It is not surprising that this piece in The Age newspaper has resonated with readers. It's surely a salutatory lesson for many.
"As the head of a $2 trillion global investment fund, Mohamed El-Erian had scaled the heights of the financial world and, in the process, garnered a reputation as a world-renowned economic thinker.
But it was a simple conversation with his 10-year-old daughter about brushing her teeth that prompted him to quit his coveted post.
Mr El-Erian, 56, sent shockwaves through the financial world when he announced his resignation as chief executive of global investment firm Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO) in January.
He has since revealed the reason behind his decision: a handwritten note from his young daughter outlining 22 milestones in her life he had missed that year due to his gruelling work schedule.
Mr El-Erain said the list was a "wake-up call" which called into question his priorities as a father. Among the momentous occasions he had missed were her first day at school, her first soccer match, parent-teacher meetings and a Halloween parade.
His daughter handed him the list when he asked her why she had not brushed her teeth despite him asking her to do so multiple times.
"I reminded her that it was not so long ago that she would have immediately responded ... she would have known from my tone of voice that I was serious," Mr El-Erian wrote in an essay for Worth.
Although Mr El-Erian was quitting a job that reportedly netted him $100 million a year, he noted his reasons would resonate with all working parents.
Work-life imbalance, he wrote, is "one of our greatest challenges" and "particularly tough on the more vulnerable members of our population, including single parents and lower-income families".
"As the head of a $2 trillion global investment fund, Mohamed El-Erian had scaled the heights of the financial world and, in the process, garnered a reputation as a world-renowned economic thinker.
But it was a simple conversation with his 10-year-old daughter about brushing her teeth that prompted him to quit his coveted post.
Mr El-Erian, 56, sent shockwaves through the financial world when he announced his resignation as chief executive of global investment firm Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO) in January.
He has since revealed the reason behind his decision: a handwritten note from his young daughter outlining 22 milestones in her life he had missed that year due to his gruelling work schedule.
Mr El-Erain said the list was a "wake-up call" which called into question his priorities as a father. Among the momentous occasions he had missed were her first day at school, her first soccer match, parent-teacher meetings and a Halloween parade.
His daughter handed him the list when he asked her why she had not brushed her teeth despite him asking her to do so multiple times.
"I reminded her that it was not so long ago that she would have immediately responded ... she would have known from my tone of voice that I was serious," Mr El-Erian wrote in an essay for Worth.
Although Mr El-Erian was quitting a job that reportedly netted him $100 million a year, he noted his reasons would resonate with all working parents.
Work-life imbalance, he wrote, is "one of our greatest challenges" and "particularly tough on the more vulnerable members of our population, including single parents and lower-income families".
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