With all the recent talk surrounding the number of hours the typical American worker is now putting in, I was reminded of a talk I attended that brought together some of the country’s most successful leaders. One of the presenters was Jim Goodnight, CEO of SAS, a premier business analytics software company serving 45,000 customers and 92 of top 100 companies on the FORTUNE Global 500® list. Jim has led the privately-held company since it began in 1976. While SAS’s business success is impressive, the culture Jim has created is awe inspiring.
Who cares how many hours you work – Maybe you’re inefficient
Author: Paul Dillenburg, Date: 8/9/2011
Work/Life Balance… Work Hard, Play Hard
Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 8/3/2010Work/life balance is something many of us struggle with. Late nights at the office. Evening work once the family goes to bed. Or, weekend work just to keep up. I profess to regularly having “work/life balance” as a goal on my development plan.
Since I have always enjoyed work, I don’t mind working long hours; I truly believe that if you are passionate about what you do, work can be part of your life’s mission. That being said, I think it is important to make sure that there is plenty of time for family, play, volunteering, and just plain relaxation. I was reminded of how to do this when I attended a conference recently and heard Dr. Jim Goodnight speak on the issue of work/life balance.
