Work/Life Symposium

Balancing Act

In today's professional environment, it can be tough to keep your balance. Globalization and technology have inflated the 9-to-5 routine to 24/7 demands, leaving little time for family and community and much less time for "self." But even fast-track professionals can choose a different path. More than 160 Tuck and Dartmouth Medical School students, faculty, and professionals attended Tuck's ninth annual Work-Life Symposium on April 20, 2007, to learn how to find a more balanced career path.

"Culture Fit or Shock?" this year's theme, explored options to address the influence of corporate and geographic cultures on work/life demands. Keynote speakers Jody Thompson and Cali Ressler, principals of CultureRx, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Best Buy Co., suggested one solution lies in changing the focus within organizations from rules to results. Their Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) paradigm encourages companies to "stop monitoring the hallways and focus their energy on the business," abandoning schedules and structure in favor of a more entrepreneurial approach to productivity.

The impetus for change was on individuals during an interactive session, a new feature in this year's symposium. Session leader Doug Smith T'70, chair of Best Brands Corporation, recalled the importance of balancing his life was drilled home in 1983 after his son put a note in the family "suggestion box" that read, "I wish Daddy had more time to play." Smith said he has kept the note as a reminder that happiness is rooted in meaning and purpose, not in things.

Joe Johnson, chair and CEO of The Telein Group; Caroline Moore, COO of Struever Brothers, Eccles & Rouse; and Ken Murphy, writer, photographer, and consultant joined Smith in fielding questions and concerns from participants throughout the session. Some students worried that sacrificing high-salary jobs that could help them reduce debt load quickly in favor of lower-paying but more personally gratifying positions was not a good early career move. "It's not about work/life, it's about lifework—one word. Work is a component of life, it is not life," Johnson told them. "Have the courage to put life first."

The 2007 Work/Life Symposium also featured panel discussions on how to balance life with work in the consulting, I-banking, and medical fields, as well as advice from top leaders who have addressed the issue and tips on staying healthy while busy.

Ferdinand Che T'08, Cristina Henrik T'08, and Anneli Schalock T'07 organized this year's event. Bain & Company, ING, McKinsey & Company, and Textron stepped up to the plate as gold sponsors. Silver sponsors included Amgen, Deutsche Bank, Eaton, Opera Solutions, The Parthenon Group, and PepsiCo.