From Good to Great in 2008
Wow, I can’t believe my last BLOG was posted back in July! I have been super busy myself and focused on other parts of my business and personal life. But now, it’s a new year. I’ve challenged the readers of my e-newsletter to join me in my journey to go from good to great in 2008. I’m raising the bar. I’ve asked readers and clients to share their stories on how they’ve raised the bar in their super busy lives. So, check back here often to read what others are doing and use it to inspire yourself to go from good to great in 2008!
(I like catchey rhymes because it helps me remember things better)
Drop me an email at natalie@nrgcoaching.com with your commitment and actions you’ve taken. Just let me know how you’d like it posted on this BLOG to share with others.
Work? Life? Must we Choose?
Business Week ran an article on June 28, 2007 titled, “WORK? LIFE? MUST WE CHOOSE?”
In essence, this article was about a speech Mike Bloomberg made as he spoke to graduates of City University of the NY College of Staten Island. Mike told these graduates and their familes that…”If you’re the first one in in the morning and the last one to leave at night and you take fewer vacation days and never take a sick day, you will do better than the people who don’t do that. It is very simple.” And he joshingly admitted that the parenting thing wasn’t his bag. He said “I’ve managed to raise two daughters who have turned out very well, thanks to their mother, no thanks to me. …”
In my opinion, this success is geared toward financial gain and more about workaholism than work-life balance. Of course, I’m not earning anywhere near Bloomberg’s earnings, yet I can proudly say that both my husband and I are actively involved in raising our children and doing meaningful work that we mostly enjoy. We live a comfortable life and have a pretty solid marriage.
So, for people like Michael Bloomberg, their strong work ethics combined with innate abilities and passion, are really their idea of success. Even when many of them don’t have to work that hard anymore because they have more money than they and their great- great-grandchildren can spend, they continue working long hours because work gives them an incredible sense of balance and joy.
Bottom line, it’s all about using what you’ve got to leverage the success you define you want. Make choices based on what’s most important to you both today and in your future! Realize that many of the financially successful pay a big price of divorce and lonliness because they lack true meaningful relationships.
That’s my 2 cents worth….do I get change?
Sincerely yours,
Coach Natalie Gahrmann
natalie@nrgcoaching.com
The New Etiquette Tips at Work
I read Penelope Trunk, the Brazen Careerist’s, Ten New Etiquette Tips for the Workplace and found them rather interesting. What was even more forthcoming was the comments reacting to her story. Many felt she thoroughly missed the mark!
I, for one, liked a couple of her tips and felt they could work in some work environments. You really need to know the culture and norms before incorporating all of these tips into your workplace, especially, if you want to keep your job!
You can read all ten of her tips at http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/careerist/40342 and even purchase her book, Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success. This book acknowledges how the rules for success have changed in today’s work environment. Trunk encourages readers to think bigger, act more boldly, and blaze new trails in order to succeed on your own terms.
My favorite tip as a work/life expert who has supported thousands of people to help them better integrate work and life, is her tip #9, Call people on the weekend for work. Not that I don’t value personal time, but I realize that in order to have the flexibilty you need and want during the week, it may be important to let go of the belief that it’s bad to call work colleagues on the weekend because it’s an intrusion of their time. Those who have clear boundaries will let you know that they don’t welcome your call either by telling you or by ignoring your call. If you’re working on an important project or client account and might need their input, let them know that you may be contacting them over the weekend and get their permission ahead of time (you can even find out the best times to reach them!).
The younger people in the workforce grew up being super-connected with their Blackberries, cell phones, instant messaging, and 24/7 access. They often prefer the flexibility of leaving work a little earlier or arrive a little later during the week so that they can focus on other priorities but then catch up for a few hours on the weekend. Note that a work schedule that cordons off five days a week for work and two days a week for a personal life means that the personal life takes a backseat every week of the year.
Trunk’s advice: “The best way to get a life is to stop being so rigid about the distinction between time for work and time for life.”
This is truly something to think about!!
Let me know what you think!
Sincerely yours,
Coach Natalie Gahrmann
natalie@nrgcoaching.com
Annual Employee Satisfaction Results Released
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) released it’s annual survey listing the Top 5 “Very Important” Aspects of Job Satisfaction.
The results….
The Top Five aspects of Job Satisfaction according to the SHRM annual survey were:
-compensation/pay
-benefits
-job security
-flexibility to balance work/life issues
-communication between employees and senior management
How closely do these results mirror your concerns and your place of business??
