Dad in May of 2008
I am a firm believer that we must stand by our values and make our work/life decisions based on those values. Much of the work that I do with my clients is about making values-based and courageous decisions in their own leadership, in their strategic planning and in setting personal and professional priorities.
I was put to the test over the past couple of months. My father became unexpectedly ill in June of this year. On June 10th, I grabbed a red-eye from San Francisco to Boston and over the next two months spent most of my time there with no internet access 95% of the time and very little time for phone calls. Crossing the country eight times, I was there with him and my family while we went through tests, biopsies, diagnosis, ICU stay, move to hospice care, his dying, and his death.
I made a choice to let an amazing amount of time pass in “business hours” and to spend the moment by moment life journey with my father and the rest of the family. My father was never going to die again, my sisters and I were never going to lose our father again, my mother was never going to lose her beloved again. There was no way that I would prioritize this time in my life any other way.
Did I lose some business? Maybe. Did my clients feel that I had fallen off the face of the earth? No. Did the organization I am president of cease to function? No. Am I spending a phenomenal amount of time catching up? Yes.
What I received personally was the most amazing series of experiences, memories, and life lessons that have grown me and changed me as a person forever and for the better. What I received professionally was a deepening of my commitment to help others make hard and sometimes very fast decisions about their personal and professional lives and to live a life of meaning that is fully based in clearly defined values and clearly defined priorities. I am grateful for the opportunity.
