The Third Metric of Success

As we begin a new year, it is a good time to examine new ways of taking care of ourselves and ways in which to make our lives a little simpler.

Arianna Huffington is the founder of the news website “The Huffington Post”.  In 2009, she was named in Forbes first ever list of the Most Influence Women in Media.  She firmly believes that that the workplace must be redefined and that a “third metric” needs to be added to measure success.  Presently, only two measures are used to define success: money and power.  Huffington believes that the third measure should include our well-being, and that this is as important as money and power in how we decipher success.  Her argument is that companies and businesses will be benefit when the wellbeing of their employees becomes a measurement of their success. 

In her blog, Arianna Huffington posted, “We’ve all bought into this definition of success, money and power, and it’s not working . . .  it is not working for anyone.”  She contends that companies are losing billions of dollars each year because of employee absenteeism and stress. She claims that most of this could be prevented by making employee well-being a priority and that this principle is compatible with a company profits.  Most company CEO’s would not agree with Huffington, however women in the workplace are beginning to prove her right.

Saskatoon speaker and author, and member of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame, Betty Ann Heggie has this to say about Huffington’s idea: “In my opinion, Huffington is promoting the addition of the feminine energy values of success (wisdom, empathy, wellness, wonder) to the masculine energy values of money of power.  She predicts it will cause a revolution in the workplace not unlike what happened when women got the vote.  Women can make it happen by starting with themselves and making their health a priority”.    Mary Gordon, founder of Roots of Empathy, describes Huffington’s vision of a third metric as one of “well-being, wisdom, our ability to wonder and to give back”.   These women have all lived the corporate life and all know what it is to crash and burn and fight your way back to normalcy.  Arianna Huffington often tells her own story of exhaustion and hurting herself physically, and about her recovery and continued care through napping, adequate sleep, mindfulness, and self care. 

At a “Third Metric Conference” hosted by Arianna Huffington in June, 2013, the participants noted that many people suffer greatly in the pursuit of money and power.  Most experience frustration, burn-out and ill health rather than true success.  By stepping back and making a conscious decision to make self-care a top priority, success does not have to come at the cost of personal health and well-being.  In fact, if employees pursue well-being, it will be reflected in their work and will result in a more successful workplace.  Isn’t that what those CEO’s mentioned previously want?  It is ironic that by encouraging their employees to look after their physical and mental health, businesses will have a more productive and healthier workforceand yield better results than the present practice.   

 Make it your goal this year to take care of yourself:  get the sleep you need, the peace of mind you long for, the mental and physical health you deserve, laugh every day and enjoy life.  By making your own wellbeing a priority, you will improve the lives of those around you at home and at work.  Make the third metric of success your stepping stone.

 

Making the third metric of success a part of your life . . . it's a good thing!