Page 60 - How We Lead Matters

Going for Gold

I often am asked, mostly by women, how to maintain a healthy work-life bal-
ance. I find that somewhat amusing because I don’t have much of it. But I
don’t think many CEOs do—it comes with the territory. There is always one
more phone call to make, one more memo to read, one more e-mail to send.
And even in my leisure time, I am acutely aware that I am the CEO of a
global company with nearly 160,000 employees and their families who
depend on the company’s well-being.
On good days, I am supremely satisfied with my choice. On bad days, I
am quite certain that I’ve made a mistake at great personal cost. But all
along, it has been my choice. I could have settled for less.
The fact is that being a leader in any field requires discipline, effort,
and, yes, sacrifice. It can be all-consuming. And during that time, life may
not have much balance. It’s been said, “If you can’t ride two horses at the
same time, you should get out of the circus.” A circus is not at all a bad anal-
ogy for the swirl of demands placed on leaders at the top.
Personally, I liken being a CEO to being an Olympic athlete. It’s an
exhaustingly grueling yet richly rewarding time when you’re at the top of
your game. And I ask you, when was the last time you heard an Olympic ath-
lete complain about work-life balance?

Marilyn Carlson Nelson 43