In a business world driven by deadlines, money, burnout and stress, it may be time for a workplace revolution.
Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, said we need to move beyond defining success by the power and money we gain from careers. Arianna, discussing the inspiration for her new book Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder at a Hearst magazines Q&A session called Master Class on Monday, said the true measure of accomplishment should tap into ourselves, our stress and our strengths.
"The world is changing, we're not in the age where we can mindlessly do our jobs. ... There's no longer the king at top shouting orders," Arianna told host Robbie Myers, editor-in-chief of Elle magazine, in front of an intimate audience at Hearst Tower in Manhattan. "Leadership is much more than a leader in the center of the circle. It's much more about what are really female values: Teamwork, collaboration, flexibility, bringing people together."
Another component of a fulfilling life and career is to let your head hit the pillow, Arianna said. After a health scare in 2007 led her to realize the importance of sleep, she told the audience she wants to spread the word that getting the proper amount of shut-eye is crucial to success -- especially when it comes to workplace performance.
"Sleep is the miracle drug without any side effects -- absolutely everything gets better with sleep," she said. "Imagine how many more glass ceilings we can break through if we're fully awake."
In order to grab the rest we need, we must put ourselves before our devices, Arianna said. If we prioritize checking emails or if we take phones into the bedroom, we can't expect to reap the full benefits of a good night's sleep, she said.
"Look at how careful we are about recharging our smartphones as opposed to our brains," Arianna said. "We need to stop thinking that the last email is more important than we are."
Arianna stressed that success shouldn't depend on accomplishments at work. The most important thing is the legacy we will leave in other aspects of our lives.
"Our eulogies [will] have nothing to do with our resumes -- have you ever heard a eulogy that said 'George was amazing, he increased our market share by one-third?'" she said. "It's all about the other stuff -- how we made people feel, did we make them laugh, what did we mean to our children and our loved ones. We [need] to start running our lives in a way that gives a eulogizer something to work with."
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