As corporate leaders head back to their desks in early January, after celebrating holidays (albeit more conservatively in many cases) they will ease back to a hard set of facts… Looking in the eyes of their managers and employees and getting them energized and focused on their respective business agenda.  Not to be a pessimist but no doubt a lofty goal, given a record high number of distractions resulting from a tough & dipping economy.  The economy, as we all know, hasn't simply resulted in job loss but notable personal financial loss – one that won't be recoverable for years  to come.  So imagine, the demeanor of those returning to work in January - and where their heads and hearts are focused.  And, (not to be totally depressing and cause you to skip the rest of this) compounding this double dose of distraction is what will hit the average employee - at some point in his/her life cycle - having or adopting a child, dealing with a sick relative or one's own health issues, coping with a return to home graduate, supporting a relative who needs emotional and financial means.

With that said, leaders take pause.  This is your workforce.  What will you be doing differently in 2009 as  you lead and manage a reduced, stressed workforce.  Engagement, advancement and retention will certainly be top of mind objectives.  What tools and resources will you deploy, despite budget cuts, that will help you achieve these objectives?

For purposes of this discussion, let's address those charged with diversity & inclusion.  I'd like to make the case that adding flexibility into the diversity & inclusion mix can be just what the doctor ordered – if introduced, integrated, and managed appropriately.  In fact, flexibility is fundamentally a diversity issue – each individual – irrespective of age, gender, and situation has unique work/life needs.  And as stated earlier, these work/life needs will only intensify.  Why not ensure that flexible work policies, practices and opportunities are built into the diversity & inclusion framework?  By doing so, leaders will be taking a practical approach to contributing to the advancement and engagement of diverse talent.

Consider this profile.  First generation Chinese American woman, mid forties, 85 year old father lives in her home, mother of a five year old, former CPA, currently using her finance skills as a controller in a part-time capacity at a mid-sized technology firm.  Currently facing a divorce, the impact of which will be financial as well as requiring her to more heavily shoulder her child and parent caretaking roles at different times of the day.  This professional's need is pretty clear cut – she needs to work more hours but needs some form of flexibility to do so.  How does a company provide a win-win solution here – so the firm gets the benefit of keeping a diverse professional and the professional gets the financial and peace of mind she needs?  If this situation hits the D&I executive's desk what is his/her position – in this situation and as more of them get elevated?

Say yes - Offer a flex work arrangement – Either proactively or reactively offer the employee the ability to take advantage of  informal flexibility (which is occurring in your company any way, just not necessarily publicized).  Provide this employee with informal flexibility - the ability to handle the child and parental commitments she now has with the understanding of the total hours expected to be worked, the practicalities of how this would occur (certain hours at home, how you/employee communicate, how this will be deemed a success or not, etc.), and the expected business results.

Say no - Ignore the situation or turn down a request for an arrangement – Tell the employee that this isn't company practice and end the discussion.  Possible ramifications?  Resignation, or worst yet, having the person stay, manifesting itself through stress, illness, lateness, additional sick days, disengagement, poor attitude/performance.  All translating into increased costs to the company.

Consider a middle ground – talk to the employee about how flex can a possibility – perhaps by piloting it in some way in the current job, at a future time, or in another position at the company.  This goodwill gesture can help the employee see that the company cares and wants to work through a possible win-win solution.

Diversity and inclusion leaders have the opportunity to 'include' its company's flex position into its own agenda.  Whether that position is formal flex, informal flex or career flex, or some combination of the three, it can be a win-win.  Furthermore, by pooling its resources (people, spend, initiatives, vendors) with others who have flex on their agenda – work life leaders, mobility task forces – there is opportunity.  What is important is finding those multi-discipline leaders who are like minded – who view flexibility as a 'must have' in today's economy and that truly  responds to today's multi-cultural, cross-generational, varied lifestyle workforce.  By doing so, diversity leaders can add this secret sauce into their 2009 plans – and have a more productive, healthy and engaged workforce as a result, one committed to staying and advancing.

Next month I’m turning the BIG 4-0…I can’t say I’m very “zen” with it – not because of my actual age – but that everything around me seems to be “shutting down” at a time when my world should be “opening up.”

As a business owner, a frozen credit market is paralyzing; as a homeowner, I’m watching one house after another post a “For Sale” sign, and as a consumer – you can’t help but wonder am I really going to buy anything for holidays this year and why are all our favorite local stores closing down?? I clearly remember the construction projects that were stalled in the 80s; the lack of employment during the recession of the 90s and the dot com crash of the early 2000s.  I should know better…I should be one of those individuals who KNOW that things will bounce back but this time seems different.  This time - we are all vulnerable and it couldn’t get more personal.

