| #ffffff;" /> | | | | games (its not just for them, I need to do it for |
| I don’t know why so many articles on life/work | | | | me).” “I learned to be realistic about |
| balance seem to focus on people who suddenly | | | | what I can do with my time, so we eat a lot in different |
| decide they’ve had it with working all the time | | | | restaurants. I don’t have to spend time cooking |
| and within one hour quit their job, buy a yacht or a jet, | | | | and our whole family can enjoy our meals together. I |
| grab their family or their best friends or their dog and | | | | know I’m in balance now because I can sleep |
| travel the world for a year or two. They then get | | | | at night." |
| touted as the role model for the rest of us who either | | | | From Solo to Stability |
| like our work, can’t leave right now, or just | | | | Lia Shigemura has been the diversity director of ABM |
| want to enjoy life at home. Besides, being in balance is | | | | for a little over 6 months. While some people leave the |
| more than just what you do with your time, its also | | | | corporate environment for their own business in order |
| how you feel and think all of the time. | | | | to gain a better life balance, Lia gave up her own |
| The reality is that wherever you go you take yourself | | | | successful business to get back into corporate life. "I |
| with you. I can go to the woods for a week to | | | | loved having my own business and due to hard work |
| meditate, but if I’ve never meditated, or gained | | | | and good fortune, I was very successful. Much of that |
| some inner peace or learned to be happy with who I | | | | success, however, meant that I was constantly |
| am rather than what I do, I’ll go up to the | | | | marketing myself and selling. The cycle was unending |
| woods and count the minutes until I can leave or find | | | | and relentless. When I wasn't with a client or in |
| some way to distract myself from myself. | | | | meetings, I was on the phone. Life planning became |
| Life balance is more than how we spend our time, its | | | | difficult as I found that I often placed my clients' need |
| also how we feel about that time and how present | | | | over my own." |
| we are each moment. It doesn’t always take | | | | "I had been vaguely contemplating working within an |
| one major event to want to change or to know | | | | organization for a while, but hadn't begun a serious job |
| something is not right for you. It's often a series of | | | | search when a former colleague, who had recently |
| things. | | | | been hired by ABM Industries, asked if I was interested |
| I’ve studied the subject, changed my | | | | in applying for a challenging position as director of |
| unbalanced ways and eliminated some major stresses, | | | | diversity, inclusion and training. I saw it as a terrific |
| and there are still times when I know I need to slow | | | | opportunity to become involved in the ground-up |
| down and reassess my priorities. | | | | development of such important company strategies |
| In this article I feature four people from very different | | | | and initiatives. With the work I do now I can help create |
| backgrounds who realized they needed to jump off | | | | change that will positively benefit 75,000 people and |
| the never-ending treadmill of stress and overload, and | | | | their families. The scope of my position is tremendous |
| make some concrete changes. These are four people | | | | and offers many opportunities. And the energy that I |
| who found different ways of achieving life/work | | | | used to devote to marketing and selling (and worrying) |
| balance without sailing the seas or flying the skies for | | | | is now better spent on productive aspects of work |
| a year. | | | | that I much more enjoy." |
| Conscious Change | | | | Lia misses some of her international travel she likes not |
| Ross Pike has been managing partner of Diversified | | | | living on airplanes, and gets to spend more time at |
| Maintenance Systems, a facilities management | | | | home and on vacation with her partner of 14 years, |
| company for the last year and a half. When I | | | | Helen Zia." I can now sign up for classes like yoga that |
| interviewed him, he was calm, and focused. I learned | | | | are more than one session because I have a better |
| that he wasn’t always this way. There were | | | | idea of my schedule.. I can actually relax and be more |
| times in the past when he didn’t take the time | | | | present with my partner. This is a wonderful journey." |
| he wanted with his family, and when he did, he was | | | | When I spoke with Lia, I knew she was serious about |
| often tied to his Blackberry. “Before I was with | | | | this because she was on her way to Carmel, |
| Diversified Maintenance, I was Division President for | | | | California to relax for a week by the water. |
| another organization. I was responsible for over 7,000 | | | | Taking Flight at Fifty |
| employees. I had no personal time It was always the | | | | Marcie Lee Thomas is a principal consultant for HCMS |
| customers time. My day started early and ended late. I | | | | Group, Inc. (Human Capital Management Services), a |
| had to keep up with east and west coast time." | | | | health information company. She loves what she does |
| “I was a hamster on a treadmill, always | | | | which is developing educational programs and |
| working, and always tired. I needed to make a change. | | | | managing client accounts. “Since I began |
| I decided to be open to new opportunities where I | | | | working for the founders and principals of HCMS (over |
| could go home every night and spend real time with | | | | 11 years ago), my life is a lot more balanced. I work |
| my wife.” Soon after a colleague one of the | | | | with people who share the same philosophy and who |
| owners of Diversified Maintenance, called. When his | | | | treat people as assets and not as liabilities. Our clients |
| friend told him they were seeking an additional partner | | | | also agree with our philosophy. I didn’t feel that |
