Business Leaders Share Insight into Creating a Successful Work-Life Balance

A study released by researchers at Harvard Business School and Stanford University found that stress at work is just as damaging to a person’s health as secondhand smoke. This staggering fact led to MBA@Syracuse students to question business leaders about how they create a well-balanced lifestyle that works for them. Some of the advice that was shared is as follows:

Jessica Wang, SVP of Placement for 2U

“My calendar is my biggest asset…I put everything on my calendar, including time to exercise, important events I must attend with my children, and even an hour on Sundays when I prepare for my workweek.”

Jessica Lee, Director of Global LifeWorks & Inclusion for Discovery Communications

“When balancing multiple priorities, my advice would be to compartmentalize.”

Mark Weinberger, Global Chairman & CEO for EY

“I schedule important life events, and even sports and other important events for my family. I guard them like I do important work meetings.”

Bill McIntyre, Director for Ketchum Washington

“For me, work-life balance works when I trust someone to cover my responsibilities while I’m periodically unavailable—and then making certain I’m periodically unavailable.”

Ryan Smith, Founder & CEO of Qualtrics

“I talk a lot about hitting doubles and triples. By that I mean that I want to be a good husband, father, son, CEO, boss…I can hit a triple by being a good dad, son and husband all in one activity by picking up dinner for the family and then taking it over to my parents’ place where I’m teaching my daughter to ride a bike.”

Mike Malloy, CEO for Waveborn Sunglasses

“Meditate. 10 minutes. Every day. It will change your life and your perspective. I recommend the app Calm.”

Shannon Eis, VP of Corporate Communications for Yelp

“Define small, achievable things at the beginning of your day, rather than taking stock at the end of the week…it helps me create a more realistic set of ‘balance moments’ in a world where no two days are the same.”

For additional tips and tricks from people who are in the business world and finding ways to manage their time, visit the MBA@Syracuse website for the full article.

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Sarah Graham

PR Assistant at Martin J. Whitman School of Management

Sarah is a public relations assistant at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. She is a senior at Syracuse University majoring in Public Relations and Marketing Management. In her free time, she enjoys trying new recipes, traveling and spending time with friends and family.