Ask The Readers: Work Hard, Or Work-Life Balance?
Today I was reading an article written by the CEO of 5WPR, Ronn Torossian. His public relations firm has been the fastest growing for four years running and currently has about 100 employees. He represents companies such as Barnes & Noble, Evian, McDonald’s, Sean John, XM Satellite Radio, and LifeStyle Condoms just to name a few.
Clearly this man is super productive, and when I spoke to him after his speech a couple of months ago he told me he wakes up in the wee hours of the morning to work out before starting his work day. Indeed he looks in shape, and seems perfectly healthy.
In today’s article Ronn writes about working hard. There is no question that he worked hard and has been super productive in order to reach such a level of growth in such a competitive niche. He did this by working hours that far exceeded the standard 9-5.
His recommendation to getting ahead in the PR industry is to bring your BlackBerry home from work, be accessible, and keep on top of things. I think that’s a great way to get ahead at work. However, I’m not quite sure that such work habits are conducive to work-life-family balance.
I know that for myself it is important to balance out my health, my family, and my career goals in order for me to get a holistic experience of well-being. However, I’m not the CEO of a company with 100 employees, what do I know? I have a lot of respect for Ronn, and I think he is a great individual, so this article is not to second guess him, but to start a conversation on life-balance.
Do you think employees should take their BlackBerry home from work so they can receive e-mails, keep on top of breaking news, and be easily accessible by their employees? Do you think it’s more important to leave work at work and concentrate on our selves and the people in our lives that we value? Voice your opinions.
Further reading:
- Ronn Torossian on Work Hard!
- Ronn Torossian Podcast Interview
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Posted by Alex Shalman in Ask The Readers | June 25, 2008 | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumble | Print | 16 comments
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- AlexShalman.com Podcast #010 - Interviewing Ronn Torossian | Alex Shalman . com - February 16th, 2009
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Alex,
This all depends on what type of work you do. Some individuals are lucky and they love their work, it is a part of their daily lifestyle, and it may occur throughout the day at various times-unlike the usual 9-5.
If you are a business owner, most likely in the first few years you will have to put in additional hours to stay afloat and pay the bills. However if you are an employee for a larger company, I do not think you should be taking your work home with you. Your job is the 9-5 grind and you don’t have the perks of being the CEO. The blackberry should be turned off and focus should be turned towards health/family/personal development/growth/hobbies/relaxation.
My opinion is such that if you are not trying to become a better person, what are you doing? Can you work a lot and still work on improving yourself. Yes to a degree, I guess that is the balance.
If you look at my article about pleasure you will notice that there is something more powerful than love (even more powerful than the love of a family) That includes a great cause, our power to create, and being god-like.
I’m thinking that if you’re reason for working so much is some kind of a great cause, and this cause is worth more than your family, than it is your obligation to follow this cause. If it is your single outlet to creation, such that no other means can provide, and such that you cannot be fulfilled without, than it is your duty to pursue it. If working 24/7 allows you to be giving, in a god-like manner (which I would think is 100%) and you are committed to the greater good, than perhaps you are doing something that is worth upsetting the balance.
Perhaps you’re costing yourself physical pleasures, intimacy and love, but as long as you’re getting ___ it’s worth it for you.
For me it is the life-work balance, it comes first in the sentence and in life.
Just a few years ago I was heading for a career in PR just like Ronn. I had two incredible work experience / internship opportunities under my belt and although I really enjoyed the job I could see the huge time commitment that most related positions typically demanded and the need to always be contactable.
I’m sure I could have been succsesfull in that career, but I’m quite sure my life would have suffered as a result.
From people I have spoken to its an industry where a lot of people suffer burn-out, most before ten years of service. PR is not the only industry like that though, so many now require you take your job home with you, work weekends, travel endlessly (yet only see confrence rooms, hotels and airports) and more.
It’s like you were reading my mind with this post…
My father is a major account executive at a business solutions company and we own a real estate development company together and he was telling me how run down, tired, and stressed out he has felt lately. As an avid reader of great blogs like this and a personal development addict I told him he needs to start separating his work life and home life. I’m only 22 so I have the energy to go to the gym at 5 am, work all day, maintain a somewhat active social life, and spend time with family but he finds that the older he gets the less he can do.
