Gary Kunath - Mastering Life Balance: How to Achieve Greatness at Home & Work

Men, if you're ready to reclaim your edge, listen up. I used to be held back by constant bathroom trips with multiple wake-ups during my sleep and looking for restrooms whenever I was out. Then I discovered better man. After just two months, I started experiencing fewer trips to the bathroom, less urge to go, and I even slept through some nights. I feel a noticeable boost in my overall well-being. And sexual stamina, it gives me the freedom and confidence to live life on my terms. Betterman is clinically tested and trusted by thousands of men over 25 years. Ready to take back control? Go to Bebetternow.com to order your supply today. That's Bebetternow.com. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Use this directive. Individual results may vary. Welcome to the Exit Coach radio show, the show for baby boomer business owners who are looking for cutting edge information as they plan their 3 to 10 year business succession and exit. Every week we interview top professional advisors for. Their best tips, strategies, and precautions so you can be well planned. And don't miss our one minute exit coach tip of the day on exitcoachradio.com. And now here's your host, the exit coach, Bill Black. Everyone, thanks for joining us. I appreciate you you taking the time to listen in. We're gonna have an exciting show today. We have 3 very, very good guests, and we're gonna talk about some interesting topics. Our first guest is Gary Kuni, and we're gonna talk about uh how he from as a CEO of GMKK Holdings. Um, Gary speaks to major companies and universities on mastering life balance, and we're going to talk about how to achieve greatness at home and at work. Uh, Gary's written a book called Life Don't Miss It, um, and we're going to learn more about that. So let's get right into it. Gary, welcome to the show and thanks for joining us this morning. Thanks Bill, happy to be here. Gary, uh, you're, you're a visage speaker, right? So you talk to a lot of business owners, a lot of different groups, and for those of our audience that don't know Visage is a worldwide organization of business owners and leaders. So as a visage speaker, uh, you go in and talk to business owners and, uh, how receptive are they or how out of, let me ask you this how out of balance do most people feel right now? Well, you know, there's, it's interesting if you look at the research, uh, in corporate America, um, the latest research out of the Families and Work Life Institute, 70% of the people, employees said they would trade promotions and pay increases for family well-being, um. There's only 14% of the people in North America take vacations of two weeks or longer, and if you look at the stats from Monster.com, 42% of the workers change jobs due to stress, and last year there was 577 million unused vacation days. So what I, what I'd like to stress, Bill, is beyond visage. Um, I speak at executive education programs and I'm a faculty member at some very prestigious, uh, executive at programs like, uh, for Procter and Gamble, uh, Marriott, um, uh, Motorola, and, and I see senior execs and business professionals literally from all over the world and, and if you're a leader. This concerns you because the people are your only competitive advantage, sustainable competitive advantage, and it concerns you because you, you're going to have to do something different today because what people value today and what motivates them is very different than what it used to be. Now, also if you're a leader, uh, it's important to get your life right. Um, how can you lead me if you can't lead you? So this is a, a very, very, uh, top of mind topic for business leaders today, not only for their own companies and their own employee and family well. Being but for themselves as well. Well, it makes a lot of sense. I mean, let's face it, over the last many years, let's say the last decade especially, middle managers and upper managers have been forced to do a lot more because of layoffs or right sizing or technology or different, different aspects. So this is not a brand new topic, but it's gotten more urgent, hasn't it, over the last few years because of some of these issues? Yeah, for sure. I mean, listen, if, if, and I'm a big believer in this. I'm not, you know, I don't just speak on this. I, I got into this really based on my own experiences as a CEO of other businesses. I mean, um, you know, I own and involved with the uh professional baseball teams. Um, we, one of my companies, uh, makes all the, um, mouthware, high performance mouthware for Under Armour, um, you know, so I. Applied these tactics to my own life because there was a time in my life, Bill, when I really thought professional well-being drives personal well-being. I really thought that, you know, if I could be the CEO, if I could be the VP, if I could get that director job, uh, or if I could make that bunch of money, that net worth was the key to life worth, so I really focused on that, and I'm not alone. Many people do. The problem was. That when I achieved that, I found out that nothing could be further from the truth. Professional well-being does not drive personal well-being. It's actually the other way around. The things I thought were going to make me happy didn't make me happy at all. The things I focused on that I thought, geez, if I had high net worth, I would be perfect. If I had a million dollars, my life would be perfect. Well, you know what? All that does is buy you convenience. The truth be told. When I focused on getting my personal life right, because it, it did, it did have a cost on my life and it's had a cost on a lot of executives and business professionals, you know, they. They know that net worth versus life worth is a key equation that sometimes you can get mixed up with and it's not that net worth is bad, but it is, it is a very uh uh attractive spin cycle you can get into and, and when you sacrifice life worth at the expense of net