Balance Your Managerial Life

We have only one life, but we live in threethe best things in life are family, friends, and a quiet
overlapping worlds-our business world,run in the park.This is the kind of balance that John
our family world, and our other social world. ImagineChambers, CEO of Cisco Systems has also
bringing your spouse and kidsachieved. An interviewer, asked, "What would you
to a meeting with seven of your salespersonnel.like to have accomplished and
Sitting off to your left, Miss Wrightwhat's next after Cisco?""The most important thing
asks the question on the minds of all her fellow salesto me is my family, and that doesn't change. My wife
colleagues, "Why did you bringof
your family to our meeting today? Will they be25 years is a perfect balance for me. When I get
playing any sort of role in ourdown, which I occasionally do, she
discussion?" You simply respond, "No, they're justbrings me up, and on rare occasions if I get a little
here so I can tend to their needs."Of course, this is abit too confident she brings me
highly unlikely scenario. You don't bring your familyback down to earth too.""I've got two kids I'm
into worktremendously proud of and they are my life; so my
with you every day. However, Heather Howitt does.family is
Howitt, the CEO of Oregon Chaifirst, second, and third in terms of my priorities. And
in Portland, Oregon, balances motherhood with herwhen I'm at home, as my wife
responsibility of running anreminds me when I walk in the door, I'm not the
eleven million dollar manufacturer of tea lattes. "OurCEO anymore. So at home, I'm like
office is a very casual place.anybody else. Carrying out the garbage, changing
We've got a family element going on here."Living inthe light bulbs, and so on.""And what will I do after
the rain soaked city of Portland, 32-year-old Howittthis? I will teach when I retire. I think giving back to
often arrives at herthe
office lightly splattered with mud. She often spendscommunity is the right thing to do. It'd be terrible to
her lunch break taking her one-be perhaps the most
year-old son, Sawyer, to a nearby park, or to hersuccessful company in history and not give back. So
nanny who takes him home. OnI'm not going to go work for
other days, she simply places him in his crib in heranother company after Cisco. When I retire from
office.With the growth of her company, Howitt hiredCisco, I'm done with the business
some key executives including a chiefworld and I will probably go teach. Young people are
operating officer to manage operations and finance.so much fun to interface with
She also delegated the sales.... How do you teach ethics, and how do you teach
calls that she used to make herself. "I used to comeintegrity earlier on? To do that
in at 6 a.m. and make callswould just be a blast!"7Chambers illustrates how a
nonstop," she explained. "I don't have to do thatproper balance between one's executive
anymore." Howitt positionedperformance
herself in a way so that she is no longer personallyand other dimensions of life can contribute to both
over-worked or over-challengedpersonal fulfillment and
by her daily responsibilities at the company. Shebusiness success. An awareness of the need for
balanced her business and privatebalance has prompted many
life. She not only recognized her strategicexecutives to make some crucial decisions in their
contribution to the success of Oregonday-to-day business and
Chai, but she also appreciates her unique role in thepersonal life that protected them from failure so
life of her young son.1As an entrepreneur or athey could just become an
business executive, you must give your best in two"enduring survivor."But, no doubt, you want more
entirelyfrom life than just maintaining a mere survivor level.
