Jill Schnarr gave up her goal to achieve a satisfactory work-life balance several years ago. It was impossible to keep work from encroaching on her personal life, and just as challenging to keep her home life out of the office. She couldn't be happier with her decision to stop fighting that battle.
"I used to think it was either/or, that work and personal life were separate, and it was up to me to find balance," said Schnarr, Telus vice-president of community affairs. "Now, I think about work-life harmony."
Schnarr has worked with Telus for more than 20 years, advancing through the ranks from customer service manager with then-BC Tel Mobility Services to her current role overseeing community engagement initiatives across Canada. Rapid changes in technology have altered the business of Telus throughout Schnarr's tenure with the company. Technological changes have made it possible for her to achieve the harmony of a blended professional and personal life.
"Technological changes mean it's no longer about face time at the office; it's about performance and what you accomplish," said Schnarr. "This gives life much more flexibility – one doesn't have to suffer because of the other."
As VP of community affairs, Schnarr spends much time blending business with pleasure. She considers herself lucky to hold a job that is all about community and giving back. Adding value into communities across Canada is personally meaningful to Schnarr, and has also become part of Telus' company culture.
"Our community engagement program is much more on the personal side of what I do," said Schnarr. "This is really part of our culture: we have tremendous CEO support, and our retirees and team members are awesome. Last year they gave 565,000 volunteer hours in the communities where they live."
Schnarr is responsible for engaging more than community: she is a facilitator for Telus' Taking the Stage course. The mentoring program is meant to inspire women to step up and lead, with confidence. Through her mentorship of more than 100 participants to date, she has found huge value in meeting personally with the diverse groups of female staffers.
"We talk about common issues like gender inequality, but we talk about how to make things better by addressing issues together," said Schnarr. "Women really do want to work together and support each other."
Schnarr supports making things better through her action- oriented approach to problems. Her first manager at Telus, Al Wilson, forced an "a-ha moment" through his direct style of communication. Schnarr recalls visiting his office on a particularly stressful day during Telus' launch of high-speed Internet and throwing up her hands in the despair of the moment. Wilson had no interest in fixing her crisis.
"Stop bringing me problems, and start bringing me solutions," Schnarr recalled Wilson saying. "Something clicked, and I realized, that's what I'm here for. I became very action-oriented, and I now work on building alternative solutions instead of escalating problems."
These days, Schnarr looks to her family for inspiration. She finds her sons, aged 12 and 13, constantly provide her with fresh insights about the world as they see it, having grown up in the technological age.
"We stop seeing things," said Schnarr, referring to everyday sights of people downtown with outstretched hands and caps. "My son once gave his $40 spending money for a Canucks game to a homeless man. He couldn't understand how someone could not have a home, but he told me that the man needed the money more than he did." Schnarr's influence in supporting communities, and the people in them, has spanned her harmonized life.
Schnarr has a vision to use her celebrated influence to ensure a greater good for all segments of community that Telus supports. Next on her professional bucket list: to inspire a collective local moment to recognize the social challenges that Vancouver faces as a city. She aspires to bring together government, business, non-profits and community and work as a collective to bring some humanitarian relief at a local level.
"It would be amazing to be a catalyst for this local project," said Schnarr. A business leader tuned in to collective power: music to the community's ears.
Five Questions
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
Our cause-marketing campaign Go Pink. With exclusivity for the pink BlackBerry, we donated $25 for each one sold, raising $2.5 million. We raised funds across Canada for mammography machines at local hospitals. The success of this program showed how customers really wanted to be involved in a program with tangible results.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced?
Accepting limitations of a project. Al Wilson helped me to focus on strategy: nail down a plan, and draw the line. Know that you can't do it all, and make clear what will be done and what won't.
What career decisions would you make differently were you starting out today?
I used to think that work and personal life were separate and I needed to achieve a balance. I wouldn't have spent so much energy trying to manage work and life as separate components.
What's one business lesson you'd like to pass on to others?
Telus CEO Darren Entwistle taught me an important lesson about underperforming employees: "You get what you tolerate." This is true in work and personal life – if you settle for this standard, you'll never be happy in your life.
Is it still relevant to focus on the success and role of women in business?
I believe in the power of good leaders, regardless of gender. For collective success, leaders play a role, but they must rely on collaboration across the company.