For a lot of coaches, the summer months before the preseason gets rolling is a time to reconnect with family and create lasting memories before the game reels us back in for football season.
A popular topic to reflect on this time of year among coaches is finding better ways to balance work / football and family time, which brings me to this interview with Amazon creator and CEO Jeff Bezos highlighted by Business Insider.
Bezos is the richest person in the world, with a net worth of nearly $109 billion as of mid-January, and during a recent interview after accepting the Axel Springer Award 2018, Bezos shared his perspective on why the work-life balance that we all strive for isn't all that cut-and-dry.
Toward the end of the interview (at about the 46:30 mark), Bezos is asked by host Mathias Dopfner what his kids would say about him. Bezos answers with some funny nuggets those with kids will surely relate to, but then shares some interesting perspective on the work-life relationship.
"This work-life harmony thing is what I try to teach young employees and actually senior executives at Amazon too," Bezos shared. "I'm asked about work-life balance all the time, and my view is that is a debilitating phrase because it implies that there is a strict trade-off."
"The reality is, that if I'm happy at home, I come into the office with tremendous energy. And if I'm happy at work, I come home with tremendous energy, so it actually is a circle, it's not a balance. I think that is worth everyone paying attention to."
"You never want to be that guy. We all know, we all have that co-worker that is that person, that as soon as they come into the meeting, they drain all of the energy out of the room. You can just feel the energy level go [down]. You don't want to be that guy. You want to be the guy that comes into the office and gives everyone a kick in their step."
Bezos has an interesting point. Instead of thinking of work-life as a balance where you have to take away from one to give to the other, start thinking of it as a circle where work and family life is more interrelated.
Hear more from Bezos in the clip, or head over to Business Insider to read the full transcript of his interview.