One of the greatest assessments we use to measure “a life well lived” comes from the question “what would people want to say on your epitaph?”

Would they say you were kind to others? That you were respectful and generous with your time? That you displayed empathy to others? Would they say you truly lived a life of no regret?

We are likely all familiar with the expression that nobody ever finds themselves leaving this world wishing they had spent more time at work. More often, people wish they had spent more time on personal development…on helping others…on being a better person…on just enjoying life!

This call has become so strong that one of the greatest concerns we see in the workplace today centres around the search for a good “work-life balance.” I certainly appreciate the sentiment behind the idea. However, the fact that we so expressly separate the concepts of “work” and “life” concerns me.  Is “work” not part of our “lives”? What are the consequences in our approach when we so deliberately separate “work” from “life”? If generosity and kindness are a hallmark of a “life” well-lived, does this now mean they are less important for “work”?

These questions may seem too philosophical – too trite – to merit serious consideration. But the reality is we have probably all experienced a workplace environment where kindness was in short supply. And, too often, the justification for this lack of kindness or empathy is the aged old claim that when you come to work, you leave your personal life at the door. Everything is supposed to change when you walk through the doors of the workplace!

It is a bit like reliving so many scenes from the classic movie, The Godfather. When one character was about to double-cross another, when one character was about to kill one of their former colleagues, the line that was often said was “It’s nothing personal. It’s just business!”

Somehow…that made every example of poor behaviour “okay.”

As Dental CEO’s, you have to be committed to your business – to your practice. You have to be dedicated to the well-being of your team members as well as your patients. Just like you have to be committed to your spouse, your kids, yourself.

It is not a question of creating “work-life balance.” It is a question of creating balance…period.

Kindness has a vital place in your business as much as it does in your life. I am not suggesting “kindness” should be the ultimate goal of your business. Your ultimate goal is to provide a quality service in a profitable manner.

But kindness…generosity…those are tools we can use to achieve profitability. So, focus on creating balance in life, not creating “work-life balance.”

As a CEO, make kindness a hallmark of your business environment. Lead with kindness and see your team respond.

Make it so your epitaph will read that it did not matter whether it was in your business life or your personal life, you made kindness, generosity, empathy, and honesty the words you lived by all the time!