Finding Work-Life Balance

Innumerable professionals struggle with the daily juggling of act related to balance between their work hours and their home life.  Far too often work trickles into the precious hours that are allocated to family, friends and loved ones.  In an era of hyper connectivity this challenge to find balance is even harder.

Is the solution to throw in the towel and hope that your kids understand your partial attention to their animated review of their day at school whilst you parse through your work email on that tiny 5" screen should be enough to validate them?  No!

Is it acceptable to hide your mobile in the bottom of your attaché and never attend to it outside of business hours?  For some, this is the only way they can truly enjoy their vacations and time off. 

There's no one set solution for how to balance all elements of work and personal lives - but it is a factor that a healthy business person should at least consider and put forth effort to find the mix right for him/her.  This mix has to be comfortable for the professional or it's a wasted effort.

Some will argue that as entrepreneurs they never really can leave the office behind, especially if they work from home - but, where there's a will there is a way.  The home office could be an area of a home that is set apart from common areas shared with the family, regular "office hours" could be set, mobile devices can be set aside and concerted effort made to focus on family during non "office hours." 

Again, everyone's thresh holds and benchmarks for balance will be different.  

It is a continuous process of relearning and refocusing on what matters most and then acting on that.  It is pertinent to understand what imbalance looks like and take the steps to find the mix that is best for you and yours.  

Balance today may not look like what it did last year, or even last week.  Find yours and understand its natural ebbs and flows - for your betterment, that of your family and your career.

Ogilvy Business Wisdom

David Ogilvy

Known as the 'Father of Advertising,' David Ogilvy (1911-1999) founded an advertising agency in 1948 that eventually became the Ogilvy & Mather we know today. 


Ogilvy was not shy about opining on what he believed to be the foundational principles and thoughts of strong business practices.


I've parsed out a few of my favorites which are posted in my office and continue to shape my traditional and emerging efforts in Mar/Comm across my decade in the business:


On staffing:

• "If you hire people who are bigger than you are, we shall become a company of giants." 

On mindset:

• "The best ideas come as jokes.  Make your thinking as funny as possible."

On excellence:

• "The pursuit of excellence is less profitable then the pursuit of bigness, but it can be more satisfying."

On brand persona: 

• "You know you have to decide what 'image' you want for your brand.  Products, like people, have personalities, and they can make or break them in the marketplace."

On content:

• "What really decides consumers to buy or not buy is the content of your advertising, not its form."

On advertising:

• "It takes a big idea to attract the attention of consumers and get them to buy your product.  Unless your advertising contains a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night."
• "Every advertisement is part of the long-term investment in the personality of the brand."
• "Never stop testing, and your advertising will never stop improving."

On the consumer:

• "On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.  When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar." 
• "The consumer isn't a moron.  She is your wife."

I don't believe Mr. Ogilvy's thoughts require much explanation from me, as they're tried, true and timeless.  They stand on their own merits.  They are worth your time and application.  

I challenge you to build a running list or active journal of thoughts/quotes that motivate and inspire you.  Maybe they're not the thoughts of David Ogilvy, but somewhere someone is saying and/or sharing quotables that are food for your thought.

Manager and Leader, Not Always Synonymous

While leaders can be managers, managers aren't necessarily leaders.  There's been an increasing trend to use these descriptors interchangeably, almost to the point of deliberate ignorance. 

So, what is a manager?  Managers are characterized by efficiency. 

And, what is a leader?  Leaders are characterized by effectiveness. 

The striking and main difference between the two is that managers do things right and leaders do the right thing.  However, with effective coaching or mentoring from others and the right motivation, a manager can become a leader.  Transitioning from being a static manager to a dynamic leader is not impossible, a will to do so is the fuel for the transition.  Adopting, learning and practicing the fundamentals of leadership are key.

A sampling of the basic principles of effective leaders: 

• Be motivated.
• Motivate others.
• Be positive.
• Be mentored.
• Be a mentor.
• Read. Read a lot.
• Never stop learning.
• Lead by example.
• Admit your not always the smartest in the room.
• Be inspired.
• Be inspiring.
• Ask for help.
• Admit mistakes.
• Foster leadership in others.
• Know when to share the limelight.
• Set direction.
• Give purpose.
• Put others first.
• Innovate.
• Challenge status quo.
• Know your strengths.
• Know your weaknesses.

Yes, leaders and managers are two very different roles.  Both are necessary.  But, one doesn't necessarily equal the other.  The best managers should seek to be a leader as well.

Social Reads

What are you recommendations for solid reads for operating as a business in the social sphere? I've my own list of favorites that I readily recommend to anyone who seriously inquires, but I am interested to hear what yours are!

Do tell!

May I put you on hold?

"Wait. What? You're putting me on hold for a third time so you can connect me with your shift leader's supervisor's manager? I just needed to know one simple thing about my account..."

Sound familiar? All too familiar. Too often customers pick up the phone to find an answer to a question and don't receive a hint of customer service from the other end of the line. Customers start with the pretense that the entity they patron cares about them and is in the business of customer service. So why are some companies destroying that expectation for their customers? The short answer is that customer service has fallen off the corporate radar as a priority training item and expectation of employees.

The solution? It starts during the interviewing and hiring process - finding the right people with depth of character and a sense of empathy. Employees can be trained in technical skills, but personality is inherent. To paraphrase author Jim Collins from his book Good to Great, get the right people on the bus and get the wrong ones off.

Front-line employees, the ones answering the phones and interfacing with customers, often are the first glimpse customers have of your business. That representation is key. If apathetic, disinterested and under invested representatives are answering your phones, manning your cash registers, or responding on social media - you're in for a wake-up call. Your customers won't carry on a long-standing relationship with you. They'll move on and find a company that does care about them.

Don't delay, aggravate or negate your customers and their needs (no matter how small that need may be.) Customer service ties into personality and desire - hire the people that want to help your business and your customers be successful and valued.