24

30



16-20 Years Post MBA


1 1 1 4

6

14

18

0

6

12

18

24

30



1 1 2 3

10

17

11

0

6

12

18

24

30



21+ Years Post MBA

Survey Data

MBA Grad Date Industry/Role

Importance of balance1

Level of Management2 Primary Method for Managing Balance

Under 5 years Consulting 5 4 Setting boundaries for myself. For example: try to not work over the weekends. Under 5 years marketing consulting 3 3 Under 5 years Consulting 5 5 Under 5 years Consulting 2 4 Starting a new work-out routine every Monday. And giving up on Tuesday. Under 5 years med device 5 4 don't have any specific 'methods'

Under 5 years Consulting 3 3 working from home in the evenings rather than staying in the office unnecessarily; communicating openly with my teams about project norms around work/life balance

Under 5 years Foodservice/Hospitality

6 6 Block my entire calendar for work, school and family

Under 5 years 6 6 setting clear expectations at beginning of each project with team members (9am-6pm core hours, then work from home, no weekend work)

5-10 years Pharmaceutical 6 5 Setting limits on the hours I spend in the office and pushing back on work requests

16-20 years self employed -

corporate finance 6 6

putting life and activities first and then choosing a career/job that compliments those activities

16-20 years it 7 7 work extra when needed to permit scheduling of family events

Under 5 years Financial, federa

credit union. 7 7

Disengaging from work when I am at home and making sure scheduling doesn't cross over between the work and personal.

21+ years 7 7 use e-calendar for all appts, including working out, kids events 21+ years Government 6 5 Try to adhere to specific down periods devoted to family

Under 5 years Finance 5 5 11-15 years Attorney 6 5 Work less 21+ years 6 6 flexible working hours and days 21+ years market research 7 6

5-10 years 6 6 I go into work early so I can be home for dinner with my family. I work out at lunch so I can get my daily exercise. Finally, I bring my laptop home so I can answer e-mails and finish other work after I put my kids to bed.

5-10 years 7 5

1.  Survey question: How important is work-life balance to you at this point in your career? (1=not important at all, 7=very important) 2.  Survey question: How active are you in managing your work-life balance? (1=not active at all, 7=very active)

Survey Data




Under 5 years Telecommunications 7 5

11-15 years Individual investor and entrepreneur

7 7 Define your personal core values and make decisions that align with such values

Under 5 years student 4 4 exercise, spend time with my family

16-20 years Consulting and

pharmaceuticals 7 7

Stay in control: started my own consulting business & am also co-founder of a pharmaceutical startup.

11-15 years IT [Software] 7 4 try to prioritize between big buckets 5-10 years Automotive 7 5 Be in The schedule 21+ years manufacturing 5 6 making sure I’m involved in many activities outside of work

Under 5 years Software 5 4 Using Outlook Calendar to understand home time vs. time on the road. Under 5 years 6 6 Under 5 years 7 4 vacation, adjusting our work schedules (start the day early), work from home options

21+ years 5 3 Prioritization of work and home activities.

5-10 years Management

Consulting 2 1

None - I make $1.2million a year and have no expectations of work life balance whatsoever

11-15 years 5 4 work from home

Under 5 years 6 4 I try to have really meaningful vacations (trips, beach, etc.). Things that my family will never forget.

5-10 years Consumer Goods 7 5 I don't have a choice. My wife also works full-time and we have 2 young children, so we share pick up and drop off duties. This forces me to make time for my family whenever I am not traveling for work.

21+ years 7 7

21+ years Telecommunications 5 5 Work long days during the week to keep free time available on the weekends. Take my earned vacation time off (didn't use to do that)

11-15 years 6 5 taking a day off and ignoring the PDA

5-10 years healthcare 7 5 picking a job without travel requirements, choosing to work within a 30 minute drive (each way) from home

5-10 years self-employed

consultant 7 6 Systems, like Getting Things Done by David Allen.


Survey Data




11-15 years Advertising 6 6 Have negotiated for half day Fridays for three seasons and Fridays off in summer. Also aggressively manage my workload by saying "no." to things and ruthlessly prioritizing

5-10 years Consulting 4 4 Maintain open communication with my wife.

