Why There’s No Such Thing as a Workaholic

This week on Becoming You, your host Suzy Welch continues the series' deep dive into the 16 human values with one of the most misunderstood: Workcentrism, the value of organizing your life around work. It ranks 15 out of 16 for the general population, and it's the only value in the entire Values Bridge inventory with a negative authenticity gap — meaning most people want even less of it, not more. Suzy unpacks why Workcentrism is unique among all the values: it's the one you may not hold, but are still forced to express. She's joined by Tina Doran, SVP of Retail and Commerce at Mastercard, who has Workcentrism as her number-one value, for a conversation about what it actually feels like to build a life around work without apology. Then Suzy sits down with Jennifer Tosti-Kharas of Babson College and Christopher Wong Michaelson of NYU and the University of St. Thomas, co-authors of “Is Your Work Worth It?”, to explore why society equates high Workcentrism with workaholism, why hiring managers reward it even when performance data doesn't back it up, and why the pandemic, quiet quitting, and the shifting economy have all reshaped how we relate to work. As always, Suzy reminds us: values aren't virtues, they're choices — and no one should be judged for the ones they hold.As a Becoming You podcast listener, use code PODCAST for 50% off The Values Bridge. You are always growing and evolving and so are we. Sign up for the ⁠Becoming You newsletter⁠ for fresh new content in one tidy package.Want more Becoming You? Check out the ⁠Becoming You book⁠.You can follow and tag Suzy on:• Instagram: ⁠@suzywelch⁠• Linkedin: ⁠@suzywelch⁠• TikTok: ⁠@suzywelch⁠• YouTube: ⁠@suzywelch_⁠• X: ⁠@SuzyWelch⁠