Best regards,
Coach Natalie Gahrmann
natalie@nrgcoaching.com
Meal Planning for Super Busy Parents
Improving your eating habits needn’t take more time from your super busy schedule. Fact is, most of you are eating anyway (I hope!). So, why not make healthier choices about what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat.
In a follow-up article I found related to the exclusive interview President Bush had with Hannah Storm on CBS last week, our President commented about how young he feels because he commits to rigorous exercise. Bush says that people who claim they’re too busy to exercise regularly really just haven’t chosen exercise as one of their priorities. He said, “I don’t buy that. I think you set priorities in life, and if exercise is one of your priorities, then you do it.”
Bush points out that a fitness culture “starts with families” and said “I exercise a lot because it’s good for my mind and it’s good for my soul.”
Plan your meals in advance so that you make smart choices for yourself and your family. Prepare fresh fruits and vegetables, when possible, but when a quick trip to the produce aisle is just too much in your already too busy schedule, have frozen varieties on hand for a quick delicious and nutritious meal. Avoid the trap of fast food for convenience and save it for just the special treats. But, when it’s the last remaining option (which sometimes happens in super busy lives!!), choose the healthiest options on the menu and avoid extra sauces and condiments that tend to add hollow calories.
Here’s to healthy eating!
Best regards,
Coach Natalie Gahrmann
Priorities even a President makes time for!!
I caught the tail-end of an interview on CBS Early Morning show the other day with Hannah Storm interviewing President Bush. Bush, being a super busy person as the President of the United States, had emphatically managed to incorporate fitness and nutrition into his life. So, I wonder what will it take for everyone else to stop making excuses?
President Bush said, “I think that you set priorities in life. And if exercise is one of your priorities, you’ll figure out time to do it.” We all have different priorities…our family, our work, our education, our spiritual growth, etc. Knowing your priorities will help you fully commit to living them.
I wonder why self-care wouldn’t be a priority to everyone. Without this, we really can’t be our best in any role in our life. We compromise our health and our well-being when we don’t make it a top priority.
Read the full story about President Bush’s interview and his commitment to fitness here.
Be the example for your family that exercise is not only good for them, but essential to their overall performance and well-being. Stop making excuses but make priorities instead!
Sincerely,
Coach Natalie Gahrmann
Father-Friendly Workplaces
This Sunday is Father’s Day in the US and it’s a time when our nation celebrates the contribution that dads make to the future through the way they raise their children.
Fatherhood advocates maintain that widening work/life balance programs to address more of fathers’ needs has payback for both families and employers. In a newsletter posted at the HR Daily Advisor, http://www.newsletterarchive.org/from/HR+Daily+Advisor they share timely tips for father-friendly workplaces.
The National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI), an organization dedicated to promoting greater involvement of fathers in family life, promotes involvement of fathers in raising healthy children. A report on their website indicates that children with involved fathers perform better on almost every measure, including higher self-esteem, higher grades, lower drug and alcohol use. And, according to another report, fathers indeed want to be more involved. In fact, they say that 7 of 10 fathers say they would take a pay cut if it meant that they could spend more time with their families. That’s a pretty whopping number!
Unfortunately, working fathers are reluctant to take more time off because they often don’t see the work/life programs (when they exist) as relevant to them and they get in their own way with their attitude. Many dads still operate under the old classic model of the father as the breadwinner while mom is at home caring for their children. And, today, this model is clearly no longer valid due to the growing number of mothers in the workforce and women as breadwinners for their families.
According to a study done by Vanier Institute in Canada, fathers, seeing themselves as family “breadwinners,” do not take advantage of workplace work/life balance programs that may be available, for three reasons: (1) fear of lost wages, (2) fear of losing their jobs or stalling their careers, and (3) guilt that colleagues need to take over for them. What these men and their managers may not realize, says NFI, is that allowing fathers opportunities to take time from work for family reasons is not only good for families, but also for employers.
Here are some suggestions for creating more of a “father-friendly” workplace:
- Allow flexible scheduling so that dads have more control over their schedule, including sometimes where and when they work.
- Communicate policies as family-friendly not for working mothers alone.
- Lead by example. Have executives and senior management serve as role models by participating in programs and actively and visibly supporting from the top.
- Provide education and support to fathers.
- Offer paid paternity leave, to address the issue of fathers fearing loss of income in their breadwinner role.
For more on the National Fatherhood Initiative and to conduct a “Father Friendly Check-Up for Business” on your organization, visit http://www.fatherhood.org/.