worth, that's when it becomes a problem. I don't think net worth is bad at all. But I learned the hard way that um it the real secret is personal well-being drives professional well-being when my life was right I was a better entrepreneur, better CEO, better leader better father, better innovator, better everything and that's what's resonating with companies today. Well, it's, it's unfortunate you had to go through that, but we get to learn from that. And, and out of that you wrote a book called Life Don't miss it, and we're going to get to that in just a second, Gary, but tell me about how you relayed the story to me about how the second in command of Cisco Systems read your book and asked you to build a seminar for him to support his initiative on bringing humanity back to business. Yeah, actually that I, I was planning on doing that anyway because uh my first business was, uh, the Summit Group which I founded which was ended up growing to be the number one sales training company in the world, so I was planning on doing that anyway, but he kind of gave me the, the kick in the pants I needed to kind of escalate the timetable on it. But yeah, the second in command read my book. Um, because, uh, another executive had endorsed my book on the cover and he had a big initiative. It, it had a big effect on him, and he had a major initiative about bringing humanity back to the business and, and, and the key here, Bill, is this, this is really what a lot of these companies are doing they're they're trying to bring humanity back to the business or they have business initiatives around health and wellness family well-being, employee wellbeing, um, creating a winning culture. Everything surrounding people and, and he recognized that, you know, great people to attract and retain the very best people, you have to care as much about them when they leave your building as you do when they arrive in your building. And that's really what people today are looking for. That's what they want. That's why 70%. Of those surveyed would trade pay and promotional increases for family well-being. So if this is what they want and you're going to lead the best of the best, then you had better be in tune with ways to give them what they want and that's what the second in command has done. So now I built a 3 hour seminar, 2 to 3 hour seminar. And we do it now at Cisco. We do it in their new hire program, their executive development program, their leadership program, and it's not just at Cisco. This has been catching fire. It's now been installed at Google. Google does it. Eminem Mars, Mary. Yeah and international, I mean the list goes on and on. It is a hot topic. And I'm happy to do it because it really changes lives and it changes the relationship that the employees have with their employer and vice versa. They really, they really consider it a gift that that the employer cares enough about me that he's giving me a way to not only make a living but to how to have a great life. I mean, why would you even make a living if it's not to have a great life and sometimes we forget that last part. Yeah, well, that's true, but I'm curious about the statement of bringing humanity back to work, and I, I, I understand that that some companies may have felt like they've lost touch, employees may have felt like they've lost touch. I've seen a resurgence of values certainly in a lot of companies. What does that look like? What does a humanity bringing humanity back to work look like? Where does it start? Well, it, it certainly starts with the leadership of the company, um, being authentic, being authentic leaders, caring about these people as people and not as. Assets and I'm not saying every company does that a lot of them are are endeavoring to do it better than they have. But frankly, companies are running out of tricks. I mean, there's no, how do you elevate and bring back emotional loyalty into the workforce? How do you do that? By giving them more money? Well, they can't give them more money. By giving them more promotion. Well, there's not, there's not many places to go. And when the people are telling you, what matters to me is having a great life, having a good family, um, having time to enjoy my life and, and the fruits of what I've earned here, and, and an employer that says, you know what? I'm gonna stand by you and help you do that. That's why you see all kinds of programs and companies getting involved in life changing things like Habitat for Humanity and a lot of community oriented services, um, so it, it really starts within the fabric of the leadership. And taking that and showing the people, the employees who come in every day that they, they, they matter more than just a normal. Uh, employee that that they're people with lives that matter that are important and and to the and now I'll give you an example uh Bill I mean we've applied these concepts how to master life balance we've made that pre prevalence and created in our culture and our businesses um that's how we've driven our business, all of them and then we've gotten. World class results. I mean, the training company I had was #1 in the world as rated, um, uh, the mouthguard company, the high performance mouthguard company where we do Under Armour, high performance mouthware was just ranked in the top, top 10 most innovative companies in sports in the last 100 years. Our baseball teams were in the top 10, um, of the best customer service companies in North America. Listen, it's all about people and where people are headed now. You need to be ahead of that curve. So the program I do, mastering life balance, how to achieve greatness at home and at work is really been an important vehicle for these companies to demonstrate and not just talk, but demonstrate that their people matter because here we care so much about you. We're showing you how you can elevate and maximize the joy and contentment in your life. And you know what? And I, I gotta tell you, it's. It's easy to sit back and maybe look at this and say oh you're