The Problem with a ‘Work–Life Balance’

People who are thinking of their personal and professional lives as in conflict with each other are thinking as man sees, not as God does.

At some point ten years ago or so, a client asked if I would offer a little career advice to their son. He was 21 years old, bright, about to graduate from a good college in a big city, and certainly employable. He had a good home life, high character, and was ambitious enough to want to come talk to his parents’ investment adviser. His first question upon sitting down in my Manhattan office: “How solid is the work–life balance in the field of wealth management?”

Twenty-one years old, never had a real job in his life — “How solid is the work–life balance?” I never really bounced back in the rest of the talk.

I interviewed a candidate for an administrative position a few months after this meeting. I liked her a lot and was confident I would offer her a position, but I first needed to hear what questions she would have for me. She hadn’t yet asked about compensation, benefits, vertical mobility, opportunities for professional development, or team culture. I was confident that our position in all of those categories was very strong, but until a candidate asks and you answer, you can’t be certain that what you’re offering will match what they’re looking for. At the end of the interview, I said that I was prepared to make her an offer and asked what questions she had for me before I put one together. Her reply: “Yes, I just need to know what the work–life balance is going to be. I really don’t want my life to be about an office job.”