A different approach to work-life balance
(MoneyWatch)Business owners constantly struggle to create a clear separation between work and "life." But how do you do that when your business is an extension of you?
You will bring work home. You will get calls at night. You will often be preoccupied.
That's how owning a business works.
Many business owners still try hard to create that separation, though. A study by the Corporate Executive Board asked business owners how they think about satisfaction in their business . Maintaining a healthy work-life balance was the biggest factor in how they defined satisfaction, followed by "making customers happy" and "doing what I love."
One of the biggest issues where work-life balance is concerned is the lack of time spent with family. But if feel you don't get to spend enough time with your family, or if your family resents work intrusions, that's not a sign of a work-life imbalance. Your family resents your business at least partly because they don't feel like they're part of something that is a driving force in your life. They may feel neglected, but they also feel left out.
In that case, you have two choices: Pretend to strive for a better work-life balance by drawing symbolic lines in the sand (lines you know you'll eventually cross), or create a better balance between what you do and the people you do it with.
The key is to seize opportunities to include your family, not exclude them. Here's how:
Hire your family. We hope to teach our children our values. What better way for them to learn than by working with you? They'll feel more a part of your business and will better understand why you do the things you do. Time together is time together: the summer I spent helping my dad build a house was the best "quality time" we had. And don't forget the tax breaks.
Take them along on business trips. Would you rather be on a plane alone or with your spouse or child? Sure, you'll have to take care of business, but the trip will still feel like a mini-vacation, at least to them. Help your family appreciate the fact that your business doesn't just take time away from the family; it can also create outings and more time with you.
Good Worklife Case Study - News
A study by the Corporate Executive Board asked business owners how they think about satisfaction in their business. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance was the biggest factor in how they defined satisfaction, followed by "making customers happy"
For example, as I was reading blogs recently, I ran into an entry by Tony Schwartz at Harvard Business Review that recommends using appreciation--good old fashioned positive feedback for a job well done--to build higher performing teams.
But ask Burstein if the money investment and upheaval to his work-life balance was worth it and he gives a confident response: "Definitely. I gained the knowledge and network to grow my business." With the economy still struggling to rebound,
“It doesn't begin happening because the organization sets out to make it happen,” said Rose Stanley, Work Life practice leader at World at Work , a non-profit dedicated to advancing telework. “In many cases we see teleworking and flexible work
As a case study, it might be useful to consider some of the changes we've made. CloudNOW is a non-profit consortium of the leading women in cloud computing, focused on using technology for the overall professional development of women from around the
4 Content Marketing Goals for an Effective Coach Website | Writing ...
Let me give you a great example so that these four goals come alive:
Here’s a screen shot of the newly revised website for ScholzandAssociates.com . Chip Scholz is an executive coach. His previous website was well designed, but it had too much information, in my opinion.
Like other executive coaches, he offers many services: facilitation, assessments, leadership development, speaking and books. The challenge is to present all the services to readers, while maintaining the focus on them and their problems.
I think this site does a good job because it’s about the outcomes and benefits of coaching. It backs that up with case studies from Chip’s clients. It’s brief and to the point:
Notice the headline, Be More Effective in Work and in Life. That is a primary outcome of coaching. So instead of “selling” coaching and trying to explain how coaching works, this home page focus is on what his readers and clients want for themselves.
In the subtitled section, “Is it time to change your strategy?” he further elaborates on the problem: trying harder yet getting the same results.
Then he offers three ways he can help people develop into a leader: through coaching, facilitation and assessments. It’s clear you can click on each one to find out more. Sure, those options are also offered in the navigation bar, but people tend to ignore that and read what’s on the page first.
Chip also makes good use of video. He knows full well that nobody’s going to contact him without first feeling some sort of connection. So the video gives a sampling of what it’s like to see and hear him.
This is just the home page. The subsequent pages have client stories and case studies which further bring to life the work and outcomes of Chip and his business.
Throughout, there are offers to contact by phone, through social media, and his newsletter. To me, this coach site is just right – not too much information, it’s brief, clear and focused on outcomes.