different worlds. The needs of your business andYou want to excel as an executive leader, and also
the needs of your family andthrive, not merely survive, in your
friends compete for your time and attention. Andpersonal life. So beyond the awareness that comes
both expect the very best fromfrom self-assessment and
you. Heather Howitt found one way to do it; youevaluation of your priorities, there are additional
may have another way.To enjoy both the rewardssteps to take in order to reach the
of business success and family fulfillment, you needtop level of having all that life can
tooffer.Forty-year-old Mark Holland is the founder of a
constantly work to keep your balance. Tothriving company, Ascend HR
successfully tackle the challenges of aSolutions. At the beginning of every workweek he
fast-growing company, you need all the personalpulls out a message that reads:
resources that come from a"Wendi is the most important person in my life. My
balanced life. "How do you develop a balancedfamily comes before work and
business personality?"Some entrepreneurialother activities. I live my religion. I provide the
executives suffer from dangerous imbalance. Othersfinancial security for my family. Our
achievehome is a retreat from the challenges of the world. I
top excellence in maintaining optimal balance. "Early inhave a positive attitude,
my career, I use to thinklooking for and developing the strength in others. I
that entrepreneurship was more an art than ahelp people develop and grow,
science, that it was a gift orincluding, when appropriate, holding them
something," says Cherrill Farnsworth. "I don't believeaccountable. The outdoors provide a
that anymore."2needed sanctuary and retreat for me."Holland wrote
Entrepreneurial leadership is not some automaticthis personal mission statement in 1998 following a
personality trait or some artisticmajor crisis in
talent some people are just born with and othershis business. That year the firm lost $800,000, which
happen to lack. Instead,caused significant problems in
entrepreneurial effectiveness with a balanced life is ahis partnership. Holland experienced so much stress
dynamic process that youthat he lost nearly 20 pounds.Then a business
must constantly work at. If you don't keepseminar inspired him to write down his life mission
developing and nurturing yourstatement.
entrepreneurial personality, it might just die. Then,Holland admits that the seminar gave him "a good
only drastic action might revivesmack upside the head." He
that entrepreneurial spirit.That's exactly whatresolved to never again sacrifice his family and
happened to Sam T. Goodner. His softwarehealth for the sake of his business.Over a two-year
company, theperiod, Holland's personal mission statement grew into
Austin-based Catapult Systems Corp., ranked 77tha life plan
among the fastest growingfor himself and his wife. "We asked, 'What are the
companies in America while Goodner served as theimportant things? What do we
founding CEO. At age 33,want to have happen before we die?'" Now they
Goodner decided to step down as CEO of Catapulthave a 30-year planned life itinerary
to take on the new challenge ofon a spreadsheet that covers college savings,
serving as CEO of Inquisite Inc., a Catapult subsidiaryretirement, vacations, exercise
that sells software over theregiments, relating to God and spiritual activities,
Internet. But Goodner soon found his new digs towork goals, personal growth, and
be "harsher, more spartan" thanpersonal relationships.Holland constantly improved
what he was accustomed to. "Half of it is actuallyhimself by regularly pursuing clear, written personal
under ground," he explained,goals and life motto. Writing down your personal
describing his much less attractive new officegoals and a life motto not only
space.But Goodner was not complaining. After all, ithelps you clarify the kind of balance you want to
was his own idea to leave theachieve, but also gives you a
comfortable CEO position of Catapult with a staff ofwritten reference to check week by week. Many
115, to head Inquisite Inc., withpeople refine their goals and motto
only 20 employees. But now something was wrong.over several year's time.Mark Holland and his wife,
To be sure, there were plenty ofWendi take long walks together at least twice a
challenges to attend to. The phone rang for hisweek
attention, paper kept filling the "in"with their two-year-old daughter on Mark's shoulders
box, and email messages steadily came in fromand their five-month-old son
employees, venders, and customers.snuggled in Wendi's front pack. Once a month, on
Every day, and every hour, urgent decisions had toone of those walks, they discuss
be made, so much so thatand review their life plan thoroughly. "The plan is
anyone in his shoes could have been overwhelmeddynamic-it changes. It's been
by the "tyranny of the urgent."But increasingly, hereally good for getting our relationship and our lives
felt like he was only reacting to demands and notback to where they needed to
taking abe," Holland says.8This practice of regularly reviewing
visionary proactive role any longer. And too often,their life plan indicates that Holland progressed
long hours of work would crowdto the highest level of functioning under balancing
out what he'd prefer to do in his home and personalones managerial life. At this top
life. Even worse, he realizedlevel, you constantly implement action plans to
that even if he could experience any gratification inimprove the balance of all five
his personal world, it could notdimensions of your life.Paul N. Howell, CEO of Howell
make up for what was missing in his businessCorporation, named an additional crucial
world."I had none of my entrepreneurial creativitycharacteristic of a successfully balanced
left," Goodner reflected. "I was fallingentrepreneurial executive: "The willingness
back on what was easy. You know that's happeningand demonstrated ability to conduct him-or
when you start just goingherself-on a high moral and ethical
through your email all day long." Recognizing that hislevel in both business and personal life. Without it,
former entrepreneurial spiritsuccess is uncertain and short
was gone, he resigned and hired a new CEO tolived."9At the highest level, people who interact with
head the company.Perhaps Goodner had alreadyyou can see the sterling qualities of
achieved financial independence and had otheryour servant leadership. Your executive actions are
worthyguided by clear plans that
goals to pursue in life. In that case, relinquishing hiscontinually balance and rebalance all the dimensions
CEO position could be the bestof successful living:
decision to make. But could there have been another1. Executive Success: Servant leadership,
way to recover hismanagement skills, and
entrepreneurial spirit with a healthy balance ofcareer development.
