In the United States we talk a lot about work-life balance. Harried employees talk of the lack of work-life balance, while corporations entice recruits with their culture of work-life balance. Some employees and employers solve the problem with alternative work arrangements such as split shifts, telecommuting or 4-40 work weeks.

Yet, as a country we seem to be failing miserably at achieving this so called balance. Americans take fewer vacation days than any other country. We are one of the only modern countries without vacation-time minimums mandated by law.

A new study by employment firm Hudson noted that “Thirty percent of Americans say they use less than half their allotted time. And 20 percent take only a few days instead of a week or two (Business Week May 21).

Our technologically advanced culture was predicted to give us more leisure time. Instead it has increased the pressure to be “always on.” Even when we’re off, we’re at work. We have blackberrys, laptops and voice mail that allow us to remain at work even on vacation.

As the workplace grows more competitive, the pressure to be there increases. This trend however has not only impacted employees but has also affected business owners. In fact many business owners allow work to consume every waking hour believing that they don’t have the luxury of taking time off.

However, working all the time does not increase productivity, it decreases it! We all need time to decompress and relax. Time away from work allows you to come back with more energy and a fresh perspective. I have gotten many of my best ideas when I was far from an office and work setting.

Balance looks different for everyone but it is something that we all should strive to find. I suspect that for many that means first dealing with the fear of not being at work. Employees and business owners face competition within and outside of our borders. Business owners may lose opportunities to foreign countries that can do it cheaper. Employees may lose their job as organizations merge, or consolidate to cut costs. Many are afraid that if they don’t stay on top of things they could lose their income.

The answer is to overcome your fear with faith. Have faith in your talent and abilities. Focus your energies on becoming productive and giving 100% during the hours you are at work and then go home and give 100% to the other parts of your life.

Your time will be better spent focusing on the positive and living your best life now. Employees should take charge of their careers by keeping their resumes updated and networking to stay current on market trends. Working a 60 hour week does not protect you from reorganization; it simply makes you angry when in spite of all your time you too receive a pink slip!

Business owners should develop multiple income streams to protect themselves against the natural up and down cycles of business. Spend focused time weekly working on the business and not in it. Create systems and processes for success.

Time off does not detract from your competitive edge, it enhances it! Let’s face there will be times for all of us that we’ll put in more hours and work harder but that should not be our way of life. Life is far too short to spend it all working in fear that you will lose ground.

I challenge you to find a better balance, you will not regret it!

After an extremely long hiatus, I’m back! I must admit I considered abandoning blogging altogether. My strange addiction to 12 hours of news per day resulted in an overload of stories about bloggers targeted by crazy cyberstalkers and it freaked me out. Yet, what scared me even more were the multitudinous conflicting theories on blogging by “experts”. A sampling of expert data included:

-Your blog must have a very specific business theme (no random musings allowed!)
-You should absolutely not have a blog as it provides no real business value
-Writers should not have blogs unless they are promoting a book
-Writers should have blogs because how else could they build readership!

Um, okay. All of it left me scratching my head in frustration. With each opinion I carefully weighed the entire argument. All of the “experts” raised good points but in the end all that advice left me feeling unworthy to implement any of it. My quandary over blogging could apply to any aspect of business advice.

How often have we all found ourselves flummoxed by conflicting “expert” opinions? More importantly, how do we sift through the opinions and counter opinions to choose what is right for us?

Every week I have clients contacting me wanting me to do something that was advised by an expert. I can clearly trend popular seminars by the requests that I receive monthly. One month I may be deluged with requests for “SEO articles that will drive traffic to my website,” and another it may be “a sales letter written in AIDA style.” The “expert” advice is not necessarily wrong, but often it’s not the right strategy for that client’s business.

I am a big fan of learning from the success of others. However, I believe that one person’s successful strategy could be a total failure for another. It’s important to consider the advice in the context of your business environment, and your overall strategy. Implementing tactics that are not aligned with your overall strategy can prove disastrous.

One of my favorite words to use is “authenticity.” Unfortunately it’s far too often ignored in business. Many business owners have implemented “tips and tricks” advised by experts only to become frustrated when it didn’t work. A 7 page web sales letter is not the right strategy for every business. A single press release will not cause reporters to line up at your door. Tips and tricks work best when they are authentic to the goal and character of your business, otherwise it’s just a slick trick.

