At Work CEO, At Home D-A-D
Family has always been number one in my life. As a father, I made it a point to be home for dinner every night I was in town. Over my career, I arrived at the office at 8 a.m. and I was home for dinner at 6:15 p.m. SHARP!
While I traveled a lot during my career, family time over evening meals was a top priority, not to mention an extremely gratifying source of daily fun and support.
Dinner in our home was high-spirited, full of love and laughter. Away from home, I may have been C-E-O, but during precious meal time, I was D-A-D.
When I would get home at night, the kids would be scrambling around the house trying to do their homework and getting ready for dinner. They always told me about their day -- the teacher they liked the least, the most difficult problem at school, and their favorite friends. It was a wonderful sharing time to get to know the kids. We always had an opening prayer and a blessing on the food, and we had a lot of fun talking about the day and the days ahead. And, of course, I always did the dishes. Every now and then I'd get my kids to help me. But the dishes were my job. (Aprons became a favorite gag gift.)
If business comes first, you won't be happy for very long.
Some say it is really tough to focus on family in today's working world. I disagree. It's your decision to make, but I can tell you it's worth keeping family the #1 priority.
In my Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C. hotel opening speech, I introduced my son David this way: "David runs over one thousand hotels up and down the east coast when he's not raising his three sons and daughter." Family over work. It's how our family business has grown, how we keep our associates and why Marriott is recognized as “One of The Best Places to Work.” Putting family first is good for business. In fact, if business comes first, you won't be happy for very long.
Let me know how you strike a balance between work and family.
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Read more from Bill Marriott and other travel experts at Overheard@Marriott
Photo: New Year's Day 1970, brother Dick and our families with our parents
This blog was first published on Marriott on the Move
Executive Chef-Owner of Mueller's F&E's "Cooking great Food is a Journey not a Destination"
9 年I worked for Marriott for 22 years in Florida ,Texas, Hawaii and openings in Mexico great Company to work for with great work ethic and care for People all the way . Had the privilege to meet the whole Family including Bill and Alice Marriott the founders of what is today a the largest Lodging Company in the World. Thanks for the memories
Professional - Human Resources and Administrative / Accounting Manager
9 年I enjoyed reading this article and learning that you believe so strongly in the value of family. It takes effort for people to find the right balance between career and family. I agree that dinner time with the family is important. A lot of important information is shared at the dinner table. Thanks for sharing your views on being a D-A-D, while being a CEO.
Senior Technical Writer/Editor/Business Consultant
9 年Years ago, I remember Bill Marriott visited my father (Russell Richards) in the hospital. They weren't close, but my parents lived in Potomac at the time, and Bill thought it was the right thing to do -- in spite of his very hectic career demands. Character counts!
Owner at consid:r
9 年It is a universal truth that family comes before work. However, in the practical world sometimes you have to sacrifice family to keep it that way… My own experience is that when traveling I can engage 150% in the work – allowing me to prioritise family when I am not travelling. But the travelling part IS a sacrifice already - no matter how you put it. Many people choose to relocate without family in order to provide better for them back home. I regard that as “family as first priority” as well. We are not all alike, and we do not all share the same values (monetary nor cultural). Right....?