Going in Circles at 150 MPH

It's one thing to be excited, motivated, and passionate about our work. It's another to be overwhelmed, consumed, out of balance, and in danger of burn-out. Many of us who have a "high sense of urgency" must be on the lookout for the effects of overwork, over-controlling, and allowing work to over-run our lives.

To re-assess and identify some potential fixes, consider the following:

• What would happen if I did less?
• What tasks can only I do? What can I assign to others?
• Is the business running me, or am I running the business?
• What message am I sending to my employees?
• If I fell under a bus, what would happen to the company?
• Is my family suffering because of my job?
• Am I taking care of myself? How is my physical health?

Many of us pay lip-service to the notion of work-life balance, but continue to neglect it.

Don't fall into the trap.

Neglecting your physical health, the state of your family, and the effects that over-work have on you overall actually costs you productivity. It's easy to enter a spiral of diminishing returns by becoming so overtired, stressed, and physically unconditioned that your time becomes less productive. The key is to make sure is that the right steps toward personal and professional success get done. Without a plan, and regular reassessment of your progress, you can get lost in constant busy-ness that does NOT move you closer to your goals.

Check your professional and personal "vital signs," making limited, intermediate goals that contribute to long-term objectives.

Examples of professional vital signs:

• Have lunch with at least one past customer a week.
• Meet with 4 new customers a week.
• Add X prospects to your database a week.
• Reduce your paperwork or admin by X hours a week.
• Sell X dollars/units a week.

Examples of personal vital signs:

• Spend X hours a week reading inspiring or motivational material.
• Exercise one hour 3 days per week.
• Dedicate non-working hours to your family and hobbies, not more work.
• Listen to one self-improvement or motivational CD per week.

Reassess, review, reallocate, recharge and renew -- step back and make sure you're moving in the right direction. Call or e-mail us today for a complete "vital signs checkup"!

Krissi Barr 513-470-8980, krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com

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Good Reads: The Next Generation of Work

From the Indianapolis Star: "Today's age groups express their values and perceive work differently:

• Valuing family: Older men show they value their family by working long hours to make lots of money. Younger workers like to show they value their family by spending more time with them.
• Experience: The older generation tries to maintain its clout by emphasizing experience, which it equates with knowledge. The younger generation values experience not "just because," but by analyzing whether anything was learned or gained from it.
• Respect: Older workers want to be held in higher esteem than their younger peers, because they are older or earn more. Younger people also want esteem and to be listened to, but they have no expectation that they should be deferred to in decision-making.
• Work ethic: Older workers believe younger employees don't want to put in the hours necessary to get ahead. Younger workers are willing to put in the time for their jobs, but they're uninterested in having a lot of "face time" at the office."

To attract the best and brightest of coming generations of workers, companies and managers will likely have to adjust their expectations of what the work day, work week, and work life look like, using communications technology and infrastructure, allowing flexible work schedules that still get the right work done the right way.

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