talking about happiness enjoying contentment and uh you know in in your employees' lives I mean is that really a good thing or or is it just a feel good thing? What's the ROI on it and the fact is the research shows that companies who focus on this and the people who focus on this, the companies get greater natural productivity of people, they get higher quality of work they. They, uh, uh, give them uh lower stress levels. They elevate the emotional loyalty these people have with their, with their employer, which is huge, and personally, it's uh gives you people who have mastered and elevated joy and contentment in their lives, they get higher income, uh, results. They have more satisfying longer marriages, a richer social interactions, they're more creative, they're more innovative. The research is in you cannot refute. That creating a work environment that elevates the joy, contentment, and happiness of your people comes back to you fourfold in terms of results and in terms of how the employees feel about working for you. Well, there's certainly companies out there that that put their money where their mouth is like Chick fil A that closes on Sundays for their employees and say, this is your family day, right? They're, but on the other side of the coin. I'm sorry. SAS would be another one. They're always rated the number one company, best company to work for. On the other side of the coin, we're seeing a shift, let's say during the holiday season of more and more employers opening up on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and taking back from their employees family harmony and those types of things. So there's a real, uh, there's two sides of the coin here. Not many companies put their money where their mouth is, but how, how do you, uh, what are some of the things that our listeners that are owners of small and medium sized businesses say? What are some of the basic building blocks that they can do to help employees feel like they care about their work life imbalance? Well, uh, it's interesting you say that because the American Psychology Association cites 48% of all employees say their employers don't value a good work-life balance. So what you're saying is true and the employees are seeing it. I think what I would say that the smaller business owners or any business leader, I would say first of all you have to recognize that that people are your only sustainable competitive advantage. It's not your product, it's not your price and it's not your brand. I can guarantee you you've lost sales when you've had the best brand or best price or best product and you've lost sales to somebody who beat you it is your people and, and, and make no bones about that. The companies who focus on that always are the ones that win. Secondly, I would say. You have to recognize that what people want is they want life harmony, they want life balance. They, they don't want to, to work for an employer who says, hey, let's have a conference call at 6 p.m. on a Friday, or why don't you fly out, uh, for that meeting on Monday? Why don't you fly out Saturday because the airfares are cheaper? I mean, they don't want that. You have to be considerate. You have to turn around and say, hey, is your daughter's, is your daughter's. on Friday, uh, at, at 3, you better go. You need to knock off early. You need to go. I want to show them that they you care as much about them when they leave the company or when they leave the building as when they arrive and be authentic about it. Now there are things you can physically do, but that's why a lot of these companies are actually inserting my seminar and I'm, you know, into their into their, um, offering to the employees because when they bring their people in for training. It's usually just for them, the company benefits, but, but this is the first time they can hand them something that is truly for the employee to make their life better to say we, we care about your life and we wanna have the best life because we know if you have the best life then you're gonna be the best employee so I would say authentic. Um, authentic caring about the people recognizing they are your most and only sustainable competitive asset and competitive advantage, and then making an understanding that their lives outside of the business to them matters far more than the life inside the business. And what can you do? What can you do to reconnect them with their lives and make their lives outside better because once you do that, they will, they will walk through walls for you. They they'll pay you back with and with technology these days, of course, a lot of positions, not everybody, but a lot of positions, you could say, hey, I know your son has an important baseball game today. Take, take the afternoon off, but you know, but you know, and then the the employee will, if they're good. we'll have that report done that they had to get done anyways. They'll they'll they'll like you said, they'll move mountains for you in response for that. So what you're saying is something we say a lot is that your, your best assets go home every night and I like what you're saying about that, Gary. No, you're, you're 100% right about that, and you bring up a good point on technology because another piece of the puzzle is. You know, I used to be a workaholic, but now I'm a workafrolic, OK? I have fun in everything I do. So what happens when these, these bosses say, oh yeah, go knock off early and, and then they give them 40 emails on Saturday night. Listen, are you kidding me? Are you really kidding me? And, and you feel compelled to have to respond. So the other thing I would say is shut it down. I mean, shut it down when it's Friday, Sunday. That's your people's time. Shut it down. If nothing is so urgent that it can't wait till Monday. And if it is, make it an exception and not the rule. Great point. Tell us a little bit about your book here. It's called Life Don't miss it, and then there, there's parenthesis here that say I almost did, and I don't