Yesterday I shared an email from an industry friend of mine who read last week’s posts on Work/Life Balance. Here is the rest of his/her email.

For me, at least, I believe that the concept of work/life balance is a fiction.  In most of human history, if someone told a friend “I’d like to have better work/life balance,” they’d look at you like you had two heads.

For me, the real question is not “is my life in balance?”  It is “what am I passionate about, and am I working on that?”

For a long time I was passionate about my work, and yes, I was very aware of what that passion was costing me and my family in other ways, but I was intentionally willing to pay that price, at least for a time.  After that, I experimented a little with this work/life balance concept, and I learned that for me, balance in itself is a false religion.  I achieved what most folks would call work/life balance, and I was honestly pretty miserable.  I learned that I was happier when I was completely committed to work that I was passionate about, and worked hard at it, without beating myself up for not achieving somebody else’s “balance” standard.

Now that’s just me, but to risk generalizing, I am guessing that most people who complain about lack of work/life balance are using it as a code for “I really am not as passionate about my work as I am about X,” and you fill in the X blank with whatever floats your boat (raising your kids, skiing, mountain biking, you name it).  Fine.  Own that.  It’s not your employer’s fault that your interests lie elsewhere.  If your passion is raising your kids and you want to arrange your life to focus on that as the top priority til they are grown, then recognize that you can’t do some jobs at the same time and be happy, and that it might mean sacrificing in some lifestyle areas that don’t rank as high on your priority list.  Just don’t blame your employer if you find yourself in a job that is incompatible with your passions.

Bottom line, I believe we’d all be a lot better off if we took responsibility for our own happiness, and quit expecting others to supply it.

Wow.  Powerful words from someone who has made the hard decisions for himself/herself.  I especially like the historical perspective.  It could be easily applied to the overall world today.  In most of the world, the concept of “work/life balance” probably doesn’t translate.   Most of the world’s population would be perplexed by the very nature of the discussion.

This post isn’t meant to suggest a company’s culture shouldn’t strive for an appropriate work/life balance.   However, it does provide perspective to those who are struggling to find a balance that works for them.  Individuals must take responsibility for setting their priorities and for making those trade-offs that are necessary to make their life what they want it to be.

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Being Accountable for your Work Life Balance (Part 1 of 2)
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Zayo Not “A Best Place to Work”
Responding to John

An industry friend of mine shot me an email after seeing some of the posts and comments last week.  With his/her permission, I am sharing it with bearonbusiness readers.

People need to take responsibility for their own lives, and quit blaming others, like their employer, for instance, for their lack of work/life balance, or their inability to reach any other kind of self-actualization goal.  So you want to align your priorities in life so that work isn’t at the top?  The only thing stopping you is the space between your ears.  You don’t like the demands of your job?  Find one that is in closer alignment with your priorities.  You’re afraid you can’t find a less demanding job that pays you what you need to maintain your lifestyle, especially in today’s economy?  If you are unwilling to change your lifestyle to align your life with your priorities, then what does that say about your true priorities?

I’m not saying people should just quit, without planning ahead, and try to find a happier work-place.  I’m saying that if you don’t intentionally define your goals and lay out a plan to reach them, then you are an accomplice in your own slavery to “the man.”  Do some people work harder than is healthy? Of course.  Do they do it for rewards that are sometimes less than promised? Absolutely.  But who decided to do it?  Nobody can decide for you how you arrange your life.  Take responsibility for your own life!

Tomorrow I will share the rest of his/her comments.

I agree with this sentiment.   People are at their best when they accept accountability and responsibility for their life situations.  Please do not read into this that I am therefore saying that Zayo isn’t a good home for those who want some balance in their lives or that if Zayo’s balance doesn’t suit them, they need to leave.  As I have said, we have the opportunity to shape Zayo’s culture–I prefer employees who want to be part of creating a great company and a great culture as opposed to one’s who feel like victims.

Zayo is a start-up with high aspirations.  Employees should grapple with the implications of this–positive and negative–in thinking through how Zayo fits in with their priorities.  If an employee concludes it isn’t right for them, be mature about it.  Don’t complain to your co-workers.  Don’t blame management.  If it is right for you to move on, do so and be proud that you are making a choice that is right for you.   If you want to stay but want to be part of shaping the culture, find a way to do so constructively and proacitvely.  That is, be a leader.

