Quote of the Week: Ken Blanchard

During my senior year of college I took a short two day intensive weekend leadership course from Ken Blanchard.  Ken Blanchard is a leadership and management guru and author of such books as The One Minute Manager and The Secret: What Great Leaders Know -- And Do.  Overall it was a good course, but what I remember most is what he said at the end.  The quote is what I recall as opposed to an exact quote as its been a few years: "when people are on their death bead, no one ever looks back and says - I wish I spent more time at the office, at my desk - they say they wish they spent more time with their wife or children or other family members..."

While there are a few people whose job is their life, for most people this is a great piece of advice to keep in mind.  I don't believe the message is to encourage people to not work hard, nor not to make a contribution, just remember in the end, it is only a job.  As many Americans will have 10+ jobs over the course of their career, one job perhaps becomes less important (well, maybe not during this economy, but you get the point).