11: On Finding Balance as a Career-Driven Family Man, When Work Takes Priority - Gilles' Story

Gilles Dahan, a former banker and head of global trading, left the finance industry in 2019, and now works as a consultant and entrepreneur. Gilles has always thrived on working hard. Growing up, he was taught that “work is everything”. As a working adult, his career has been the source of his greatest fulfilment. And his “work” has consistently and purposefully dominated his work-life balance. Nonetheless, married with three children, Gilles regards himself as a family man through and through, and he neither feels guilty nor regrets prioritising work in the way that he has done and continues to do. In fact, Gilles feels that he has a work-life balance that is perfect for him. He thrives on his work; it nourishes him, fulfils him, and brings him a sense of contentment and satisfaction that would otherwise be lacking in his life. Not to mention, it enables him to provide for his family. Gilles shared his story on the blog, 'A Fine Balance', in the summer of 2022 where he described some of the strategies and approaches he has taken throughout his long, busy and successful career to make sure that the people – and things – that matter most to him still get the quality, if not the quantity of his time outside of work. At the time, he said the value of his work:life ratio was 80:20. He explained that it works because he is strategic, opportunistic and most importantly flexible. The 80:20 split, he says, “should move around and be flexible so that my family, and especially my children, know that I can always be available when it matters”. I’m delighted to welcome Gilles on the podcast to pick up where we left off and hear more about his take on balancing work with everything else in life. In this episode, as well as discussing finding balance when work takes priority, we touch on how to find purpose in any industry or role, and the influence that being the child of immigrants had on Gilles in establishing his work values.