Top executives of companies cannot possibly have a 50-50 work-life balance, believes Anna Lundstrom the CEO of Nespresso coffee in the UK and Ireland. Instead, she favours fluidity and prefers her work to weave its way in and out of her day.
Speaking to Fortune, Lundstrom said she doesn’t think it’s necessarily possible to “switch off” from the top job. “I think when you have this kind of responsibility, of course, you have to always be on. But I quite enjoy that,” she told the publication. “And I think you almost have to enjoy that kind of activity to do this job.”
Last year, Lundstrom became the CEO of the British arm of a coffee conglomerate that manufactures coffee machines and has a retail presence in 81 countries. She moved from Switzerland to London, now currently manages 650 team members, and has formed grand partnerships, including one with Starbucks, Fortune reported.
Her role also means being accountable for hundreds of workers who have needs around the clock, which is why she prefers work-life fluidity.
“I think fluid is a great word,” Lundstrom told the publication, adding that she reaches for her phone as soon as she wakes up. “I think I’d always rather know something than not,” she said explaining why she needs to be always available.
Lundstrom added that although work can be delegated and the right team can tackle tasks while the top executive is not available, she finds joy in being on the pulse of her workforce.
“My biggest fear is externally that the brand isn’t relevant. So that’s why I’m always trying to make sure that we’re continuously moving forward,” she said. "And, internally I would hate to miss something, to not be aware of something or to be tone deaf, you know? So that’s why I’m somebody who likes to be active and actively communicate because I feel like that that feeds me with information.”
The CEO added that for her, having that steady stream of real-time knowledge at her fingertips gives her “more energy than it’s draining.”
Read more: Reddit co-founder says there’s no such thing as perfect work-life balance
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