attention to work, family, and2. Loving Relationships: Serving family, friends, and
friends?3Entrepreneurial functioning can range fromthe needy.
the low level, "You are personally over3. Healthy Lifestyle: Regular exercise, good diet, and
worked and over challenged"-to the most desirableregular
level, "You regularly implementmedical care.
action plans to improve every aspect of your4. Emotional Well-being: Stress management,
life."The lowest level of functioning leaves yourrecreation, and
company endangered. Top managementpsychological stability.
is personally over worked and over challenged. The5. Spiritual Maturity: Ethical character, commitment to
unrelenting urgent matters ofultimate
your business seem to demand so much of yourvalues, peace with God, and devoting oneself to
time that you go to work earlierlife's greatest
and earlier, and stay later and later into the evening.spiritual priorities.At this level, you regularly "retreat"
You are like a runaway tire,from your usual executive responsibilities to
rolling down a steep hill, turning faster and faster andrethink your personal mission, vision, and action plans.
faster until finally, you runYou deliberately make a
out of control and then crash.Or, you might think ofcontinual concerted effort to maintain the delicate
it this way: The underlying foundation of your life atbalance you need for a fulfilling
worklife.Through years of identifying the best practices
and at home is built on sand instead of a solid rock.of leading companies, 33 Dynamics,
Even the slightest storm willLLC has identified 33 essential dynamics for
plunge you into a danger area, damaging yourmanagerial excellence. These dynamics
relationships with your businessare grouped under 6 major goals which address such
associates and with your family and friends.You arerealities as leadership,
barely surviving, but you are endangered like a stickcreating loyal employees, and achieving market
of dynamite that hasdominance, just to name a few.The staff of 33
been lit; you don't have much time before things willDynamics Consulting is interested in helping people in
blow up in your business, or intheir given
your family life, or in both. You must get out asprofession to become leaders in commerce by
soon as possible. But how? Youimplementing sound business
can't help but think, "There must be a better way."principles in these 33 areas of management.There's
And you are right! There is.An ancient Hebrew writingno need to live from job to job or pay check to pay
warns, "In vain you rise early and stay up late, toilingcheck. There are ways to
forget from survival mode to success, and the 33
food to eat-for he [the Lord God] grants sleep toDynamics team can help you get
those he loves."4 God, whothere! Whether your company is struggling or solidly
created our reality, designed us and the world for aperforming, the first step to
better set of options."Over the past three years, I'vemoving up to even higher levels is to rate your own
been able to identify gradually what things I can givecompany in these 33 areas of
to my CPA, or to my bookkeeper, or to my officebusiness dynamics. This practical rating tool is
manager. I read about people whoincluded in our book, There's Room
work 60 or 90 hours a week and buildat the Top, available at or Hammond, a sales
multimillion-dollar businesses at the expenseexecutive was once quoted saying, "From where I
of their health and family. Those aren't successstand, the
stories in my book. Success iselevator to the top is, has been, and always will be
having a multimillion-dollar business and the other'out of order.' In order to get to
stuff, too," says 40-year-oldthe top, you'll have to take the stairs-and you'll have
Tom Melaragno, founder of the $7.6-million Comprito take them one at a time."Now is the time to
Consulting, an IT consultingconsider the steps that will take you to the top of
and staffing firm founded in 1992. Although he put inyour game!"Balance Your Managerial Life" was
12-hour days when heexcerpted from There's Room at the Top: 33
started the business, today he works just 8 or 9Dynamics for Managerial Excellence, 2004, pages
hours and makes sure he's there to44-51.© Copyright 2004, by Uxbridge Publishing
watch his two sons' Little League baseball games inLtd. Co. All rights reserved.1 Greco, 2000, page 106.
