FAMILY AND FAIRWAY: Carreon is COO, husband, dad and, just as importantly, a golfer

Imagine having the luxury of a well-managed life, devoting time and effort to every aspect of your existence in equal measure — a glorious harmony of earning your keep and delighting in life’s joys. Now, who wouldn’t want that?

Such was one of the topics discussed between this writer and Dustin Carreon one crisp afternoon at Blackbird in Nielson Tower, Makati.

Carreon is NextAsia Land’s chief operating officer, but the title he treasures most these days is that of a “new dad.”

“He (his son, Alfonso Javier) makes me want to go home early. The feeling is different,” Carreon said.

“I’m at the stage where I want to go home. Before, I would go out and have a drink with my friends. Now I just want to stay home and play with my kid.”

That sure scored points with his wife, Annina, who chose to stay at home and leave her career as a copywriter. Especially since Dustin makes it a point to leave the office at 4 p.m. on Thursdays for Alfonso’s “pedia day.”

Much has been said about “work-life balance,” the most overused yet under-practiced phrase among modern workers. It’s a point of view that began in the 1970s with world-weary “Baby Boomers” and has gained even more traction in these post-pandemic times.

But at 32, Carreon appears to embody it.

While he makes it a point not to contact his employees beyond office hours, he encourages them to reach out whenever needed, regardless of whether it’s past 6 p.m. or on weekends.

“For example, when you ask our new employees why they left their previous company, they often say it’s because they were overworked and burned out, working until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m.,” Carreon said.

“I tell them, if you have anything to ask me or tell me, don’t hesitate. One thing that’s okay with me is I manage stress well.”

Perhaps due to generational traits, Carreon even advises his employees on topics outside of business, such as which factors to consider when buying a new car.

He also advises young people in business to “never focus on savings” and instead concentrate on investing — a principle he learned growing up in a Chinese family.

And how does he find time to play his favorite sport these days?

“I play at least once a week on weekends,” said Carreon, who only took up the sport during the pandemic.

“The good thing is I now play with friends who are also starting to raise families. One day, we hope to get our wives and eventually our children to play.”

That’s hitting two birds with one stone: Family and Fairway.

True to the classic golf tale, Carreon was introduced to the game by his father, Cris Carreon, NextAsia Land’s CEO.

“But he plays better than me. Actually, he’s playing golf right now,” Dustin said. The elder Carreon recently scored his fourth hole-in-one at Eagle Ridge, with a handicap of 10 (lowest at 6).

“I told him that if I could score just one hole-in-one, that would be enough,” added Dustin, who currently plays with a handicap of 19.

At the height of the pandemic, Dustin scored big with shares in Orchard. Now, he’s enjoying a value that has nearly multiplied tenfold. “I advised my friends to invest as well, and they’re happy they did. I guess they owe me now,” Dustin said.

Yet one thing about golf that stands out for him is his dad’s advice: “Never talk about business during the 18 holes.”

For him, the golf course is a sacred place for de-stressing, enjoying nature, and the company of like-minded individuals. “You don’t ruin that by discussing business. People tend to make better decisions after the round.”

And speaking of decisions, with plenty on his plate, Dustin embraces the wisdom of conserving the energy he expends every day. “I bring baon (lunch), and that’s up to my wife,” Dustin said.

“I don’t want to be bothered deciding what I would eat or where to eat for lunch. That’s one less decision to make every day.”

Fortunately, Dustin and Annina consider themselves foodies and often embark on road trips to hunt for good eats. Now, Annina has taken up baking. “I come home to find cake,” he said, referring to his wife’s latest specialties, including earl grey cake and milk tea pie. “That’s all from ‘YouTube Academy.’”

That afternoon, the tall, clean-shaven Dustin wore a dress shirt and tie, prompting his staff — seated at a nearby large table — to tease him about looking like a Koreanovela heartthrob.

“I don’t dress like this in the office every day,” Dustin remarked. “I usually wear shirts or golf T-shirts because they are comfortable when I go to the site.”

He takes quick lunches to allow time for a nap, which he considers a reset. “About a 10-minute nap. That’s my complete reset. If I have time, I might even play screen golf for an hour. That’s my de-stresser in the middle of the day,” he said.

“Golf, you can’t take that away from me now. It’s a different kind of sport. Probably the most difficult sport. It involves mental, physical and emotional aspects.”

He used to be big on CrossFit but has found that his recovery time is increasing. In golf, all he has to do to recover is drive home with highlights of his best shots on his mind. “My goal this year is to lower my handicap to at least 15,” Dustin added.

The way this young executive approaches everything — doing well in just about every aspect of his life through perfect balance — he could very well achieve single-digit handicap in no time.

For someone at the sharp end of the “Millennial” workforce, maintaining work-life balance may seem easy when you’re the boss. However, the key to achieving a harmonious relationship between work and personal life lies in managing time, energy, self-care and well-being.

And Dustin does it well.