By Rachel Feintzeig
Work-life balance isn't a women's issue. But it often feels that
way.
PepsiCo Inc. Chief Executive Indra Nooyi and Facebook Inc. Chief
Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg talk openly -- and are asked
frequently -- about how they rose to the top while maintaining
active family lives. Yet men, who hold the top jobs at most large
companies, rarely open up about juggling jobs, children and
family.
"Men never get asked about work-life balance," YouTube boss
Susan Wojcicki, a mother of five, said at a Fortune conference in
December.
Not until now, anyway. In interviews with 25 CEOs in industries
such as retail, consumer products and law, The Wall Street Journal
found that male chiefs are actively seeking a semblance of balance
in their personal and professional lives. Some bosses nodded at the
fact that their jobs are all-consuming, with most home and
child-rearing duties borne by their spouses. Others say they manage
to fit family into packed schedules, but it takes work. Many older
executives said they felt conflicted about missing family life
while climbing the corporate ladder, adding that they are trying to
change their ways -- partly to set an example for employees rising
in the ranks behind them.
"Your kids are only young once, and you can't get that moment
back. If I have any regrets it's that one," Dan Glaser, the CEO of
Marsh & McLennan Cos., said of the times he put work ahead of
back-to-school nights and sports games as he advanced at the
professional-services firm. "When you're younger, you have this
sense of your own immortality and you'll always be able to catch
up," the 55-year-old said.
The father of three said he did a better job being present for
the youngest of his three daughters, who is now in college, leaving
work in the afternoon to watch her soccer games.
Mr. Glaser logged back onto email after games to catch up on
work. During family time, however, he was often glued to his phone
even when there weren't important emails waiting.
"I would prioritize [emails] as if they were urgent just because
there was five minutes of downtime in my living room," he said,
adding that he realized many emails could wait. He now might glance
at his inbox in such situations but tries not to open emails unless
they're pressing.
Other executives say they learned the hard way. Going through a
divorce helped Choice Hotels International Inc. CEO Steve Joyce,
56, realize that he needed to better incorporate his family with
his work and travel schedule. He now takes his girlfriend and
children along on work trips and carves out time for himself too --
whether it is a daytime workout or a museum visit while traveling
for business.
"It is critical for the CEO to set the tone," he said. "If he
doesn't, there's a secret kind of code, 'if you take vacation,
you're not as serious an executive.' "
At wealth-management software company Addepar Inc., CEO Eric
Poirier, 34, makes sure to mark time dedicated to his baby daughter
on a calendar that everyone in the company can view. Former J.C.
Penney Co. chief Ron Johnson, currently CEO of e-commerce startup
Enjoy, doesn't schedule internal meetings before 9 a.m. and after 4
p.m., which has allowed the 57-year-old to coach his children's
sports teams.
Earlier in his career, Kayak Software Corp. CEO Steve Hafner,
47, used to work 80-hour weeks. A father of four, he now works
about 65 hours weekly, with a flexible schedule.
"Work-life balance is working as little as you can to get the
important stuff done and then taking all the other time and putting
it against your family or your interests," he said.
High-ranking, highly paid jobs come with high demands,
though.
"You don't get to be a CEO -- certainly not a successful CEO --
unless you're giving a big percentage of your time," said
75-year-old Delos "Toby" Cosgrove. He leads the Ohio-based
Cleveland Clinic and meets up with his wife, who spends her
workweeks in San Diego at a health-care startup, on weekends.
"You make your choices. You can never look back," Dr. Cosgrove
said.
Reggie Aggarwal, 46, is a father of three and the CEO of Cvent
Inc., a Tysons Corner, Va., event-management software company. He
tries to abstain from work one day a week.
"My work-life balance isn't great. My wife understands
that."
Male executives traditionally haven't been expected to feel
conflicted about missing family time, said Stew Friedman, a
management professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton
School. Instead, the assumption is "complete and full immersion in
work."
That is starting to change. Executives know that they must tout
flexible work policies and preach balance to attract young hires.
Many 20- and 30-something fathers are intent on being more involved
in their children' lives than their fathers were.
As younger leaders take on CEO jobs, some are doing things
differently. Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, 32, took a
two-month-long paternity leave, for example. Still, another young
CEO and co-founder, Lyft Inc.'s Logan Green, also 32, said running
a startup means missing most bedtimes for his one-year-old
twins.
VMware Inc. chief Pat Gelsinger said he has built "trip wires"
into his life to ensure he is not overworking. He designed a chart,
maintained by his secretary, that tallies points based on how much
time he spends with family. Arriving home by 6:15 p.m. earns a
point, for example, while getting home by 5 p.m. earns two.
Aaron Bell, the 38-year-old CEO of tech company AdRoll Inc.,
moved closer to the office to spend more time with his children. He
sometimes wished that his turn as CEO had come before having
children, the better to work 20-hour days at the office without
guilt.
"It's really difficult having two things in your life that are
such high priority," he said. "You always feel like you're
sub-optimizing for both."
Write to Rachel Feintzeig at rachel.feintzeig@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 15, 2016 02:48 ET (06:48 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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