Introduction
Work-life harmony is a challenge that resonates with many professionals, but Sal Marino, Charles IT’s Director of Finance and Operations, has helpful advice on how to achieve it. Sal sat down with us to share personal experiences, lessons learned, and strategies for maintaining harmony between professional and personal demands. From navigating challenging times to leading with empathy and intention, Sal offers insights for leaders and employees alike.
As someone who has faced the struggles of juggling multiple roles and responsibilities, Sal emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, flexibility, and communication in creating a harmonized life. So, let’s dive into his candid reflections and useful tips for anyone striving to achieve work-life harmony while staying committed to their goals.
Sal’s Perspective on Work-Life Harmony
Most people aim for work-life balance as an ideal, but true balance, that perfect 50/50 split between work and personal life, is often unattainable. Instead, Sal prefers the concept of work-life harmony, a more flexible approach that adapts to day-to-day needs. "Do I need more time in the office? Do I have an event for one of my daughters and need to leave early? I think it’s really more of a balancing act based on what’s needed at that point in time. It never balances out perfectly," he explains. Harmony, rather than rigid balance, acknowledges that personal and professional priorities naturally shift over time.
A Personal Experience of Struggle and Growth
When asked for an example of a time he struggled with work-life harmony, Sal shared a personal story about the toll early-career overwork took on his well-being. At the start of his career, Sal wore many hats, juggling leadership responsibilities for a small team of just 17 people. The intense workload, often exceeding 60 hours a week, left little room for personal life and ultimately led to burnout. “I had no work-life harmony—just working long hours to get things done in the business. My personal life and health suffered, and it got me to a rough spot that forced me to focus on my family, mental health, and professional life,” he recalls.
That turning point came during a work trip when Sal experienced a panic attack. The incident served as a wake-up call, prompting him to take two weeks off and reach out for help. Reflecting on that time, Sal developed an analogy that continues to guide him: the stool with four legs. “If one of the legs is missing, it’s hard to balance. You have to strengthen the other three to rebuild the missing one,” he explains.
The Role of Self-Awareness in Work-Life Harmony
For Sal, that kind of self-awareness is key to maintaining harmony between work and personal life. Being mindful of stressors and intentionally addressing imbalances helps prevent burnout and ensures long-term well-being. “There will always be stressors in some parts of your life—whether it’s physical health… personal life... A million things can throw off the stool, but being intentional allows you to refocus and rebalance,” Sal shares.
Sal emphasizes the importance of prioritizing mental and physical health before hitting a breaking point. “People don’t think about it unless it’s later in life or after an event like my panic attack. That’s why I like to talk about it,” he says. He attributes the “push through and keep going” mindset to older generations but hopes his openness can help others avoid the same pitfalls.
Applying Work-Life Harmony in Leadership
As a leader at Charles IT, Sal prioritizes modeling work-life harmony for his team. He believes that sharing his personal experiences leads to empathy and understanding, which are essential for effective leadership. However, he acknowledges that this perspective was shaped through his own challenges. “The part of me from the business side still wants the team to perform, but going through it myself helped me empathize with people, understand what they’re going through, and navigate it better. People might think I’m strict or demanding, but they also see I’m flexible, accommodating, and willing to understand,” he explained.
For Sal, balancing performance expectations with flexibility and support creates a healthier and more productive work environment. “You have to understand if someone is off and something is going on. It’s important to be aware of that, address it with them, and then realize you need to be more understanding,” he shared.
While there are no formal policies at Charles IT to enforce work-life harmony, Sal feels such policies might contradict the very concept. “There’s more of an unwritten rule of flexibility. Policies often require balance rather than harmony. For me, it’s about asking, ‘Where are you in your work-life harmony? Are you stressed because you have events for your kids and don’t have the time or PTO?’ You can speak with the team, and they’ll know you work hard and understand these things are important. It’s about being flexible and trusting your team to get things done without compromising their harmony,” Sal explained.
Proactive Measures to Prevent Burnout
Sal emphasizes the importance of recognizing individual needs and creating space for personal priorities. Work-life harmony, he says, is about understanding what needs more attention and what can take a backseat in the moment. Proactive communication and regular check-ins with the team are essential to achieving this.
“It’s about making sure you’re in tune with your employees on a week-to-week basis. If you notice something is off, you need to check in and ask if everything is okay. That’s the kind of thing that helps prevent burnout. If you see something going on with the team, you can check in with them…be proactive so people feel like they don’t have an insurmountable mountain of work,” Sal said.
Balancing Harmony with Accountability
Ensuring work-life harmony while maintaining business goals and productivity can still be difficult. To achieve this, Sal emphasizes prioritizing critical business needs and fostering team cohesion. This is where “balance” actually comes into play.
“It’s a balancing act—making sure you’re truly prioritizing the most important and critical things for the business. That’s what we focus on,” Sal explained. He highlighted how this concept is implemented during the company’s L10 meetings, where the team breaks down priorities and issues, distributing tasks among members. This approach ensures that work gets done without relying too heavily on any one person. “If someone needs flexibility—like if they’re remodeling their house—the team can pivot,” he added.
Sal likens this dynamic to a baseball team: when one player is in a slump, others step up to fill the gap. Sharing responsibilities and maintaining a supportive atmosphere is key to the team’s success.
Accountability and Flexibility
Accountability is another crucial element of work-life harmony. It’s about providing employees with the flexibility they need to manage personal responsibilities while still meeting professional expectations.
“If you’re expecting to have the work-life harmony side, you have to be accountable for the things you’re responsible for,” Sal said. “For example, if I let you come in late or leave early because of a personal need, I expect that you understand what needs to get done and ensure it happens.”
Sal also encourages a proactive approach to addressing priorities. “You know what’s a priority, and you proactively reach out for help to make sure it gets done. That’s how I view accountability. If you’re not accountable and things aren’t getting done, then your professional side of work-life harmony isn’t being met. You have to get back on track,” he explained.
Sal’s Work-Life Harmony Philosophy: The Stool Analogy
At the heart of Sal’s approach is his previously mentioned stool analogy, which emphasizes the importance of maintaining balance across key aspects of life. “For me, the stool represents the most important things: family, physical health, mental health, and professional life. I’m hyper-aware of when one of those is potentially compromised,” Sal shared.
He encourages others to adopt a similar mindset of intentionality and self-awareness. So, how do you view work-life harmony in your own life? Is there a different approach you take to achieve it? Let us know in the comments!