know if that's part of the title, or are you telling me that that you that is actually that is part of the title and you know, interestingly enough, when I used to I used to do keynotes on business, you know, for companies all over the world and when what happened for me personally was I, I focused on the wrong things in life as I had mentioned and I knew I had to redesign my life or it would. It and I, I, I did that and I found out that it was a remarkable transformation of me and my life and what I enjoy now and how I enjoy it. And I used to add a couple of slides to end my keynote talks and listen, I've given you stuff for your professional well-being. I wanna give you just a couple of things for your personal well-being and it was interesting because. Unequivocally, the people had the most interest in the last two slides about how to have a great life than they did in the other stuff. And the other stuff was pretty good. So they would say, give us more, tell us more. Can you write a book? So I actually did write a book. And so I wrote a book, uh, specifically, uh, on how to have the best, how to maximize the joy and contentment in your life. How to elevate the happiness in your life, and I did it by looking at my own life where I had really misfocused. Then I, because I spoke and had contact with thousands, literally thousands of business professionals and executives, and some had their lives right. Some were circling the drain, some knew they needed to get out and reevaluate and redesign their lives, but didn't know how. So then I went and said, OK, so let's take a look. When was I the happiness, the happiness? And I identified the top 10 things, and then I decided, let me look at the science of happiness as well, because I don't want people to think I made this up in my basement after a 6 pack of Corona. I wanted them to say, look, this guy has got something, and I wanted to validate it with with science. So I wrote a book that now says, here are the top, what I call my, my top 10 points of life. And they're all backed by science because Uh, 50% of our happiness is derived from intentional activity, meaning there are literally things you can do to elevate the happiness during contentment in your life. So I identified what those things are and I shared with people in the book and now in the seminar, how to, what those are and how to apply them and incorporate them into your life. And that's what that book's about. And the reason I have a parenthesis said I almost missed it is because if I, if life didn't give me a creative whack in the head. I would be plowing through life on that same path. And, you know, when you climb the mountain, you know, when you, when you think, uh, having a high net worth is the answer, and you climb that mountain and you get there and you look around and your climbing team is dead and their bodies are strewn all over the mountain, you really realize and you have no one to share it with, you realize that maybe I focused on the wrong stuff. And I fortunately figured it out way, way early in life, and some don't ever. Figure it out. I mean it's it's amazing. So one of the one thing I'll I'll mention to you just to back that up is that uh there was a recent study done of over 2000 hospice nurses and uh the hospice nurses identified the top 5 regrets of the dying, top 5, and one was I, I wished I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not expected of me. I wished I hadn't worked so hard. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. I wish I'd let myself be happier. I mean, there's no do-over card. These guys are going out that way, and I said, that ain't gonna be me. Well, I'm, I'm really happy you joined us today, and I'm happy to let our listeners know about the book called Don't miss it. It's available on Amazon and Gary, you're available for speaking engagements and people can get in touch with you. I understand your website, which is Gary Kuni G A R Y K U N A T H.com. Did I get that right? Yes, you sure did, Bill and thank you for the plug. Well, it's a pleasure to share time with you today. I'd love to talk to you again and go deeper into this topic at another time, but unfortunately we're out of time for today. So thanks for joining us. I really appreciate it. My my pleasure thank you. We're gonna take a short break, we'll be right back with another guest, so please stay with us and uh give us about 2 minutes here, we'll be right back. Just thinking about what will happen to your business if you're gone keep you awake at night? Will you get the price you need from your business to carry you through retirement? The BEI Network of Exit Planning Professions is the world's leading advisor network with the power to help business owners transition out of business on their own timeline and terms. Ask your most trusted advisor to create a BEI plan for you, or visit us at exitplanning.com. That's exitplanning.com. You're listening to Exit Coachradio.com, the information station for age 50 plus business owners, where we're interviewing top advisors for their best tips, ideas, and precautions so you can be well planned. We upload new one minute tips every day. Exitcoachradio.com. Come listen for a minute. Thank you for listening to Exit Coach Radio. Men, if you're ready to reclaim your edge, listen up. I used to be held back by constant bathroom trips with multiple wake-ups during my sleep and looking for restrooms whenever I was out. Then I discovered better man. After just two months, I started experiencing fewer trips to the bathroom, less urge to go, and I even slept through some nights. I feel a noticeable boost to my overall well-being, even. Sexual stamina. It gives me the freedom and confidence to live life on my terms. Betterman is clinically tested and trusted by thousands of men over 25 years. Ready to take back control? Go to Bebetternow.com to order your supply today. That's Bebetternow.com. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Use as directed. Individual results may vary.