The Balancing Act

In today's fast-paced culture, most of us can attest that our personal lives and our business lives overlap. With things like telecommuting or on-premise child care, working environments are structured to allow more overlapping than ever before. Having worked my way up as a woman in business, however, I strive very hard to not let this happen.

As a working mother, I have always maintained reliable help at home and have trained my children from an early age not to make unnecessary calls to me during working hours. I let them know when I have important business plans so they use extra caution when they need to reach me. Communicating how and why you do this to your children can make for great lessons and certainly will add to their own work ethic.

Today I employ a high caliber, professional staff at firstPRO, and I only hire individuals with a proven track record for getting the job done. It is a given that their job is a priority and I don't micro-manage their time. I have complete confidence that my employees will manage their business day productively and fulfill their personal obligations in a responsible way. There are, however, many jobs that require hourly and daily attention with specific hours of operation and contact with the public. In those cases, I discourage the overlapping of business and personal time because so much of the success of the job requires their undivided attention to the task at hand. In these instances, it is important to have concrete rules for how personal interruptions are handled, and they need to be applied across the board and consistently. Hourly workers should be given breaks throughout the day, including a lunch hour, and all personal business should be handled during those times. (Of course, emergencies will arise and there should be a policy as to what constitutes an emergency and what protocol should be.)

At firstPRO, we believe in a balanced life and offering a certain degree of flexibility. Everyone deserves uninterrupted time away from the office, be it weekends or vacations. An organized employee makes arrangements for things to be handled appropriately while they are gone, but depending on their level or position, it may be necessary for someone to reach them regarding a business emergency. It is a good idea to check in once or twice while away, just to determine that all is well. (As a manager and business owner, however, I am always reachable and want to be contacted when important events occur.) It is wise to have continual access to email so that you can respond to questions or situations at your convenience and without interruption.

With the amount of work we face today, the line between work time and personal time will inevitably blur, but maintaining this balance will certainly add to your work ethic. Remember that a bit of personal time during the workday is healthy, but in the end, the workday is for just that ... work.

The Mannerly Meeting

Meetings can provide an opportunity to shine in front of your superiors and your peers, but there has to be a strategic approach in the way you conduct them. One of the most important rules we try to live by at firstPRO is to only call meetings when they are necessary. Our philosophy has always been that whoever is calling the meeting needs something or isn’t happy. That includes your clients, so keep that in mind when they want to meet with you.

When you are the one attending the meeting, there are some important things to remember:
• Always arrive on time, but no more than five minutes before the meeting starts.
• Be well-dressed, and turn your cell phone off.
• Don’t bring food or drink into the meeting unless you know it is appropriate.
• Ask the facilitator where to sit, or be very conscious of any unspoken pecking order or seating arrangements.
• When speaking, address the facilitator.
• Look attentive and participate, and avoid holding your head like you are trying to stay awake.
• Do not look at your Blackberry under the table or read through papers unless they pertain directly to the discussion at hand.
• Do not exit early unless pre-arranged with the facilitator.

A meeting should always have an ultimate goal, whether it is walking away with some ideas to put in place, solving a problem, getting everyone on the same page or communicating sensitive or timely information. If you cannot come up with a goal, the odds are you don’t need the meeting. Otherwise, keep them efficient, brief, and of course, mannerly.