Work Isn’t Life!

Good morning, everybody. Dennis Engelbrecht, The Family Business Institute, Digging Deeper.

So, I'm coming toward the close of my career and as part of that, I was asked to try to come up with and summarize the
10 keys to construction success that I had found through my career working with construction companies and construction
leaders. We've gone through one through nine, and we come down to number 10. And number 10 isn't so much about
construction. Basically, the theme here is work isn't life. And I've been fortunate enough myself to have found a lot of
interest outside of work, to have found a lot of passion outside of work, to have found purpose outside of work, as well
as in my work. I found all of those things in my work as well, which I think makes me feel very privileged. But work isn't
life.

Work is a means to an end. And certainly nothing wrong with the purpose of developing a great construction company,
great construction people, and great results and great income and wealth for you and your family. Nothing wrong with
that at all. But there are more important things. There's kind of a joke out there that nobody on their deathbed ever came
out with, "Boy, I wish I had worked more." That probably has never been heard. Maybe it has, I hope not. But there are
more important things. Work occupies a great deal of our life. It can determine our sort of financial outcomes in life and
all of that, but it doesn't determine our happiness and our fulfillment. So how to take that philosophy then into your
leadership and what you're doing. So as leaders, think about what can you do to enhance the life of your employees, your
communities, other than just producing good financial results and good buildings and good structures and all of that.

What can you do to enhance the life of your employees and your communities? What can you do to enjoy your friends
and your families more, which may involve possibly not working as many long hours, as many weekends, taking time away,
or just getting your mind away from work? Sometimes we take the time away, but we don't get our mind away from work.
And in order to give your friends and your families the best of you, you need to be able to get your mind away from work
as well. Find purpose outside of work, and don't wait until you retire or try to retire. Do it now. I think the unsuccessful
retirement stories we have seen, and it probably doesn't happen as frequently as people think, where people retire and
then they go home and die. But there is some of that out there because if all of your purpose is tied up in your company
and your work and you leave that, well, there is a heck of a void there.

So, find purpose outside of your work. Find it now. Don't wait until you retire. I had the opportunity just a couple of weeks
ago, I was discussing with my brother what I was doing and what was keeping me excited as I'm approaching this phase
of my life. And he said, "Well, no wonder you're so happy and fulfilled. You have the three pillars of purpose." And I said,
"What? The three pillars of purpose?" He said, "You're taking care of yourself. You're taking care of your family and friends
and all of those, and you're giving back to those, and you're trying to make it a better world. So, you've got interest in all
these areas and you're following through on those." And after I heard that, I went back, tried to do a little research, and I
found somebody describe the three pillars of meaning as being me, we, and they.

And I thought, "Oh, okay, I can get that. Me, we and they, that's sort of what I'm trying to do and hopefully doing well."
So those three things, being a better self. We talked early in this process about developing yourself into a better leader,
becoming a better leader for your company. That's taking care of yourself, but also being healthier, having more healthy
activities, eating better, getting the exercise you need, being in shape, being healthy so you can live a long and better life.
Being the best version of yourself. That should be one of your purposes. Again, now, don't wait. Those in your sphere,
your employee team, your family, your friends, what can you do now? What purposes can you set to make things better
for them? Whether it's your grandchildren, your spouse, all of those things, you can make their life better and you can
start today.

And then making a better world, whether that's in your local community, in your industry. I know a lot of our members
are deeply involved in their communities and their industry. But even society as a whole, I hate to say it, just being a little
bit more positive, a little more friendly, that helps society as a whole, but it could be bigger things and greater things. But
see if you can find your three pillars of purpose, very much like the four-legged stool we started our 10 things with. Having
that three-legged stool of purpose is very important as well.

The next thing I want to talk about is passion. I can just tell you it's great to live life with passion, and it's great to do what
you're passionate about. And I've been so fortunate my whole career to always love what I did and to be able to have a
passion for it. And I know some people aren't as passionate, so I encourage each of you to find your passion. And that
doesn't necessarily mean leaving the job you're doing to go do something else. If you're not that passionate, there is
passion in your job. You just have to find it. I hate to say it, some of our children seem to go from job to job, and they
always complain, and the grass is always greener somewhere. But no, when they get there, the grass isn't greener. You've
got to find your passion where you are. And there is passion to be had there.

I mean, construction is the greatest industry. We build the infrastructure of society's life, the places you learn, eat, do
things, travel on. All of this is built in construction. And how we do it is key. The quality we put in it, the care we put in it,
the relationships we establish in doing it, the safety we bring to our people. And probably finally, and most importantly,
is the pride for these things that we've done. And boy, if you can't find passion in any of that, you need to do some soul
searching. So work isn't life. Find your passion, find your purpose, go out there and have a great life.

Dennis Engelbrecht, one last time, Digging Deeper.