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Barbara Näf tells you how Ironman’s philosophy can help you in your daily life
11/05/20
Barbara is an Internal Firm Services senior manager, in Zurich. Read on and discover how endurance sports have significantly influenced Barbara’s life:
How do you be well, work well, and how do you strike a good balance?
I like to work hard and play hard, both in my professional and private life. This means, that your well-being needs must be pampered accordingly from time to time. For me, I find balance in doing endurance training. I appreciate the confidence that it builds and the energy that flows while training. These benefits naturally transfer to my life outside of training: they enhance my ability to do my job, rather than something that piles on to my already busy schedule at PwC. I’m a very active person and carry a lot of nervous energy within me, which pushes me to work at a fast pace and get things done. So, in a way, endurance sports have always been part of my DNA. I like participating in the Ironman and that requires a lot of discipline, organisation and planning, but will also reward you for your hard work. There are no shortcuts to receiving success in an Ironman. It forces structure and efficiency and this philosophy spills over into my career, day in, day out. An Ironman also demands respect and if you don’t put in the physical and mental homework, it’ll eat you up. I feel the same about achieving success in business. My job demands long hours, multi-tasking and thinking on my feet. It’s a lot of hard work, but also rewards you with a lot of positive feelings when you see the results. To be well, work well, I therefore use my physical training as a vent. It energises me, it keeps me going at a high pace in all aspects of my life and made me realise a lot of great things thanks to this mindset.
What is your best advice to improve well-being?
We work in a competitive environment and everyone strives for success. But hard work is a two-way street and you will always get back exactly what you put in. Keep that in mind to set the right personal mindset and allow to take time for yourself with no bad conscience whatsoever. There’s always enough work to do at PwC, but if you set your priorities right and take the time to kick back and reset, I’m confident that you will strike that required balance of be well, work well at PwC.
What’s your favourite PwC offering from ‘Be well, work well’ and why?
I love the fact that PwC is creating this culture of well-being. However, this still requires a paradigm shift of our leaders to promote and live this culture. I believe that if the individual is content, this has enormous effects for the respective teams and in turn for the company as a whole. For me personally, the ‘Improve your resilience’ training led by Michka Guerrier and Greg Wootton was a great offering. I’ve already participated in this training twice and it really resonated with me. Also, the ‘Thank you’ cards were a great initiative and I made use of them to thank the people I have worked with in the last year.
What empowers you?
Endurance sports have significantly influenced my life. No matter what obstacles or challenges life throws at me, I rise and grind. With the job that I have, I hold several different positions on any given day and sometimes this can be too much. Furthermore, I’ll always find a way to do something good for my mind and body each day.
What’s your tip for others in the current COVID-19 situation?
Stick to a schedule. If you don’t have an 8.2-hour day, it’s not a bad thing. Just get into a routine, be as productive as you possibly can and plan something to look forward to at the end of the workday. For those of us working from home with their significant other – try and get up at the same time every day and always make your bed! Try to work in separate rooms to create a space that is yours. Keep taking turns making lunch but have breaks together and chat about non-work topics.
What's your favorite PwC value and why?
All the values resonate with me. But my personal favourite is ‘Work together’. That’s because I like to surround myself with people that are on the same mission as I am. I believe that by joining forces we are able to achieve the best results. PwC has so much to offer and we have so many talented stars amongst us that we should live and breathe collaboration day after day. By working together, we not only foster interdisciplinary teamwork and forge valuable relationships, but also benefit from the strengths of everyone.
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