Are You Happy With Your Career Choices?

by Ted Janusz
Reprinted from http://careers.wsj.com

Picture yourself kneeling at the deathbed of one of the richest men in the world. Your hope is that you'll hear the wisdom that will help you achieve a portion of his wealth, fame and success.

When Sam Walton, chief executive officer of the fourth largest U.S. corporation, laid dying, he confessed three words: "I blew it!"

So says Kerry L. Johnson, a Tustin, Calif.-based speaker and author of "Mastering the Game: The Human Edge in Sales and Marketing" (International Productivity Inc., 1993). "Mr. Walton said he blew it with his family," says Dr. Johnson. "Mr. Walton said he barely knew his youngest son, he even neglected his grandchildren and his wife stayed with him out of commitment. No one in the last stages of his life has ever looked back to take stock and regretted not making more money. It's always the relationships that they missed."

If it's true that in their final years, no one ever wishes they had spent more time at the office, why do so many people seem to spend more time at work than is actually needed?

Perhaps it's because work can be quantified in ways that other parts of life often can't. And the feedback can be immediate and direct.

A former employer had a simple method of separating "good" from "bad" employees. The good, or promotable, employees "hit their numbers," while those who didn't make quota couldn't expect to move forward in their careers. This made the process of evaluating employees very straightforward.

While this system may seem effective because it separates superstars from deadbeats, its rigid objectivity was at times ludicrous and troublesome. One well-qualified co-worker was passed over for a new assignment simply because she failed to meet her goal by a few percentage points.

At home, on the other hand, a spouse or significant other would rarely impose such stringent evaluation criteria. Neither would our children. So, when trying to decide between watching your child in a school play or staying late to complete a report which could determine a raise or promotion, which would you choose?

Initially, I usually made decisions in favor of my career. I once planned to visit two former college classmates who had married and lived in a distant city. I called to arrange the visit when my company scheduled a sales meeting in their city. We were to meet afterwards, but during the meeting I received an assignment that was due the next day.

I began to re-think my plans. I was nervous about seeing my classmates after 15 years. "What if they looked old, or worse, if I looked old?" I wondered. But rather than cancel the dinner, I worked on the assignment before and after it.

I was glad I did. We had a wonderful time. During the meal they remarked that I hadn't changed a bit since graduation (and neither had they).

The next day, another employee gave a better presentation than I did. He had used the evening to memorize the entire script. But I knew that my decision to see my former classmates was the right one. Shortly thereafter, one was diagnosed with cancer and has since died. I never saw her again.

Several years later, I developed a new sense of appreciation for my family when I commuted to a new job in a different state and was separated from them for nearly eight months. I discovered as Jim McCann, chief executive officer of 1-800-FLOWERS, says in his book, "Stop and Sell the Roses: Lessons from Business and Life" (Ballantine Books, 1988), "In this deal-based, free-agent world, only family is forever."

Each of us has the same quantity of the most precious commodity in the world -- time. Using it fruitfully is a tremendous, responsibility. Only considering actions that are easily quantifiable isn't the solution. Ask instead, "What's the best use of my time, right now?" Keep on asking it, if you want to avoid the deathbed reckoning of Sam Walton.

-- Mr. Janusz is a sales force automation trainer with a Columbus, Ohio-based Internet commerce company.