Like many others, I am in a bit of a daze. Commitments that I’ve made depended upon others who promised to fulfill theirs to me. Contingency plans are actually worst case scenarios.  The “what ifs” are mounting  – what if there are more layoffs; what if the bonus check doesn’t come in; what if we can’t fulfill corporate contracts. 

It came to head when I faced quite a disapointment. Something strange happened and I didn't have quite as strong a reaction as I would have normally.  I thought maybe I was in shock and not yet feeling all I normally feel.  I figured that I was in shock and that deep down I was crazy angry but that is just not the case.  I think what happened is that whether or not the market has hit bottom – my confidence is unwavering. External factors have become completely unpredictable.  But here is what is predictable and I can bet my future on:  my love and belief in my marriage; the joy of our children; the incredible blessing of a phenomenal team at FlexPaths and clients that I believe in and am honored to work with. With those as my “personal fundamentals” – I officially stopped caring about the pundits definitional of market fundamentals and will gamble not on stocks but my personal equity. 

Here is what I know – there are millions of talented people out there; there are extraordinary companies to work for and we all have a limited amount of time in our lives to make the best of it.   Shame on me for ever thinking my 40s would be the beginning of easier times….instead – it’s going to be the beginning of perhaps my most fulfilling times.

By the way: I would LOVE to hear your personal and career stories – what are YOU thinking??

PS  And feel free to add 40 bday tipsJ

I recently was blessed to have my fifth...yes #5...grandchild, and somehow it seems like a major milestone.  I have two biological sons (and 3 grown step children) and each produced two amazing children. And, that seemed to model my own life -- having two children. But, when my son, Rich, and wife, Lisa, had Griffin 8 weeks ago, that changed. I can't explain why, but having a fifth grandchild is making me rethink my work and life choices.  I've always worked, even when my children were small, and loved it ...and I still do. In some ways being a working grandmother is the best of all worlds. I pride myself on working toward the goal of feeling effective in my personal life and my career -- a daily challenge. I don't live close enough to see my children and grandchildren more that once a month, if that.  I know that's been hard for both sets of parents, as they don't have family close by to help with their busy lives. It's always been very important to me to make sure I'm part of my grandchildren's lives, but Griffin's arrival has made it seem even more significant.  It's not a question of not working, of becoming a 'stay at home' grandma. It's more a question or re-evaluating how and where I spend my time, and exploring ways to re-organize work and life so I can have more face time with my grandchildren, their parents, and my stepchldren. I don't have all the ansers yet, but I'm working on it. Are you dealing with similar work-life challenges?

I have always believed everyone needs to understand how to manage their work and life in a world where there are no external boundaries separating the two.  But, as my ten-year old daughter is teaching me, we are never too young to learn how to make the choice between where to put our time so we don’t get overloaded.

When you hit fifth grade, all of a sudden, more time is being spent each morning on how you look.  More time brushing and putting up your hair, washing your face, making sure your outfit is “just right.”   All of which takes time.  

Unfortunately, I didn’t clue in to this need for additional time until early October.  Every morning we seemed to be consistently ten minutes later than usual getting out the door because my daughter wasn’t ready.  I tried to figure out what I was doing wrong:  Was I getting her up at the right time?  Yes.  Were we getting homework done in time?  Yes.  What was it?  

I started observing what was different about the mornings in fifth grade versus fourth grade. She was spending approximately ten additional minutes on her appearance.  

What to do?  I realized this was a teachable moment:  My daughter’s circumstances had changed—she wanted more time to get ready in the morning.  Therefore, she was going to have to rethink how she was going to manage her time in order to not be late getting out the door.  Her old fourth grade routine wasn’t working anymore.  

We talked about where those ten additional minutes she wanted would come from.  Would she get up ten minutes earlier, watch television ten minutes less, or maybe lay her clothes out the night before?  She thought it through, and decided to get dressed as soon as she woke up so she wouldn’t get caught wasting time at the last minute unhappy with her outfit.  

We are two weeks into trying this new routine.  We are only five minutes late getting out the door, which is better than ten, but we will keep rethinking the situation until we get it right.  In the process, she is learning how to decide what needs to stay and what needs to go when her circumstances change and she can no longer fit it all in.  

What about you?  Have you had opportunities to teach making good work and life choices to your children?   

