- Will Smith, reflecting on leadership and work-life balance, shares a lesson from his company CEO on emotional check-ins at work. “There’s always a red [light],” Smith says. “And you know, when somebody says they’re red to start the meeting, that’s probably not the time to correct them on something they did wrong yesterday.”
Will Smith spent decades building an image of resilience and leadership, only to see it upended in seconds at the 2022 Oscars when he slapped Chris Rock onstage. The moment overshadowed his Best Actor win and sent shockwaves through Hollywood. In the years since, Smith has sought to rebuild, and as he prepares to release Based on a True Story, his first solo album in 20 years, he is also sharing lessons on leadership and balance—insights shaped not just by personal reflection, but by the people he has kept around him.
In a recent conversation with author and podcaster Jay Shetty at Web Summit Qatar, the actor and entrepreneur shared a leadership lesson he learned not from Hollywood, but from the CEO of his company Westbrook—a simple yet effective way to check in on employees at the start of meetings.
The technique is straightforward: Before diving into business, Westbrook boss Kosaku Yada asks each team member to rate their emotional state as green, yellow, or red—no explanations required.
“There’s always a red,” Smith said. “And you know, when somebody says they’re red to start the meeting, that’s probably not the time to correct them on something they did wrong yesterday.”
The practice, he explained, helps leaders remain attuned to the personal challenges their employees may be facing—whether it’s a divorce, a health scare, or the loss of a loved one.
And he says it serves as a reminder that businesses thrive not just on ideas, but on the well-being of the people behind them. “The greatest idea in the world isn’t going to go by itself,” Smith said. “It’s going to go based on the quality of the team and the relationships and interactions with the people.”
Will Smith’s tip for conquering work-life balance
This philosophy extends beyond boardrooms and film sets. Smith, whose career spans blockbuster films such as Men In Black and I Am Legend, plus ventures in media and business, believes that work-life balance isn’t a matter of dividing time between two competing forces.
Instead, he argues, true balance comes from aligning one’s values across both domains.
“A work-life balance is impossible if you don’t align your values,” he said. “It can’t be ‘kill or be killed’ at work and then you come home and play games with your kids the same way. It has to be about people—at work and at home. Otherwise, it’s unsustainable.”
Read more from Fortune
Smith admitted that early in his career, his relentless drive sometimes caused him to lose sight of the human element.
“I was pushing so hard that I lost my attention on the people I was working with,” he said.
“I lost a little bit of my attention on the fact that people have families, lives, and difficulties.”
He pointed to the green-yellow-red check-in as an example of how organizations—and families—can foster emotional awareness and create a sense of safety.
“Try it at the dinner table,” he urged. “You don’t need to know exactly what’s going on, but it just helps you tune in.”