5-10 years strategic innovation/

research 6 6

For me, it's about being disciplined -- getting exercise every day, visiting with family, getting together regularly with friends, staying on top of personal finances, etc.

16-20 years Outsourcing service 6 5 Having remote access so that I can work from home or any location with good wi-fi. 16-20 years 5 6 11-15 years Technology - software 7 6

Under 5 years 7 7 Prioritization and focus. Under 5 years Finance 7 7 Calendar management Under 5 years 5 5 Stay away from work related stuff on the weekends. 11-15 years 6 5 You have to say "no" to work.

5-10 years 5 5 Use adaptive scheduling (synchronized with family) and also use a coach to assist in goal setting & execution.

21+ years Marketing, especially

for non-profits 7 6

Working as a freelance consultant rather than for a corporation; it allows me more flexibility in scheduling and residence

5-10 years 6 5 Managing work commitments, working from home

16-20 years engineering services 6 6 managing upwards to be proactive on deadlines and then leaving work to spend time on other priorities in the evening

Under 5 years Technology Sales 6 7 Schedule out my day beforehand (as much as possible)

Under 5 years consulting 7 7 more effective usage of resources and deligate work, using calendar, prioritizing work and ask for help from others.

Under 5 years Retail - Law 7 7 School (Kellogg and children (14 and 17) are all demanding

Under 5 years Pharmaceutical 5 5 Scheduling life time

11-15 years 6 6

5-10 years communications /

public affairs 4 4 Discipline.


Survey Data




5-10 years 7 4

My primary method is focused around limiting my overnight travel. Trying to only go on mandatory business trips. In addition, I am now not scheduling every minute of every day with non-stop conference calls. Leaving blank areas in the calendar is difficult but seems to be working.

5-10 years Utilities 7 4 looking at the schedule a day at a time to balance children's activities between me and my spouse

21+ years 7 7 I've begun consulting to allow flexibility in taking care of family obligations and taking advantage of some personal enrichment

21+ years Marketing research 6 6 Made a career change to bring greater flexibility into my job 5-10 years Insurance marketing 6 2 Exercise and time away from work 11-15 years Retail 7 7 Eliminating travel, not checking blackberry or emailing others after "hours",

16-20 years private aviation

industry 5 5 Try to manage schedule as best as I can and use weekends wisely

5-10 years 5 5 Balance is not the term, I pick the things that are most important and go full bore at them- sometimes sacrificing family sometimes sacrificing work

16-20 years 6 6 working out during the day and not working late 21+ years 4 6

11-15 years Financial Services 7 7 I have a flexible schedule with reduced hours.

21+ years 6 6 it requires active thought and participation by you and all interested parties (home/work/other activities)

16-20 years Education 7 6

Nothing is more important than family. That goes for me and my employees. If that is in good shape, the work people produce will be that much better. You may run across the ocassional person who takes unfair advantage of that philosophy and that is the person you call out to "shape up or ship out".

Under 5 years real estate

development 6 5

Under 5 years 6 4

In a transition mode right now - I just got pregnant and all of the sudden what once wasn't that important is now extremely important! I am not sure how to proceed but have started letting the managers in my company know that achieving work life balance is going to be very important.


Survey Data




21+ years Financial Services 6 6 Setting up priorities 16-20 years Non-profit 7 6 Doing work at home, on train, etc. outside of work hours. 21+ years Minerals 7 7 Setting and keeping to a schedule

Under 5 years Institutional Trading 7 6 I provide a work schedule to my wife at the outset of each week to let her know when I'll be around so we can maximize the limited amount of time we have together.

21+ years 5 5

21+ years association

management 7 5 working in an environment that respects family and compensatory time off

Under 5 years Computer Technology 7 5 prioritize often and compartmentalize my projects across all functions of my life.

16-20 years Office furniture

dealer 6 6

Job selection - less travel, less stress, more flexible hours. The cost is lower challenge; less intellectually satisfying work

11-15 years 5 5 Being an entrepreneur Under 5 years Consumer products 4 4 setting a daily finish time for work activities

16-20 years independent

marketing consultant 6 6 trying hard not to work on weekends

11-15 years 7 6 I've taken myself off of a "career track" and only work on a contract basis in consulting; I pick and choose when/what projects I can or will work on. Also do a lot of work from home.

Under 5 years Packaging Services 5 5 Leaving work on time as much as possible.

