IPWS Event Recap

Breakfast Conversation with Emily Chang

IPWS Breakfast Conversations allow a small group of IPWS members to come together to talk about topics that matter for a balanced and successful professional life. This opportunity to learn, share, and build meaningful relationships is held under the guidance of a conversation leader.

For January’s IPWS Breakfast Conversation, we were honored to have Emily Chang, CEO, China at McCann Worldgroup, talk with IPWS members about how we can shift our mindsets to achieve true work-life integration. Emily spoke about the importance of considering work and life together as one instead of seeing them as two distinct entities that compete with each other.

Conversation Notes

As a strategic business leader with 22+ years of experience who is passionate about cross-cultural engagement, authentic people leadership, and defining a social legacy, Emily had many valuable insights that she shared with the IPWS community. Here are just a few of Emily’s pieces of advice:

• You can use all your energy trying to equally balance two different things, or you can do a paradigm shift and consider work and life together as one.
• Shift away from a ‘sacrificing’ mindset. If you feel as if you are sacrificing parts of your work and life (for example, you ‘sacrifice’ a dinner or a meeting to spend time with family), you may soon feel as if someone owes you for making the sacrifice. This sense of feeling as if you are owed something creates stress and frustration. Instead of viewing choices as sacrifices, see them as conscious decisions and gains as part of living a purposeful and intentional life.
• Communicate what you need to have work-life integration. For example, if you need time for a weekly run, schedule and communicate your needs to those around you to make sure it can happen.
• Try to not do too much at once. Emily tries to have no more than 3 big things going on at the same time.
• Know your limits.

Thank you for joining the IPWS Breakfast Conversation, and we look forward to seeing you at our next event!