In the early 90s I spent six months traveling throughout Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Burma. While I was struck by the extreme poverty and poor living conditions of the majority of people in these countries, I was also impressed by their creativity in making full use of what little they had.

Old equipment is kept running as long as possible and broken machines are scavenged for parts and recycled back into the market. Every part of an animal is used for food. While some of the things they ate challenged my western palate, I certainly admired their ability to follow the principle of “waste not, want not” to its utmost degree.

I contrast this with the five years I spent in Japan where regular dai gomi or “big garbage” days saw some streets near my home piled two feet high for a full block with ‘fridges, stoves, stereos, televisions, dishes, desks, kitchen tables, chairs and even computer equipment that was in perfect working condition. (more…)

Conflict between work and life responsibilities, while by no means a new issue, is becoming increasingly high profile as research pours in on its direct and indirect costs to organizations. A study by Duxbury and Higgins, The Report on Work-Life Conflict in Canada in the New Millennium (Duxbury and Higgins, 2003), estimates costs associated with work-life conflict to range from $4.5 to $10 billion annually. As a result, programs promoting and supporting work-life balance are on the increase.

Now I may be too much of a Type- A personality, but “balance” has never been something that excited me, so this trend led me to investigate this topic and eventually to begin writing my forthcoming book, Beyond Balance. The book will examine why balance, while part of the solution, is also a barrier to creating healthier individuals and organizations. (more…)