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Being Accountable for your Work Life Balance (Part 2 of 2)
Work/Life Firestorm
Work/Life Imbalance
Responding to John
Zayo Striving to be a “Best Place to Work”

Blogging.  What a way to interact.  My posts yesterday set off quite the firestorm.  It gave me insight into Zayo that, hmmm, was enlightening.  Let’s Recap.

1. The genesis of yesterday’s post was me setting Zayo’s 2009 priorities.   #2 on the list was for Zayo to become a “Best Place to Work in Telecom”
2. My first post about priority #2 was that a “Best Place to Work” starts with delivering great service to our customers.   This not only generates pride with employees, but it also eliminates a lot of the most unpleasant type of work.
3. Next, I stressed the importance of job security and fair compensation, including giving employees an opportunity to participate in the upside of the business.
4. Following this, I clarified the difference between BEING a “Best Place to Work” and ASPIRING to be one.  Zayo is in the aspiring phase, not the being phase.   In 2008, we relied too heavily on the heroic efforts of our very capable employees.  Quoting from this post, I bullet pointed that Zayo needs to modify its work environment as follows:  Less hectic work environment for our employees; Getting work done through efficient processes, underpinned by reliable data (as opposed to brute force); remaining focused, by de-prioritizing less essential initiatives and projects.   In short, Zayo needs to find a better balance on the spectrum of work and life in 2009 than it had in 2008.
5. In yesterday’s post, I attempted to clarify my prior post.    Though Zayo needs to achieve better work/life balance in 2009 (relative to 2008), the reality of our situation is that we are a company that has set out to be a high performer.  As such, Zayo will be more right for some people and not so right for others.   A cultural fit needs to exist between what an individual is looking for and what their company has to offer.

Zayo has a lot to offer ambitious and hard working people.  It is particularly well suited for people who want to make some money and accelerate their career paths.  However, there is a trade off.   Work/life will not be ideally balanced.  Do we need to get a lot better in 2009 than we were in 2008?  YES.   Are there much better places to work if your priority is achieving perfect work/life balance?  Depending on your definition of “perfect”, the answer is YOU BETCHA.

I have the easy job.  I get to set the objectives.  I made our #2 objective to to make Zayo a Best Place to Work because this is important to me.  I will sacrifice other things to help us achieve this goal.  But at the end of the day, achieving this is the responsibility of our entire team.  Leaders from up and down the company need to step forward.  Let’s challenge one another.   Let’s communicate.  Let’s debate.  Let’s talk about how we achieve this goal.   Let’s hold one another accountable for achieving this goal.   We have the opportunity to shape our culture.  Let’s take advantage of this opportunity and make the most of it.

Can we accomplish incredible things while also achieving better work life balance?  Borrowing an expression from our new President, “Yes we can!”.

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Being Accountable for your Work Life Balance (Part 2 of 2)
Work/Life Imbalance
Being Accountable for your Work Life Balance (Part 1 of 2)
Zayo Striving to be a “Best Place to Work”
2009 #2 Priority: Zayo becoming a “Best Place to Work”

SMS commented:

I wonder what percentage of the employees at Zayo actually stand to “make some REAL money”?
The funny money is set aside (I am sure) for a select few. Are those folks taking any more risk or working any harder than others with not nearly as much (or even close)? I agree wholeheartedly with John’s response.

I have been in a couple of situations in the past where it didn’t matter how hard I worked, how much loyalty I displayed, how much time and effort I put in… I would never see the kind of money (or anywhere CLOSE) that others had the potential for. It’s just not the same investment for everyone and I think that gets lost on those that have the pot of gold waiting on the other side.

And then SMS added:

Might I add, too that this hinders your ability to hire some of the best and brightest – not just the HUNGRIEST.

Mothers take heed! Parents that want to parent your children (and all that that entails: homework, games, coaching? god forbid!)… take heed. Volunteer work? Fuggataboutit! Just saying.

SMS–this is hard to respond to.  There have been huge abuses re: corporate greed–both during the  telecom/.com boom of the early 2000s and in Wall Street today.   You have good reason to be resentful and distrustful.  Buiness leaders let their employees and investors down.

