Friday, 29 March 2013

Balancing Work and Family: James Gerdsen



It is a delicate balancing act trying to split time between a job and family.  James Gerdsen ran into that problem several years ago.  James Gerdsen had just taken over as the CEO of Apollo Heating and Cooling. It was his dream to run a company, to lead a successful team. This was a big responsibility and James Gerdsen didn’t want to disappoint himself, the company, or his family.
Soon, James Gerdsen was spending sixty and seventy hours a week at work.  His family barley saw him. He missed his son’s first steps and first word. Missing these milestones really made him stop and think. He had his priorities wrong. His family had to come first.



James Gerdsen started putting more trust in his employees. When he put more trust in their abilities, they had more confidence in themselves. The confidence was evident as they took on leadership roles and more responsibilities. James Gerdsen had to be there less and less, and eventually was able to just work a regular forty hour work week.

Family is what is important to James Gerdsen, and it shows. He gives his employees the same courtesy in regard to their families. Employees work to provide for their families, but all the hard work seems pointless if they don’t get to see them. Twice a year, James Gerdsen makes sure to throw a big company picnic for all employees and their families.  It has become a tradition. Highlighting family as a value has positively affected the employees because they share James Gerdsen’s sentiments. At his store in Cincinnati, he has several generations of employees working alongside each other. The company has really embraced the idea of family.

No comments:

Post a Comment