Outside forces beyond our control influence how we manage our work and life, but I am convinced that we also get in our own way.  Part of the challenge is to recognize when an issue is something we can control, and then change our behavior to resolve it.  Unfortunately that is easier said than done, as illustrated by the following story.  

I was speaking with a friend recently who works and has two small children.  Her husband would be described as a hands-on dad; however, my friend is feeling very overwhelmed.  In order to coordinate her work and life effectively she needs to start work by 8:00 am most days, which means her husband needs to take the kids to school.  

Her frustration is that he can’t seem to get out the door on time if she doesn’t oversee every step in the process.  And if she does let him take charge, “Not only is he late, but he forgets something important and then I need to deal with it.”  Then she added, “And you should see the outfits he puts them in!  They look ridiculous!”  

I listened for a few minutes to her very understandable frustration at her husband, and then I said, “What if you let him do it his way and just stepped out of the process letting him deal with the ramifications of being late and forgetting something important?”  

She looked at me for a minute and said, “But what about the kids?”  I responded, “What about the kids?  They are in preschool so is it really going to matter if they don’t have their coloring book one day?  And is it really going to cause irreversible damage if their clothes don’t match perfectly?”  

She thought for a minute and then begrudgingly agreed, “You’re right.  But I feel like a terrible mother.  I just wish he would do it the right way.”  “Right,” I pressed her,” or your way?  Think about how much better your work and life would be if you walked downstairs just two mornings a week, said “goodbye” to everyone and left for the day letting your husband figure it out?  For that to happen, you need to let it go.”

Here is a smart woman, with a great husband.  And until we had our discussion, she really believed that the solution to her work life challenge rested with changing her husband—no easy task.  But the truth is, she could get much further faster by changing herself.  

I have heard countless versions of this same story over the years.  What do you think?  How do you get in your own way when it comes to your work and life challenges?

Prior to coming to work for FlexPaths I considered myself to be a baby boomer that had been trained by traditionalist. Meaning, my corporate training often paralleled boot camp. In fact, anytime I heard someone  refer to  the example: baby boomers felt they earned your stripes by being the first car in the parking lot in the morning and the last to leave the parking lot at night, I felt they were talking about me.

The concept of a flexible work environment until I learned about FlexPaths was simply a myth but, I was intrigued by the concept. As I learned more about the benefits to both the employees and companies I became very interested in the concept, enough to help other understand the value of flexible work environments. Since, working at FlexPaths I have for the first time in my adult working life have been able to bring a work / life balance to both myself and my family as never before. Today, I feel I am more engaged because I know that if something were to happen I would have the “option” to make the work/life choice of what is best for myself, my family and/or my company. For some reason, this flexibility provides me a sense of peace know I have choice.  

One of the most compelling findings Jeff Greenhaus and I reported in our research (described in our book, Work and Family--Allies or Enemies?) on the lives and careers of over 800 business professionals was this: The more time that working mothers spent taking care of themselves, the better were the emotional and physical health of their children.

Does this apparent paradox surprise you? It shouldn't, for it's just another bit of proof that if you don't take care of yourself then you can't really serve those who depend on you. So why is it so difficult for people to devote the resources needed to take care of themselves?

When I ask participants in my Total Leadership program to rate how they feel about how things are going in the four main parts of their lives--work, home, community, and self--it's often the last that's rated lowest.

It's easiest to ignore the self because the only one to whom you're accountable is you. In the face of intense pressure to meet the performance expectations of the people around you at work, at home, and in the community you're naturally inclined to give yourself short shrift.

Focusing time and attention on yourself is too readily construed as being, well, selfish -- and so you're likely to feel guilty if you do so. Unfortunately, while it might seem noble in the short run to sacrifice the needs you have to cultivate your mind, body, and spirit, over time it's a recipe for burnout.

A sustainable life as leader who contributes meaningfully to the world requires the discipline to take care of you, too.

How, then, to overcome the guilt? The key is to very specifically identify how, by better meeting the expectations you have for enhancing your mind, your body, and your spirit, you are indeed making things better at work, at home, and in the community.

It's not that hard: Just think, for example, about how you're more likely to perform better at work and at home and in the community -- according to the standards of those who evaluate you in these different domains -- if you get a full night's rest, exercise regularly, eat well, meditate, do yoga, take a walk, listen to music, or do whatever it is that rejuvenates and restores you.