When there is no separation between your work life and your home life you always feel like you’re not doing enough; the computer is right there so you should work on it or you’ll feel guilty; I know it’s the weekend and I could be outside doing things with my family but I want to finish this phone call/e-mail/proposal first. You might get A LOT completed but that’s short-term thinking; you’re going to get run down and LOSE in the long term.
The thing is, if you don’t allow for that separation and you constantly make excuses (if I don’t get it done tonight, I won’t have time in the morning) than you will never feel a stress relief. Go to work and give 110% to your job/work then come home and give 110% to your home life.
The crux of the question is whether those work hours are savored or dreaded. If it’s all fun, then bringing work home can be okay–especially if you’re working towards something beyond just more cash. For most cases, work isn’t that fun.
For myself, balance is vital. I need downtime to be at my most creative and helpful. I’d choose a job that respected my time over a better paying, more exciting job that didn’t. After all, my family is going to be here long after that job, so nurturing those relationships is a top priority.
interesting article here re Ronn his hard work & his divorce. http://gawker.com/news/very-self_important-publicists/ronn-torossian-no-longer-branding-self-as-married-256753.php .Could they be linked? Well if he is happy good for him.
Rob, the article I wrote isn’t to tear apart Ronn, and his personal life. I used his blog post as a launching pad for this question, but the question is a generalization and the article you linked to is making a lot of assumptions about his divorce (maybe true, maybe not).
In comment #3 above, I mention the 5 levels of pleasure. From personal knowledge I know that Ronn does a LOT of good in the world. A lot of volunteering and charitable causes. They’re all more important than family. I see where he’s coming from, he’s gotta do what he’s gotta do. Btw, this is also my assumption, maybe true, maybe not.
Anyway, since this is a generalization, it applies to the average person. Should the average person work hard hard hard or find work-life balance?
I agree with Lewis that it depends on what you do. My mother is in a very high position for a large telecommunications company and she has always brought her Blackberry home along with the laptop and tons of work materials. The result of this is that her Blackberry goes off every 5 minutes from the time she gets home to about 7:30pm and that has been very frustrating for my whole family. I find that to get ahead, it is necessary to do these things but I would not willing to do it, at least not everyday. There’s something very appealing to me about turning devices like cell phones off and having quiet time after work to wind down and be with the people who matter most.
Hey Alex, the link to the article regarding Ronns divorce was in no way to rip the guy apart, just to give a bit of backgrouind on his personal situation rather than just his business life, to give a broader perspective in which to frame the debate. Make of it what you will.
Things can’t be looked at in isolation, you need balance in your life, I don’t think there is any point favouring one area to the detriment of others. So in answer to your question work hard – but in all areas equally.
A nice quote from Marshall Goldsmith helps me to look at the bigger picture when I’m working: http://7breaths.tumblr.com/post/39274445/ask-yourself-am-i-achieving-a-task-and
Thanks Rob. I like it when people play nice around here
That’s an excellent quote you linked to. Let me repost it here:
“ Ask yourself, “Am I achieving a task and forgetting my organization’s mission? Am I making money to support my family — and forgetting the family that I am trying to support?”
Just to play devils advocate. Would you rather set out on a cause knowing full well you can accomplish saving 500,000 children from starvation, or get a bit of extra time with your own family? Is that a hard choice?
Good topic Alex and thanks for asking me to “chime” in.
BOTH are equally important. Working hard is an absolute necessity if you want to be successful.
Balance is another.
I posted on separate Laws of Positioning, that cover these topics.
Position Yourself to Be Balanced
http://stanleybronstein.com/law-4-position-yourself-to-be-balanced/
Position Yourself to be Hard Working
http://stanleybronstein.com/law-46-position-yourself-to-be-hardworking/
MrAchievement
Stanley Bronstein
I am working with two guys at the moment – both very, very successful and both completely different.
They both own their own companies.
One works 14 hours a day, 6 days a week and loves every single minute of it. Maybe a bit of a control freak and has to be involved in all decisions.
The other works 4 hours per day Monday to Thursday. Has outsourced everything from making his meals to finding new partners to work with.
What does this prove? Maybe nothing, other than we are all different and we end up doing what we prefer.
Andrew
aaah perspective
Work 14 hours a day / 6 days a week and you will be successful.
Not to the little kid growing up without a dad present
John,
I should have added the guy working 14 hours per day doesn’t have children. He does have a wife and she is the same – long hours! That is there choice.
Andrew