Happy Father’s Day!
Warmly,
Coach Natalie Gahrmann
natalie@nrgcoaching.com
Women Leaders Getting Better at Juggling
I read an article yesterday that was published in the Miami Herald. It was in the Balancing Act section and was about how top women business leaders are good at juggling. Although I avoid endorsing juggling as a strategy and opt for rebalancing or integrating instead, the key point that I extracted from the article is about women talking more to each other and sharing solutions. Women today are finding more work/life solutions because we’re supporting each other better!
As women climb the career ladder or start their own business, the importance of having a diverse network of supporters both inside and outside of the workplace increases as does their responsibilities at work. Those who have been most successful at achieving an overall life satisfaction have learned to incorporate effective strategies for enhancing performance and productivity.
Even as women are building businesses and advancing on the career ladder, an ever-increasing number are also achieving work/life balance — A whopping 61 percent of women business leaders interviewed for this article claim they are satisfied with the balance between their career and personal life, up from 51 percent in 2006, according to the 2007 survey released by FIU’s Center for Leadership and The Commonwealth Institute.
Talking with other women and learning about potential strategies that work has helped women adapt effective strategies for better balancing their lives. The universal challenge of findingmore work/life balance is easing as more and more women talk honestly and openly about it and determine creative solutions. As women set more realistic expectations, we they are permitting ourselves to have time for our self and to ask for (and accept) help both inside and outside work, when needed.
Women need to stop hiding behind the facade of being perfect and be real instead. There’s so much more we can learn from each other when we’re open and honest!
From one working mom to many others….
Yours truly,
Coach Natalie Gahrmann
natalie@nrgcoaching.com
Increasing Emphasis on Work/Life Balance is Worldwide
I am constantly on the lookout for trends and stories related to work/life balance. What I find is that this is an issue that spans the globe. It is clearly a global issue. I’ve read about problems faced by employers and employees across the US and in Canada, Australia, India, throughout parts of Europe, and more. Some countries seem to have more policies and support in place than others, yet this is a very broad issue.
In India, I read that there’s an increasing emphasis on work life balance across companies. As a result, human resources are being viewed by most organisations in a more holistic manner. Work life imbalance and stress feed on each other. Happier employees are more productive and more loyal. Flexible working opportunities and a platform for employees to maintain a healthy balance between work and home benefit everyone. Having an engaged employee is largely dependant on the ability of the organisation to keep pace with changing employee expectations and providing a platform to strike that perfect balance.
This is no different from anywhere else….or is it?
Yours truly,
Coach Natalie Gahrmann
What’s on Your Plate?
I’ve taken 3 months off from Blogging because I had too much on my plate. Now that things are winding down with the extra commitments I’ve taken on due to my daughter getting a role in a play, my son starting baseball season, and the regular routine of work and life commitments, I’ve re-committed to regular weekly or bi-weekly blogging to support super busy people and delivery of my e-newsletter twice monthly.
Ironically, during March, a colleague had advised me to use my expertise to develop a timely program specifically for Administrative Professionals during Administrative Professionals week the end of April. I came up with a program called “There’s Too Much on My Plate” that helps super busy professionals clearly acknowledge everything on their plate and begin taking ownership and control for everything there is to manage at work and home.
I had the pleasure of visiting American Standard and delivering a keynote to inspire better control of the balancing act. And, now, I’m working with teams at several key corporations to deliver customized programs to meet the needs of their super busy administrative professionals.
One thing I learned first-hand from the last few months is the absolute importance of staying very focused on the most important things and declining other requests and opportunities. Even when there was time to attend another meeting or networking event in the evening, I found that by pushing and having too much on my plate, I was exhausted and wasn’t able to apply the focus and energy to those things that mattered most.
When deciding what’s most important, realize that it may not be forever, but it’s for now. My daughter’s had rehearsal for her play usually 3 days a week for 2-4 hours at a time almost an hour from home. I often brought work with me to do while I waited, dialed into a conference call for my own professional development, or shopped in the local area. It was a great experience for her but the lesson for me, put more boundaries around my time, seek more help, and accept the help that’s offered. And, importantly, negotiate expectations, communicate fully, and be fully present where ever I am.
As my program for “There’s Too much on My Plate” continues to evolve, I will have many experiences to share from participants and from my own experiences. Stay tuned!!
Sincerely yours,
Coach Natalie Gahrmann
natalie@nrgcoaching.com