However, at the same time, you seem to be complaining at what is the heart of the American system.  People get ahead through a combination of luck, hard work, and good DNA.  The fuel is the desire for wealth and fame.  Like it or not, it is what makes the economy work.  It is what drives politics.  It is what drives Hollywood.  We are not a welfare state (though Washington seems to be wanting to push us this direction).

The best baseball players make an insane amount of money.  Anyone who makes the major leagues makes good money, but for some this is for a short period of time.   Maybe they are only a fringe player and last a year or two.   They make less than 1% of the stars.

Then there are others who fall short of making the major leagues.   Maybe their DNA was not as good.  Or maybe they didn’t work as hard.  Or maybe they just weren’t as lucky.   But do they live their lives resentful of those who did?   I hope not.  Instead I would hope they at least appreciate that they live in a country that gave them the opportunity.  I could use actors or musicians as another analogy.

Does A-Rod deserve to make $25M a year while someone who comes just short of the major leagues tops off at $30K a year?   Perhaps we should cap A-Rod’s salary at no more than 5X the lowest major leaguer’s.  And perhaps we should legislate that the lowest major leaguer cannot make more than double a triple A minor leaguer.  If we did this, who would keep the extra profits?  The owners?  Would the major league attract the best talent from across the world if it did this?   Would MLB produce the best product?  Who would make all these decisions–congress?  you and your friends?

My response to John’s post cited how some people are wired to aspire to achieve great things with their lives.  Only a very few strike it rich, whether by money or fame standards.   A lot more do very well for themselves and their families.  And a lot of people, despite hard work and smarts, do only okay.  This is the way America works.  Most people born into our world will never have this opportunity–regardless of how hard they are willing to work.  We should cherish this, not complain about it.

Zayo is a start up.  It is aspiring to do great things.  Hard work is a necessity.   Work/life imbalance is a tradeoff in the near term.  This is an ideal situation for some people and not for others.  My point in the blog post is that Zayo will only be “A Best Place to Work in Telecom” for those who are looking for a high risk/high reward environment.  Those looking for a balance between work and personal life will have a harder time viewing Zayo as their ideal employer.  I’d rather people come to understand the reality that is Zayo and decide if it is for them.  I know it is not and never will be a good fit for everyone.

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The Gap between the Highest and Lowest Paid (continued)
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Work/Life Firestorm

Wow–there are some great comments on my prior post.  Instead of responding via comments, I will use blog posts as it is important dialogue that many will benefit from.  I don’t begrudge those who made the posts and this feedback might help Zayo become a better company.  Having said that, I have a lot to say in retort.    I’ll start by responding to John.

John’s comment was:

Well, at least you had the guts to call it like it is Dan. Unfortunate that that is the culture you want to foster. In my estimation anyone who puts their job first for any length of time ends up paying a dear price regardless of the cash at the end. The reward at the end is never guaranteed (can you say Level 3s mantra “260×06″) and in the interim employees have pretty much sold their souls to “a company” all in the chase for money, prestige and a title.

In the end families are strained (at best), friendships take a back seat and wither, worship/God never seems to make its way to teh top (where it belongs), charity works are hindered. I suspect there are many companies who believe what you have stated but I would propose that those who truly succeed find a way for their employees work/life balance to succeed. Employees who believe that their company is looking out for their best interests (and that means work/life balance not just cash and stock) breeds loyalty. People can work very very hard but still have a life. I would hope that someday you will come to understand that people should work to live, not live to work.

John–I find your comments as being judgmental about how a person might choose to live their life.  If their priorities are different than yours, you seem to imply something is wrong with them.  Many people achieve great things in their lives due to ambition.  This is done in the world of sports, politics, business, and military.   It is also done in the world of religion.  Do you really believe that the chase for money, prestige and title doesn’t drive many preachers?

I believe people should choose to live their lives as they desire.  Those who share your perspective should find a place to hang their hat that is conducive to their life situation.  You have done that and I admire you for that.   You shouldn’t, however, presuppose that is what all others desire.  Many people want to work hard (at least at this point in their life), prioritize work over other aspects of their life (for now), and hopefully reap the benefits for years and decades to come.   Having such opportunities is what has made American the great nation that it is (despite its many flaws).  Barack Obama is a symbol of this.  So am I.  And so are many others that have worked hard so that they can send their kids to better schools and achieve great things.  The Internet, which has done more to enhance the lives of people around the world than any other idea or invention, was built on people who were chasing money, prestige or title.

