Working people worldwide have something in common: a strong desire to balance their personal and professional lives.
And few know that better than Steve Morris, founder of Steve Morris Associates, an international leadership consulting firm based in Singapore.
“It’s absolutely a universal human value to want to have balance in your life, to be able to focus not only on work but on your family, friends and self–and to put food on the table,” said Morris, who was born and raised in the United States. He worked for the U.S. government and private industry before moving to Asia in 1989.
“People everywhere are trying to strike that balance,” he said.
The consultant, known as an expert on Asian and multicultural leadership issues, says he tries “to bridge East and West by helping executives to develop their teams and themselves and to realize their personal and professional goals.”
And it’s the latter–the personal and professional–that’s a hot international topic these days, especially among Asian business leaders, according to Morris, who has a staff of six and works with multinational clients, mainly CEOs, in 16 countries.
“Actually, I hear more about the need for balance from Asians, who often expect the organization to take care them and who look to their bosses to make things right,” said Morris, who has a bachelor of arts degree in international relations and a master’s degree in economics. He’s worked with more than 3,000 senior executives worldwide over the past two decades.
“There’s a CEO here in Singapore who closes up and locks the office doors at 7 p.m. on Friday–otherwise his staff would stay working till midnight,” said Morris. “Most executives believe the way to show you want to get ahead is by putting in long hours, but not this CEO. He wants well-rounded people.
“And in Bhutan, the king has instituted a gross domestic happiness measurement, which includes more than just financial performance.”
The consultant discusses having a well-rounded life in his book, “Glorious Leadership! A Holistic Approach to Achieving Leadership Mastery and Work/Life Balance” (Lotus Bloom, $23.95).
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Morris says he “saw the light” in 1998 when he fell off a cliff at Big Sur in California while vacationing with his family. “Before that I was a big alpha male, a hotshot consultant to the Pentagon and an international consulting firm,” he said. “But the accident changed everything: I started worrying about my relationships with people.
“When you think you’re going to die, you don’t call the boss and say you’re going to be late for work. You want to be with your family.”
It was shortly after the accident and after giving a business talk in Hong Kong for a consulting firm that Morris was offered a job with the Asian firm. “I packed up my wife and four kids in Virginia and we moved to Hong Kong in 1989. In 1990, I started my own company in Singapore.”
Not everyone can move so far away to improve their quality of life, but Morris says there are things you can do right now, here at home, to get control over your work/life.
“Cut down on your financial obligations, slow down your financial burn,” the consultant advises. “Don’t be afraid to leave the office at the end of the day or to say no to your boss. Treat your family as a client–if your child is playing in the school orchestra, you have to be there. Plan and take vacations.”
If full-time work is overwhelming you, “propose part-time work,” Morris suggests. “Most bosses love having you at their beck and call for a fixed salary, but they probably won’t fight the change.”
The consultant has more advice for those who want time to enjoy life: “Get a boss who values work/life balance and respects the time you need for yourself and your family.
“And change jobs every two or three years.”
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Carol Kleiman’s columns also appear in Monday’s and Thursday’s Business sections. Watch her “Career Coach” segments on CLTV.