| for their company, and asked Ross for | | | | way in other work environments”. Before |
| recommendations, Ross suggested himself. Within six | | | | Marcie worked with HCMS staff she worked for a |
| weeks he had left his old job as Division President of a | | | | county agency that provided health care programs for |
| national organization and became an equity partner of | | | | county employees. |
| a much smaller organization. “I left people that I | | | | “We were expending our intellectual capital, but |
| really liked, and took a big cut in my annual salary, but I | | | | received no recognition for our good work. There was |
| get to see my wife every night. I also get to spend | | | | no mechanism for employee appreciation or |
| more time with customers and less time with so much | | | | recognition. We provided for the care of others |
| paper work. I was constantly tired and could barely | | | | without receiving care for ourselves. It was stressful, |
| stay awake until ten. Now I enjoy staying up with my | | | | and I always felt responsible for outcomes even |
| wife and watching Boston Legal until eleven. I go to the | | | | without the necessary control to effect |
| gym now and take long walks, and my wife is happy | | | | change”. I wasn’t fulfilled workwise and I |
| because she can give me a longer to-do list. | | | | realized that I was not in balance with who I was as a |
| Balanced and Beaming | | | | person.” Marcie went on to tell me she was |
| Catalina Ganis is Executive Vice President and | | | | contemplating leaving but hadn’t made any |
| Managing Director of Elliot Executive Source Ltd. and | | | | moves until “I saw someone get shot outside |
| Senior Vice President of Elliot Associates Inc., divisions | | | | of the building where I worked. That was the moment |
| of The Elliot Group LLC, a nationally recognized | | | | when I said that all the benefits, job security and |
| executive search firm specializing in the Hospitality, | | | | retirement were not worth the stress, nor could those |
| Food Service, Manufacturing, Distribution and Retail | | | | things help me feel better about my job.” She |
| Service Industries. Catalina helps spearhead client | | | | was fifty years old when she embarked on a new |
| development, long range strategic planning and is also | | | | career. Other people told her it made no sense to |
| responsible for managing senior level executive search | | | | leave her county position at that age and |
| assignments. She is the chairperson of the Multicultural | | | | couldn’t believe that she would take that risk. |
| Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance. Catalina has been | | | | “From the minute I started working with the |
| active with the Organization of Chinese Americans | | | | principals here, my stress began to lift. I finally felt that I |
| (OCA) Westchester Chapter in New York and the | | | | was valued for my contributions and for the results I |
| Chinese School of Southern Westchester. She is | | | | achieved.” When I asked her what she did |
| married and has three children After speaking with her | | | | outside of work she replied “I love to travel |
| it was clear to me that she and her family know how | | | | especially to Europe and Hawaii. I love visiting Paris. I |
| to work together as a team and support each other in | | | | exercise, dance, read, attend classes, and take time to |
| developing a good life balance. | | | | go on spiritual/personal growth retreats. I used to take |
| Before she worked at Elliot Associates, Catalina | | | | vacations to get a break from stress, but it was still |
| worked in the hotel industry where she was on call 24 | | | | there when I went back to work. Now, I’m |
| hours a day. “We worked too many hours and | | | | feeling in balance when I start my vacation and |
| the wrong hours. I knew that I needed to change how I | | | | I’m still in balance when I return.” |
| was working. Now, I have the luxury of being able to | | | | All four people Marci, Lia, Catalina and Ross are very |
| work at home when I want. I make my own schedule | | | | different from each other but they all knew they were |
| and the work always gets done. It's important to me | | | | working too much, too hard and not getting what they |
| that I am able to spend time with my family. When I | | | | needed to balance their personal and professional lives. |
| travel I make sure that I take flights that allow me to | | | | Lia left her own business to work for a large |
| see my children either in the morning or at night (I will | | | | corporation, and Ross left a large organization to |
| leave the house at 4 am to make that early morning | | | | become managing partner of a much smaller business. |
| flight so I can be home by 8pm that same day). The | | | | Catalina and Marci both knew that they needed more |
| work I have now also enables me to be involved in my | | | | flexibility to put their life in balance, pursue other |
| children’s classes and activities.” Her | | | | interests and feel in control of their time. Each person |
| parents and sister help her, and she and her husband | | | | made a conscious decision to make a change, and be |
| support each other. “In order to have a good | | | | open to new opportunities. As we enter a new year, |
| balance in our lives it is crucial that we learn to let go | | | | take an assessment of what you do and how you live |
| of things we can’t control and to not waste | | | | your life. Do you complain about your job, relationships, |
| time complaining about the decisions we make." "I also | | | | or lack of personal time? As you assess your life, if |
| made a conscious decision to take a position with an | | | | you find any areas that you don’t like, make a |
| organization and people with whom I share a similar | | | | conscious choice to change and be open and willing to |
| mindset and values and where I am able to be flexible | | | | try new opportunities. |
| After all, I want to attend my kids practices and sports | | | | |