Keys for Balancing Work and Life

We have all had the experience of working to finish an important assignment when the phone rings and the school nurse says that we must pick up our child from school. You are lucky if you can get your spouse to pick them up or have a relative that can stop what they are doing to help, but many of us are not fortunate enough to have that kind of support system. Thus we struggle with balancing work responsibilities with family responsibilities.

Recently, I read a story about Alan. Alan was told that he was going to be taking over his boss's job who had recently quit because of health reasons. They kept promising him that they would come down from the corporate office to meet regarding the job. In the mean time, he was doing his job as well as his boss's job hoping for the reward of the promotion and possible bonus pay. He was working late and on weekends and sacrificing family responsibilities just to keep the office running. He even started avoiding his wife at home because he did not want to listen to her complain about his long hours. Remarkably, he kept this up for eighteen months before the corporate office finally met with him, but not before the stress nearly led him to attempt suicide and drove him to drugs to help keep up the pace. Most Life Work Imbalances are not this extreme, but it can lead to similar results.

Good Employees Are Driven

The number one quality that employers want in an employee is DRIVE--whether they know it or not.

I recently read an article that stated that "drive" was the number one characteristic that companies look for in employees. This caused me to look back over my work experience. I realized that I was driven in some jobs, but not so driven in others. Analyzing why, I decided that personal interest in the work and confidence in my ability to do the job were my two determining factors for being driven at work. I can see from my own experience that when I showed drive, I was more successful and more satisfied with my job. Employers desire to see their employees driven to advance themselves and the company. If you are not satisfied at work or are not advancing in the job, examine your drive--you may need to step it up.

Good Employees Keep Developing

Employee Development is defined as a process where the employee, usually with the support of the employer, undertakes in training programs and procedures to enhance existing skills and to acquire new knowledge and skills.

In the competitive marketplace, employers are searching for the most talented employees. Knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced workers are "gold" to companies. It is not enough for a person to get a job, they must keep the job. Employee development is one of the most important aspects of Employeeship. 

Turn Your Job Into a Career

Are you working in a job because you must or are you working in a career that you love?

You may know the answer to this question immediately, or you may wonder the difference between jobs and careers. The dictionary defines a career as an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress, while a job is a paid position of regular employment. People work jobs just to make money, people work in careers to advance in status, importance, and financial rewards. People take jobs because they need them, people pursue careers to provide much more than basic needs. The difference for some is small, but for others the difference is very significant. The difference lies in motive and opportunity.

Working on Tasks You Don't Like To Do

The difference between tasks you like to do and tasks you do not like to do is your attitude.

Have you ever bagged potatoes? 

I worked in a grocery store where bagging potatoes was a daily task. Everyone hated to bag potatoes. The first day on the job, I was trained on how to bag potatoes. The potatoes came from the warehouse in huge 100 pound bags. The bags were heavy enough, but they were also bulky and hard to grab. The potatoes were dumped into the "bagger" which held 4 or 5 hundred pounds of potatoes. From the bagger, we would weigh out 5 and 10 pound bags, staple them closed, then stack them in the stock room for later use.

"Professionalism" Helps You Succeed

Professionalism in the workplace is important for success.

"Professionalism" or "being professional" is difficult to define. Years ago, I worked for a small nonprofit organization. The director's wife, who was also the treasurer, told the receptionist not to bring her infant daughter to the office because it was "unprofessional." While she was telling her not to bring her daughter to the office, the treasurer's poodle was running around the office like she owned the place. To me, having an infant child in the office is no more unprofessional than having a dog running through the office. That being said, "professionalism" does make a difference, so it needs to be understood and that the leaders (owners and managers) have the final say about professionalism.

BR: The 8th Habit

Book Review: The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness (1989)

Please add this book to your development library.

 Stephen Covey follows his best selling book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by naming a 8th Habit. Covey wrote the 8th Habit to address changes in the world that took place in the 15 years after he wrote the 7 Habits. Coincidentally, the 7 Habits was released the same year that the Berlin Wall fell (1989). In 1989, the internet was in its adolescence and people were just beginning to use email.