the summer and coach the older2 Barker, 2000, page 18.
one's football team in the fall.5Taking a proactive3 Hyatt, 2000, pages 9-11.
stance means you take control to invest your life4 Psalm 127:2.
wisely. Scott5 Greco, 2000, page 110.
Tinley is an extraordinary triathlete who has6 Inkpen, 2001, pages 76-81.
competed in more than 350 triathlons7 Donlon, 2000.
including 19 Hawaii Ironman triathlons. The triathlon is8 Greco, 2000, page 107.
an endurance sport9 Beatty & Burkholder, 1996, page 41.Matthew
involving swimming, bicycling, and running. Amazingly,Rekers, M.B.A., is the President and CEO of
Tinley has won nearly 10033Dynamics LLC. He previously
races. "This sport is about a combination of personalserved as the President and COO of Rekers and
challenge, camaraderie, andCompany LLC. Mr. Rekers earned his
achievement of self-knowledge," TinleyB.S. in Business Administration, cum laude, from the
explains.Tinley is more than just an athlete; he is alsoUniversity of South Carolina
a successful entrepreneur. He co-with a major in accounting, and his M.B.A. degree
founded a company that produced athleticfrom Winthrop University. He is a
clothing-Tinley Performance Wear. Hebusiness consultant for 33Dynamics Consulting LLC.
and his partners built the business over 8 years,He can be contacted at
reaching about $10 million in sales.Visit our website at Rekers, Ph.D., M.B.A., is a
In 1992, they sold the company to Reebok. Buttenured professor at the University of South
even more than just being aCarolina, and the Chairman and CEO of InterAct
triathlete and a wealthy businessman, Tinley is alsoInternational, Inc. Dr. Rekers has 22
appreciated as a writer, traveler,years of executive experience in leading four
father, and husband. As productive as he is in manycorporations as President or CEO, and
areas of life, he has not losthas served on seven corporate boards. As a
sight of the balance he needs.Tinley explains theResearch Fellow at Harvard University,
work-life balance he maintained over his 20-yearDr. Rekers was mentored by Professor David
career as anMcClelland who is internationally
athlete, husband, father, and entrepreneur: "A lot ofknown for his practical studies of executive and
people have this image of self-employee motivation. Professor
management, that it means you have to driveRekers has presented hundreds of seminars, and
yourself and force yourself to getlectures in dozens of countries in
things done without somebody looking over yourAfrica, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America,
shoulder. It is actually quite theand the Middle East. He received
opposite: You have to force yourself to havehis Ph.D. in human developmental psychology from
balance in your life and be efficient inthe University of California, Los
all things you do."6He has recognized the importanceAngeles. He is the author or editor of ten books and
of what he calls a "precarious balance betweenover 100 academic publications
preparation, competition, professionalism, supportin applied psychology. He is a seminar leader for
systems, and the world ofThere's Room at the Top Executive
family, friends, and paying the rent." He has not lostSeminars offered by 33Dynamics LLC.
sight of the fact that among