Try it for a month or so, making sure to assess the impact of your experiment on your performance. If you've designed it well, with the interests of your key stakeholders in mind, then you'll probably find that by taking better care of yourself you're better able to get the results you want in serving others.

After doing experiments like these, I ask participants my program to rate their satisfaction in all four areas of life again. The biggest jump is in the domain of "self" -- by an average increase of 39 percent! And their satisfaction goes up while their performance improves across all domains, too. (For an example, see the video of Deika Morrison here.)

What have you done recently to take better care of yourself and strengthen your ability to perform well in the other parts of your life? In these stressful times, it's more important than ever that we all do so.

Republished from Stew Friedman's Blog from Harvard Business Online with permission from Stew Friedman. 

I spent a good chunk of my summer travelling the country, speaking about work and how to make it fit with the rest of life in ways that are good both for companies and the people employed by them. I talked to thousands of people. I listened closely to the pulse of American business. There's much pain. Too many people feel overwhelmed, disconnected, pessimistic, and without purpose other than mere survival. Demand for change is surely the order of the day.

As I step into my 25th year teaching at the Wharton School, I'm struck by how much about the world of work is not the same as it was when I started. For instance, it used to be that the sun's relationship to the earth was what determined when you worked and when you didn't. Thanks to the revolution in digital technology, this is no longer true for most people I meet. It's now up to each one of us to decide when to turn it on and when to turn it off. New tools promise freedom from time and space, but it's just dawning on most of us that we need to learn new psychological and social technologies, too, to avoid drowning in the deluge of non-stop pressures that come at us through the tethers we call iPhone and Blackberry.

People entering the workforce in 2008 want different things from what my generation wanted on arrival. Since I started at Wharton, I've been occasionally asking students this: How many of you plan to work in the same company when you retire as when you graduate? About two-thirds responded affirmatively way back when. But only two in a recent class of 65 said this was their plan; both were heirs to major fortunes.

How do we now define success? It's more likely to be about leaving a lighter footprint than about piling up more toys, more about living a rich and full life than about beating up the other guy. Peace, love, and understanding aren't so funny anymore--they're legitimate aspirations people want to pursue through meaningful work. Greed and competition were '80's cool. Green and collaboration are '08's cool.

The good news is that some employers have learned that people perform better in their jobs when they are doing what they believe matters to the world in some way and they have a hand in figuring out how to get it done. The more of your life you can bring into your work--and the more you feel you can contribute to people and projects you really care about--the happier and more productive at work you're likely to be.

What I've learned boils down to this: In work, as in love, you've got to follow your heart.
These words are so easy for an old geezer to say, but so hard for most people to enact. My research shows, however, that there are a few simple principles that can help. Be real, by acting with authenticity and clarifying what's important; be whole, by acting with integrity and respecting all aspects of life; and be innovative, by acting with creativity and experimenting with what you do and how you do it. More good news: Anyone can get better at bringing these principles to life and so perform better in all parts of their lives. You just have to make the effort to learn and then enlist others to push and encourage you.

These are hard times. So it's more important than ever to focus on what matters most. Doing so increases the chances that you'll come through with both your soul and your wallet holding something of value. You'll be spending your precious time more intelligently--better aligned with your personal values, using more of your natural talents to pursue goals to which you're genuinely committed.

As we in the U.S. celebrate Labor Day, and as we take a moment to reflect on the work of our lives, ask whether and how your work makes sense in the bigger picture of your life, your world. If it doesn't, take one small step toward making it so. Make a move that doesn't require permission and that aims to make things better not just for you but for people around you at work, at home, and in your community. I'll bet that if you do you'll feel better, you'll perform better according to the standards of people who evaluate you, and--especially in 2008, this year of great hope for substantive change--you'll find others who want to help you go further.

Republished from Stew Friedman's Blog from Harvard Business Online with permission from Stew Friedman.

When I started my company, it made the most sense to work out of my home office. Not only was it less overhead, but because I travel, I didn’t want to waste time commuting when I was in town. As the number of people who work with me grew, the virtual-office model continued because they also preferred working from home. All was going well…until this summer.

Suddenly, having a separate office began to look appealing. Why? Not only were both of my children off from school, but my husband was now home as well. Having taken a severance package from his job, he was conducting his job search out of the house. And, let’s just say, space was a little “cozy.” How were we going to do this? Either I was going to have to implement new work from home strategies, or I was going to be office-bound.

What did I do? First, we set up an office for my husband in the basement as far away from my office as possible. Then, there was the issue of “checking in.” Because he liked to periodically “check in” with me during the day, so did my kids. The carefully cultivated discipline I’d spent years developing was breaking down…order needed to be reestablished quickly.