If someone wants to “work to live, not live to work”, I respect that.  However, Zayo circa 2009/10 is unlikely a suitable home.   That is my point.

However, many people want to be part of something special.  They want to accelerate their careers.  They want the chance to rise up the socio-economic ladder.  They want to make some money.  They want to be part of a winning team.   I’d ask you not to begrudge these people.  They are what has made our country great.  They will do more to create jobs that the economic stimulus package.  They will do more to level the socio-economic playing field than Nancy Pelosi.  They have the opportunity to earn their stature in their life, even though their last name wasn’t Bush or Kennedy.

Maybe some day I will come to believe “people should work to live, not live to work”.   If this was my attitude over the past three years, Zayo would never have happened.  Nearly every company we bought would have been sold to someone else or, in some cases, would have imploded in this downturn.   You know a lot of people at Zayo–would they have been better off if I de-prioritized work?  Would they have benefited if my ambitious disease had been cured?

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Being Accountable for your Work Life Balance (Part 1 of 2)
Response to SMS
Work/Life Imbalance
Responding to Scott
Work/Life Firestorm

Earlier in the year I began a series of posts on Zayo’s 2009 goals.  In the post, I listed as Zayo’s four goals, in priority order, as being:

1. Demonstrate Financial Excellence
2. Become, in the eyes of Zayo Group employees, one of the best places to work in the telecom industry
3. Ensure each of the three business units is a viable and valuable business entity in its own right
4. Continue to be active as an industry consolidator

I wrote about the first one and covered, partially, the second one.   In the second one, I spoke of two pre-requisites on being a “Best Place to Work”.  First, a company must do a solid job for its customers; else, employees will be too distracted, stressed, and embarrassed to enjoy their work place.  Second, they need to be fairly compensated (including having the potential to share in their company’s success).  Today, I will a cover another point: the importance of cultural fit.

Some of the comments to an earlier post in this series suggested that one way to make Zayo a Best Place to Work is to allow for a better work/life balance for its employees.  This was in response to some comments I made on how Zayo was too hectic a place to work in 2009 and that we need to get the job done through efficient processes and accurate data, not through heroic efforts from our employees.  So I guess better work/life balance is implied in this statement.  However, I need to provide a word of warning here.

Zayo has high aspirations.   It is looking to be aggressive both in the organic growth of its business and in additional M&A.  We have a window open for us to acquire additional fiber telecom properties and, if successful, we will have solidified our foundation as a telecom provider for years to come.   However, to exploit this opening, we will need to work hard over the next couple years.  For those looking for work/life balance, Zayo frankly is not the best place to work.

Zayo is much better suited for those who are confident in their abilities and are looking to accelerate their careers.  If you believe that the next 2-3 years are those years where your work and your career are your priority, I think Zayo would be a good home.  Zayo gives employees a chance to shine, take on greater responsibility, and make some real money.   High risk and high reward is core to the culture.

The point is this.  For an employee to find their company to be a “Best Place to Work”, the cultural fit must be high.  Zayo is a new company and many who are part of it ended up so because of acquisitions.  Without question, the culture of Zayo is different than the culture of whatever the prior company was.  Others have joined Zayo on their own.   Each employee needs to assess whether or not the emerging Zayo culture works for them.

Together we can shape the Zayo cutlure.   But at its underpinnings is our desire to accomplish great things.  This requires a level of commitment and work ethic that is likely higher than your average work place.   So therein lies one of our challenges.  How do we make ourselves a “Best Place to Work” knowing that one item that will not be in our favor is work/life balance?   I will pick up this question in a future post.  In the meantime, please provide me candid comments, either through the blog or through private emails.

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Related posts:

Being Accountable for your Work Life Balance (Part 1 of 2)
Work/Life Firestorm
Being Accountable for your Work Life Balance (Part 2 of 2)
Zayo Striving to be a “Best Place to Work”
Responding to John