Blog Articles about Balance
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February 02, 2010
It isn’t you.
Some people just make you feel uncomfortable. Some people make almost everyone feel uncomfortable. These people thrive on chaos. You probably know some people like this—probably in senior roles. I have several clients like this. I used to worry about it. I don’t now. I recognize it is not about my ability to coach. It is about this person’s style.
Some people gain power, stay personally protected, and get results by knocking other people off balance in conversation. It is a habit they have honed and perfected over time. It is a habit that works for them.
The only way to deal with someone like this is to recognize it and then not let it bother you. Period. That’s all you can do.
How do you recognize it? Notice if you leave almost every interaction with this person feeling somehow inadequate yourself. Ask others if they have the same experience with this person. If the answer is “yes”, it isn’t you.
September 23, 2009
My next challenge. Do I have the courage?
I have started writing a book and truth be known, I am dabbling. I am running a business, enjoying my family and meeting my personal needs (hanging with friends and getting some exercise). I am walking the talk. I am balanced.
There is one hitch—writing a book is not something you dabble at. You write a little. You edit a lot. You write a little more. You edit a whole lot more. You look at what you wrote and you think,
“Is that it? All that time and that’s it?” I had no idea how much work it was.
That said, I am happy. I am enjoying writing and I want to write more.
I often tell my clients that careers are more like a set of stairs than a hill. You have periods of great growth and then periods of plateaus. I am perched right now on a plateau about to step up to a period of growth.
To really get growth, I need to scale back other things and just write. I need to take that step off the plateau and up that next riser.
Will I have the courage?
I did it five years ago and I will do it again. My next step up. I just have to figure out how.
August 21, 2009
Leave your watch at home.
I was leaving for my annual three week vacation and Claire, an IMPACT coach, wished me a good holiday and asked rhetorically,
“I wonder if you will come back and be philosophical like you were last year?”
Well the answer is, “Yes.” I am sitting in the cottage feeling philosophical so I thought I would write about it.
December 15, 2008
A Holiday Gift from IMPACT
What can we at IMPACT give you for the holidays? How about time and perspective? Wouldn't that be nice? IMPACT can't give you these things but we can help you get them.
October 28, 2008
A Bad Economy is Good
Why? A down economy drives a lot of really good decisions. We are all tightening our belts. Our priorities shift. Things we thought were so important a month ago suddenly seem unimportant. For many, the shift is towards things that have lasting value and away from things that provide fleeting satisfaction. We take more time to enjoy that great glass of wine. Suddenly it seems more important to savour every sip. We delay purchases to focus on what we already have. A good wash and tune up and that old car still gets us to where we want to go in style. We spend more time having family dinners and less time in fancy restaurants.
These shifts are good for us personally and professionally.
September 07, 2008
We should all be independently wealthy. Don’t you think?
I just came back from an extended holiday at the cottage. After weeks of sleeping in, reading the paper cover to cover, playing "Crazy Eights" with our kids, who wants to go back to work? Not me.
And I love what I do.
What's the point? Two points. One, coming back from holidays is hard even when you like what you do. Two, few of us are independently wealthy (unfortunately) but we should all act like we are.
March 06, 2008
Women Are Different.
Seems obvious. If organizations can work from this assumption, they can help life at work will be more effective for all women.
I met with one of my clients today and we had a discussion about women and how they are different. We talked about her work and her life and we talked about a friend of hers who she thinks is having real difficulties at work. I will share three stories. First there is the story of this woman. Second, I'll tell her friend's story. The last story is another client of mine.
My client has never agonized over work/life balance. She loves her kids. She loves her work. She travels quite a bit and works long hours. On the weekends she doesn't work and she enjoys her husband and family. She has continued to move up but not agressively. She recently made a decision to go for the "big job".
The second woman (her friend) just had a baby. This woman does not apear to be motivated by work right now. She is becoming impatient with her staff. She is not on top of her work. In the past, she has been outstanding with staff and her work has always been exceptional.
The third story is about a woman in her 50s. Not married. No kids. She questioning if she really still enjoys what she does. She has held many "big jobs". She is quite successful but is considering a complete career change.
What ties all of this together? Two things.
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