Under 5 years 6 7 I try to spend time at home on the weekends, and find ways to fly home early, or out late. I struggle a great deal with this.

5-10 years Tax Accounting 7 6 Planning in advance, blocking out time on my calendar for "catch up time" which can be used for anything but is reserved only for me (no one @ work can pre-book that time on my calendar)

Under 5 years 6 5 Calendar 16-20 years 5 4

Under 5 years Retail 7 5 16-20 years 7 3 Trying to schedule business trips around important family dates, but it is very difficult.

5-10 years Airlines 6 5 No work on weekends, push back on work that I cannot do in work time


Survey Data




21+ years 3 5 Use a more scheduled timeframes for work and plan both work and personal Under 5 years 6 5

21+ years Information Technology

6 6 Working from home and using a Blackberry allow me to be productive even when not in an office

Under 5 years 7 5 Managing my in office time wisely to maximize output and allow myself to be at home more. Also managing travel, combining meetings to reduce trips out of town.

16-20 years 6 6 Planning activities, limiting on line activity after 7pm.

16-20 years Commercial Real

Estate 7 7

listening to my wife and children. looking for opportunities to participate in their lives and providing new activities for them.

11-15 years High tech -- software 7 6 Time shifting, working from home, selective travel, on line meetings 21+ years 6 5 allocating time off 5-10 years 6 6 I have chosen work at a less demanding travel role while my kids are young 21+ years 4 3 Personal control over scheduling

Under 5 years Legal 7 5 Trying to create boundaries and limits to my work 11-15 years 6 5

5-10 years Software 6 6 Ensure that expectations at work of deliverables are realistic. Ensure that boundaries are known and understood by colleagues.

5-10 years Software 6 5

5-10 years 7 7 When I was downsized from Corporate I started investigating other business opportunities that would allow me to pro-actively manage my w-l balance, namely going into business for myself.

5-10 years Non-profit publishing 7 6 I try to keep a standard work schedule. We scheduled time to do things together as a family.

Under 5 years 3 4

11-15 years distribution 5 4 turning off blackberry

Under 5 years consulting 6 2 Primary, although not very proactive way is dedicating time when I need to take care of personal commitments and family time and making it up later in the evenings.

11-15 years 5 5 managing my schedule efficiently, being clear on prioritization of tasks


Survey Data




21+ years Aerospace and

defense 4 4 Calendar - certain times reserved for family and outside work activities

Under 5 years retail 7 5

Under 5 years CPG 7 7 I traveled internationally 38 weeks a year. I have 5 kids and wasn't involved in their lives. I earned my MBA from Kellogg in June of 2010 in order to move positions within my organization. This move has enabled me to take control of my work-life "blend"

Under 5 years Own company 6 6 Shut down the work part when necessary. People can wait for me.

21+ years Management

Consulting/Executive and Board Search

7 7 Am I forgetting important dates, events, relatives' well-being not related to work? I monitor my calendar; sure clue to balance.

5-10 years Ecommerce 7 7 Technology to be able to work at hours and time that are appropriate.

11-15 years 7 7 started my own company in 2004 (when I was 35) - this is a GREAT topic and something current students need to anticipate

Under 5 years Packaging; consumer

goods (non food) 7 6 Dedicating certain times of the week to both career and non-career activities.

16-20 years 7 6 Haven’t taken a full time job in 10 years... mostly 15 - 30 hour a week commitments

11-15 years Medical devices 7 7 fully assess work/life/family consequences and get buy in from all (family) before proceeding

11-15 years Military 7 7 schedule my priorities – if I want to attend a cub scout meeting or soccer practice, I make an appointment for it in my calendar. I also make it a point to call my wife at lunch as we're often so beat at the end of the day that the conversation isn't always cheerful!

Under 5 years Banking 5 3 Trying to leave the office and getting myself off of go-nowhere projects. 16-20 years Internet 6 5 5-10 years 6 6 integrated work/family schedule 5-10 years Healthcare 6 5 Adjusting working hours around family commitments, 11-15 years Consulting 6 6 Spend 1 hour with children and at least 30min-1 hour exclusively with spouse every day.

21+ years 6 6 I work diligently to continually assess where I am most needed - and where I most need to be. Also a very disciplined planner.