I told my husband he needed to use the same rule that my kids have always followed: If mom’s office door is shut, don’t go in unless you are bleeding, or in some other major form of distress. Just to help reinforce the “do not disturb” rule, I began locking my door. Everyone got the message.

As summer ends, it looks like I’m not going to have to do a Google search for office space. But the experience reminded me, that just when you think you have your flexibility all figured out, things change. And we always need to be regrouping and resetting to make it work for everyone.

Have you ever had to rethink the way your flexibility was working because of a change in circumstances out of your control? What can you do?

The knee-jerk response to cost-reduction pressures in an economic downturn is turn up the heat to wring greater productivity out of your work force. This is not your best option, and will hurt more than help.

A smarter approach is to get more out of your people by tapping into what people really care about, in all parts of their lives. When you do this -- for real, not just as window dressing for some faux social welfare program -- you not only reduce stress, you decrease time wasted on activities that don't matter, boost trust with the company, and build resilience.

Contrast these three approaches you might take as a manager of a solid performer when times are tough:

"Hey Sarah, we're having a bad year, so if you want any kind of bonus at all, you're going to have to suck it up and work harder than ever before. Sorry, I know it's tough, but that's just the reality."

"Hey Sarah, I know that there's a lot of pressure on you now, on all of us, really, and I want to make sure you're getting it all done. Let me know how I can help."

"Hey Sarah, I know that there's a lot of pressure on you now, on all of us, really, and I want to make sure you're taking care of all the things that are important to you, so that you don't burn out during this especially intense period. What ideas do you have about small changes in how things get done that you can try to make life a little easier -- so that you have the strength and focus you need now to perform well for our business, which desperately needs your best efforts?"

The first option helps Sarah face and hopefully deal with the harsh reality, and that's an essential part of your job as her manager. You've also tied economic incentives to her performance, though the criteria for achievement are based not on results but instead on behavior--often a wasteful allocation of pay. But you've not dealt with whatever Sarah's got going on in her life, and so the burnout risk is high.

The second option shows your empathy, to a degree, and your general interest in being supportive, but it's passive and vague so it's not likely to change Sarah's actions, nor have her feel that you're serious about providing real support.

The third option has the best chance of producing the results you want from Sarah. You're acknowledging the pressure and you're thinking of Sarah as a person, not just an employee. This caring approach will likely be returned with loyalty and extraordinary effort. You're expressing the expectation that she's going to have practical ideas for performance improvements that are rooted in her having a better life and greater opportunity to get done what's most important to her, sending the message that you want to hear those ideas and that you're willing to try them. The risks are low because you're not telling Sarah she can do whatever she wants, only that you're willing to try new ways of getting things done that are good for her and for your business.

On top of these benefits, when you convey this expectation across the board, you're creating an opportunity to see who among your employees responds best to a crisis by innovating with how things get done--more data for your assessment of their respective advancement potential.

Most importantly, though, when you take this approach you're likely to see improved satisfaction and performance in all parts of life, including work. My research team and I found that when people undertake smart experiments designed to produce what I call "four-way wins" -- intended benefits for work, home, community, and self (mind, body, and spirit) -- they shift some of their attention from work and dedicate it to the other domains. Yet their satisfaction and performance in all domains, including work, goes up. The paradox: You get more out of people at work the more you pay attention to their lives beyond work. This is especially important in times of great stress, when pressures in the domains of family, self and community can be particularly acute.

Republished from Stew Friedman's Blog from Harvard Business Online with permission from Stew Friedman.

Joel DeLuca, the noted author and lecturer on leadership and organizational behavior, passed away a couple of weeks ago, at 60. I am grateful for the chance to offer a few observations about the impact that he had on the world, and on me.

I had the great fortune of meeting Joel, in the early '90s, when he came to Wharton to help me build the Wharton Leadership Program, of which I was the founding director. It was immediately apparent, from our first conversation and ever-increasingly thereafter, that Joel's genius as a master designer of remarkably high-value, long-lasting learning experiences was a rare, precious gift.

As much as I learned from his highly refined wisdom as a practical theorist and educator, I gained even more knowledge from seeing how Joel actually lived in concert with his ideas for how to create meaningful change. His masterwork is a book called Political Savvy: Leadership Behind the Scenes.

