About the book
“The life I’m living isn’t mine”. Frank, a successful engineer, could not get this thought out of his head. He had been moving up the corporate ladder for many years, and had achieved a management position. But the price was high: endless nights at the office, a non-existent social life, a feeling of permanent jetlag. The psychological distress soon expressed itself in physical symptoms: sleeplessness, back pain, unexpected heart complaints. At the very last moment, he pulled the emergency brake, handed in his notice with no new job in sight and took a sabbatical in Australia.
It was not until he went to Australia, and spent time on an isolated farm at the other side of the world, that he finally – literally – found himself. His journey was long and hard. Bravely and honestly, he faced up to his severe lack of social skills and the emptiness that leaving work “cold turkey” had left behind. In his diary he wrote: “Sometimes I feel like real life has just been passing me by”. For the first time ever, working on the farm and as a volunteer in a dolphin centre, he cautiously tried out “real life”, becoming more adventurous as time went on. And he met a great many people who helped him to see the world in a different way.
Six months later a different man returned to Germany and to his field of management consultancy. One thing was certain for him: “I won’t be part of any management whose leadership style causes staff burn-out”. A new corporate culture that respects a work-life balance is required – both for the individual and for society. This is possible. And that is what this book wants to achieve.
