Early in my career, I worked for an international distribution company with a steep corporate ladder to climb. As a sales manager, I oversaw a quarter of the country — from Colorado to Florida. This required a lot of travel. I met weekly with 8 different reps at various airports. When the corporation reorganized, I was offered a Vice President’s position. I aspired to eventually run a major enterprise. Would accepting the VP position help me meet that goal? Would that be a good decision for a balanced life?
First things first
The VP offer represented a big step up the corporate ladder. I was 35 and happily married with three young children. This was a big life decision. As suggested by Steven Covey in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, I looked at my “first things first” priority list — God, family, and then career. I worried that this new position would take me even farther away from family life.
Finding a balance
An independent distributor heard of my concerns. He was in the process of taking over the family business from his father. He saw me as a good candidate to help him grow that business. This meant I would be home more often, which represented a good life balance for me. I accepted.
Three guiding principles
Life-changing career decisions are challenging. Here are some guiding principles to consider when you find yourself at a crossroads.
- Personal Integrity – Does this position align with my understanding of personal integrity? People rise and fall based on this important quality. The best way to assess your integrity is to ask yourself: Who am I when no one is watching? Strive to be beyond reproach, temperate (sober-minded and clear-headed), and self-controlled.
- Family Life – The foundation of family is honoring and supporting your spouse’s priorities. Will this new position allow me to build on that foundation? In our 53 years of marriage, a road of compromises has assured a straight pathway for our family and a clear direction for our children.
- Relational Health — Will this new position enable me to treat others the way I would like to be treated? As the late Zig Ziglar (ziglar.com) reminded us, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Show others hospitality, keep your ego in check, and demonstrate humility.
A work in progress
I have used these guiding principles during my 50-year-plus career. These principles are never fully achieved. To own them requires developing habits around them. Lastly, balancing life decisions should always be considered a work in progress.
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