I've been lucky to have worked alongside many great leaders and teachers, but no one compares to Joel in his authentic grasp of what it actually takes to get things done in organizations. He truly walked his talk; practiced what he preached. As a role model in the realpolitik of our daily lives in the trenches, I came to understand his principles, clearly and memorably.

He consistently and generously gave credit to others, rather than take it for himself. Whenever he offered an idea for improving how things got done, he was explicit about his intention--to enhance our capacity to meet our collective (and not his personal) interests. His constant search was for the best ways to find common ground so that innovations would be supported by a critical mass, and thus be sustainable. I could go on, but instead let me suggest that you read his book.

In the late '90s, I was asked to join Ford Motor and direct its leadership development center. Joel was my strategic advisor there, too, and my education continued under his patient tutelage, as the impact of his great ideas now spread to thousands of developing leaders of this iconic company.

His clarity, persistence, and bold vision were an inspiration to me and many others in the company. When my boss asked him what his purpose was, Joel said, without blinking, "To change the world." Yes! He emboldened us to make a difference, to use our talents fully for the greater good.

I returned to Wharton a few years later. Two months ago, I published a book that took shape originally at Ford. It describes a program we created there, called Total Leadership. Here's part of what I wrote about Joel in the book's acknowledgements:

But the mentor who did the most to coax the Total Leadership program out of me was Joel DeLuca. I am awed by his brilliance as an architect of social change and leadership development, and am very fortunate to have benefited from his true friendship and intellectual guidance.

It saddens me beyond words that Joel isn't here to share the sense of accomplishment and to know of the tangible results that this work is having on a broad community of people interested in discovering how to become better leaders and have richer lives. For among the many things I learned from Joel--things I think about and use every single day--is the value of taking time to mark significant events, and so to grow from them and to make one's life more meaningful.

Republished from Stew Friedman's Blog from Harvard Business Online with permission from Stew Friedman.

So here I am, co-founder, CEO and President of FlexPaths, a company that advocates and solves for workplace flexibility – we prove this out through our product offerings and company culture. It’s our mission statement. Our very core is flex – so I live and breathe it and do it well – right? Well…

Flex Work
The fact is, I thought so. I pride myself on the fact that no two work days are alike. One day, I am in back-to-back meetings in NYC, deal making with prospective Fortune clients, investors, alliance partners. Another day has less in person meetings but I’m banging the phones with my team and other business partners. Another day, I am with FlexPaths co-founder and COO, Robin Roschke in Westchester in a six hour marathon session covering key initiatives, staffing needs, and giving online presentations. Another day might find me holding deep dive discussions on a topic so that I can get up to speed and inspired as it did several weeks ago, in the midst of the sunshine in Bryant Park, munching on bagels and fruit with Halley Hopkins sharing her vision on how our public site will develop and grow over time. Flex at its best, right? What went wrong?

Home Work
Well over the last few weeks, my workdays didn’t look like that at all. In fact, the outreach I was doing was 80% by phone – and on dry, non creative topics with dry, non creative types – and for whatever the reason, the mode of connection was phone. And this was all masterfully done in my home office, behind my desk, in my sweats, and alone. Pound the phones from 8am to 5pm. See my girls until 8:30pm. Back to the desk for some more. You get the idea.

To some that might sound fine. On the plus side - I was accessible to my girls when they got home from camp, I didn’t have to put on pantyhose, didn’t have to fill up the tank and pay those nasty gas prices. On the not so plus side, my colleagues and trusted advisors were giving me feedback – “you’re flat, your energy isn’t what it usually is, are you okay?”

Then it occurred to me. This virtual, work from home thing was backfiring big time. I now had a schedule that was more rigid, and boring than ever. So between the subject matter and the lack of real human touch I was doing myself in. I got the big aha.

Re Work
The aha? This flex thing takes more work than I thought. But, no more flat flexer labels for me, thank you very much. Over the last few weeks I realize that to do flex well, I have to look holistically at the work, evaluate if I like it or not, who I am facing off with, how am I doing it – and take stock. For example, today, I had two planned conference calls, with a barrage of follow up calls, from my home office again while in my sweats. But knowing that a few more calls could put me down a bad road, I built in an appointment. I took time with my six year old daughter. I returned invigorated and ready to hit the afternoon of calls and paperwork. At 5pm, my two daughters were ready and waiting - we headed to Grandma's for dinner, a night swim and dipped strawberries into chocolate. After putting the girls to bed, I took a few hours for some “me” time. Rejuvenated, I hit the computer to write this blog. I think I am on the road to recovery….