5-10 years Medical Device 6 5 picking the job. Have dinner everyday with the family. At least once a week pick up the kids from school. no working before kids are in bed.


Survey Data




Under 5 years Engineering and

Construction 5 5

Setting time goals for non-work activities weekly. I set loose and flexible goals when possible so I can be flexible if something comes up at work but still achieve my goal of personal time during the week.

Under 5 years tech (software) 3 3 running my own start-up at the moment so work-life balance is taking a back seat Under 5 years 6 6 Under 5 years Consulting 6 6 Set priorities and stick to them

5-10 years consumer products 7 7 take control of your calendar, and put important family items on calendar first.

Under 5 years medical devices 6 5 Working consistent hours so I can pick my infant daughter up at daycare the same time every day since routine is important at her age

21+ years Consulting 6 6 Under 5 years 4 3

5-10 years Construction /

Federal Market 7 7

16-20 years 6 6 prioritization of work activities to allow sufficient time for outside interests

16-20 years Publishing 7 7 I keep my family first, and prioritize my work based on what needs to be done immediately vs. later.

Under 5 years Telecommunications 6 4 Scheduling & Work from home Under 5 years Media 7 6 Prioritizing 11-15 years tech 7 7 flexible scheduling/work from home 5-10 years 6 4 5-10 years 7 6 Managing deliverables in all aspects, taking care not to over commit

Under 5 years Healthcare

Manufacturing 7 7

16-20 years IT 7 7 finding a professional part-time job, reducing career/money expectations

5-10 years 7 5 Coming in early and working through lunches to be home at a reasonable hour. Attempting to bunch up meetings at off site locations so that overnight travel can be minimized.

5-10 years Telecommunications 7 4 21+ years Consulting 6 6


Survey Data




21+ years Retail 7 5 I left "big corporate" (the biggest, actually) to run my own business. Less effort managing process and politics means more time for me.

Under 5 years 6 6 I delegate all the issues that could be dealt without my personal participation even if I can do them quicker (but not better)

Under 5 years retail 7 7 setting up a regular schedule to work from home Under 5 years CPG 5 5

21+ years Higher Education 6 4 Schedule vacations far in advance.

16-20 years Education

Management 7 5 Choice of employment - trade off pay/responsibility for flexibility

21+ years Distributor to building

contractors 5 6 As an independent entrepreneur, I control my own agenda

21+ years communication

consulting 7 7 Limiting my work-day objective to six identifiable accomplishments

16-20 years Hotels. hospitality 7 6 Making time for family events, even if it is during the workday.

21+ years Training 7 7 Ensuring that each week some time spent in nature preserves, and watching at least one "great" movie, and the like,

11-15 years CONSULTING 6 4 SCHEDULING ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE A FEE ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. IF I PAY, I WILL MAKE SURE I SHOW UP.

Under 5 years Private Equity/Venture Capital

6 5 schedule control: ensuring that I see my kids in the morning each day and before they go to bed

21+ years 7 7 declining career opportunities or assignments that negatively impact the balance and tip too far toward work

21+ years Consumer durables

manufacturing 5 5

I put family first.... but there are some time-dependent activities (i.e. Annual Sales Meeting) that I must make time for.

Under 5 years Manufacturing 6 3 Trying to commit to leaving work at a certain time & not working at home while my husband is also at home.

5-10 years cpg 7 7

21+ years finance 1 1 With the chance of job loss so high, work has to come first


Survey Data




5-10 years Investment Banking 7 7 5-10 years 7 7

11-15 years Managerial Consulting

6 5

Under 5 years Bio Tech 6 4

16-20 years Retail 7 5 Strong self-discipline with schedule (7 Habits principles) and occasional reminders that I can not do everything.....nor do I wan to.

5-10 years Technology 6 6 Work after hours when family is in bed 11-15 years Software 6 7 plan things ahead of time

21+ years pharmaceutical 6 6 Aggressive in managing/protecting evening schedule. Willing to sacrifice early AM hours to gain family time in the evening

Under 5 years Aerospace and

Defense 6 5 Weekly meeting with my Wife to plan the upcoming week

Under 5 years Commercial Real

Estate 6 6

Working longer hours and weekends in which I am not time constrained. Then working shorter hours on days that I am time constrained. Also delegate to employees more.

