I was leading a CEO workshop recently, and as we introduced ourselves, one man crowed, "I'm a first-time dad! My wife just delivered our son at 2 a.m. this morning." He was probably thinking how dedicated he was, but all I could think was, "How sad." This was the inaugural day for his new family, and instead of staying with them to bask in the wonder of it all, he was at work. He probably assumed, as many people do, that he had plenty of tomorrows to spend time with his new child. Unfortunately, I know from personal experience that time with our loved ones shouldn't be taken for granted. In 1998, the doctors thought our 8 1/2-year-old son, Mark, had the flu. Eleven days later, he died of brain cancer. Our sudden tragedy has forever changed my perspective on work and family.
展开▼
