THURSDAY HIGHLIGHTS: Meet the Experts Session – How to Get a Life When You Have a Career
Career- and life-coaching couple Janice Harrison Drake and Lawrence M. Drake II presented How to Get a Life When You’ve Got a Career, one of the Thursday afternoon Meet the Experts Workshops. Harrison Drake is president and Drake is chairman and CEO of HOPE 360°, Inc., a company whose acronym stands for Helping Other People Excel. Christopher Plumlee, vice president, sales, at Pitney Bowes Management Services, moderated the session, which was sponsored by Pitney Bowes. Both husband and wife said it was the pull of family needs that drew them out of their previous high-demand roles in the corporate world. Harrison Drake, the former vice president of human resources with General Electric, noted that in spite of her career success, she often felt her job as a mother was getting short-changed. Drake said his obligations as caretaker of several ill family members – and the emotional blow of losing two granddaughters – influenced his decision to retire from his post as president and CEO of the West African Division of Coca-Cola Africa. Drake said that for many, the work-life balance issue can be summed up as a struggle for a balance between enjoyment and achievement. He also advised that good relationships are essential to finding that equilibrium. "If you don’t understand how to cultivate relationships that are solid and have meaning, you will struggle to get where you want to go, both inside and outside of work," Drake said. Harrison Drake said employees need to give their employers more feedback on the issue. "They are all conscious of the effects [of imbalance] and are starting to have employees come to them with suggestion on how to fix it," she said. |
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