21+ years Small business

consulting 7 6

Setting priorities and giving personal priority items the same consideration as work priority items

21+ years Executive Search 7 7 I follow a daily schedule with priorities aligned to my personal balance 11-15 years 7 7

Under 5 years 6 6 Avoiding work at home - no blackberry / laptop / email. If I need to check it in the evenings or weekends, I set a specific time range for it.

Under 5 years Financial Services 7 5 I set time boundaries for work email and calls. I try not to take the BB or laptop on vacations. Always make time to work out.

16-20 years industrial 7 5 quit a very good job because I travelled too much. constantly looking at how much time I put in at work and jobs I take by reflecting on "when I am 70 and look back on this time, will I say I made the right decision?"


Survey Data




11-15 years Education 5 5

Managing work-life balance is a combination of juggling priorities. At work you need to focus on the strategic initiatives that are critical to the organization's success and at times let less important initiatives take a back seat. Outside of work I manage balance between, working out, taking time to connect with friends/family, faith/church, and giving back to those less fortunate thru my time.

Under 5 years Retail 5 5 Stop checking blackberry at home as much as possible. Check messages once every few hours on weekends.

21+ years pharamceuticals 6 7 getting family schedules as early as possible, constantly discussing possibilities with my spouse and children

5-10 years Healthcare Products

Manufacturing 7 7

Regular prioritization of work, assessment of full organization work load, focus on the impactful activity, process improvement

21+ years Investments 7 6 I manage my own calendar and have access to those of my family.

21+ years Industrial machinery 7 7 Taking the time off when I need it. Managing my department so it will funciton when I'm not there.

5-10 years Packaging and

Displays 6 4

Start with family obligations, personal schedule. To the extent possible, fill in business obligations around these "pillars". Next reconcile family vs. business priority. Where conflicts exist, engage managers/partners to aid in reconciling.

21+ years Manufacturing/Sales

of Construction Equipment

4 5

Under 5 years Consulting 5 5 Time boxing work activities so they don't take over personal / family activities

5-10 years Consulting 7 7 Make sure scope and expectations are setup upfront and build in target work-life balance into scope

11-15 years wireless

telecommunications 6 2 Time management and use allocated time to defined priorities

11-15 years management

consulting 7 7 being self-employed and taking accountability for how much and when I work

Under 5 years Hospitality 7 7 I left McKinsey in Chicago, moved closer to extended family in Atlanta (free babysitting - key with 3rd child), found a job with no travel


Survey Data




5-10 years Human Resources 6 2 Trying not to let work e-mails and calls interfere overwhelm my evenings and weekends 21+ years 7 5 Not checking work e-mail on weekends. Work on weekends only by prior arrangement.

Under 5 years Management

Consulting 7 7

Providing clients with clear, up front communication of my personal commitments and gaining an equally clear understanding of their expectations in advance of beginning a project

Under 5 years For Profit Education 6 5

5-10 years Management

Consulting 6 7 Telling my EA to actively manage my appointments and tasks

11-15 years Retail Oil & Gas 6 5 Gym 3x per week. Under 5 years IT 7 5

11-15 years 6 7 Changed jobs. Made expectations clear at time of hire. Remind management that I will always deliver, but need evenings & weekends for family.

Under 5 years Investment

Management 7 5

Control my work time and try to follow a disciplined approach to time management to give my work and family their fair share of my time.

5-10 years B2B. Making/selling

cleaning products and equipment.

6 5 Keep focus on family. Participate in my kids school/sports activities and sacrifice work time for family time if needed.

21+ years Corporate finance

advisory 2 2

16-20 years Equipment 6 5 Get in the office early, leave at 6PM, have dinner with my wife and kids. If needed, do e-mail late at night at home. Schedule adult time every week with spouse

5-10 years pharmaceuticals 6 4

5-10 years Health Care 7 7 Not sure what you mean here, but having one source of truth for a calendar and putting all of my commitments in one place is a good start.

Under 5 years telecommunications 2 3

Under 5 years financial services 7 6 I am trying a new method of breaking my life into buckets and determining how many hrs a week I should spend in each a week- just went to Kramers 8 bricks of leadership presentation a week ago

16-20 years 7 4 Use vacation and sick days for time off for balance. Use sick time for Doctor’s appointments etc.