So, what brought me back to blogging? In the end, it was a simple decision. I may not win tons of new business from my modest blog nor become a best selling author but I do enjoy writing and connecting with others. I missed the emails from those who shared their opinions and the insight I gained from “putting it out there” for the world to read and comment. Writing a blog may not make me lots of money, but it’s certain to allow me to practice what I truly love – writing. In the process I hope to inform and entertain those who read and along the way get better at something I love to do.

Until next time,

KDS

I have a friend who seems to spend all of her time at seminars. She owns a business but I’m not sure when she actually has time to run it! Each time I speak with her she has changed her business model (again), on the advice of yet another guru who she heard at a seminar.

While I am a proponent of continuous learning for some it can be dangerous. The power of learning new things is actually applying them. It is my belief that there are even greater lessons to be learned when you apply knowledge. To simply run from one seminar to another is a waste of time and money and I am sure that the purported gurus would agree.

So, is my friend addicted to learning? Possibly, but I think the true problem is fear. I have witnessed her inability to make a decision for fear of making a mistake. Her answer? Continue to run around and allow others to make the decisions for her. The result of her actions (or inaction) is that her business hasn’t really changed or grown in 5 years.

I challenge you to act on one piece of advice or knowledge. Apply it to your business, refine it, learn from it. Don’t make the mistake of running from one fad to another. Let me know how it changes your business.

Happy New Year!

I don’t know about you but I’m really glad that the holidays are behind us. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the celebration of Christmas and many of the holiday festivities but it can be exhausting! So, here we are in 2007 and off to a new start.

This month represents a fresh start, and for many – new beginnings. Very few people approach the new year without wanting to make it even better than the last. Even those who had a great year strive to improve when a new year dawns.

It is for this reason that so many people make New Year’s Resolutions. Gyms and churches are filled in January, but the crowds thin out before the month is over. Some people will give up on their resolutions before the week is out.

I love resolutions. I typically don’t make them at New Year but instead I set goals weekly, monthly and throughout the year. I am always working to improve some aspect of myself and or my business, and trust me there’s much work to do!

I have found that it’s not enough to want something, you have to plan for your success. I write down my goals and then break it up into action items. Some goals may take all year to reach, while others may only take one month. I celebrate the milestones along the way and re-evaluate periodically to make sure the goals still make sense.

For example, last year I had a goal of running my third marathon. However, I found myself consumed with my new business, stressed, overwhelmed and worn down from overtraining. Realizing that the goal was not right for where I was in my life, I had to postpone it. I was disappointed but got over it and actually used the loss to improve my workout routine.

Goals should not be things that torture us but should be motivators. Your goals should align with where you are in life and what is realistic to achieve. As you contemplate this new year, by all means make a few resolutions! Just ensure that your resolutions are meaningful and achievable. Also keep in mind that changes don’t come overnight. Plan the steps that you will need to take to reach your goals. Along the way, you may have to readjust, but it’s okay. Life is a journey filled with twists and turns. Be open to new pathways as you pursue your dreams.

I wish you all a fulfilling year!

KDS

Tis the season! As we endure the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, nerves are a bit more frayed, wait times a little longer and prime parking spots a little more difficult to find. Just before the initial kick-off of the holiday season, several encounters made me question whether service, or I should say service with a smile is dead.

I went to a well known restaurant chain for a take-out order (which I had called in). I walked in and there was no hostess at the podium so I stood in line to pay for my order. After waiting patiently for 15 minutes, I was told by the manager to step aside because he was busy and would have to check to see if my order was ready. In fact if he had taken three steps to the food prep area he would have witnessed my order being thrown into bags at that very moment.

You see I had been watching the harried waitresses pulling tags and fulfilling orders. I watched as one waitress went from cashier to the food area (with no hand washing in between). I watched her ask about my order and then take the styrofoam container with my slice of pumpkin pie (I know what you’re thinking, but we’re all entitled to the occasional indulgence and I do skip the crust!) and shove it on top of a whole pie and slam the glass shut crushing the container.

Yet, I stepped aside as he took payment from the dine in customers. I did so because I was curious to see how he would handle the situation. I finally got my order. I was never asked if I needed silverware or condiments, never asked if there was anything else (missed opportunity for an upsell) nor did I ever receive a smile or the customary “come again.” Thank you, I won’t!

Sadly, this has all too often been my customer experience. Business owners, small and large need to realize that a focus on customer experience will result in greater profits. This is beyond service with a smile but service with a purpose. Without customers, a business will die. So it is hard to understand why more companies do not focus on the centerpiece of their very livelihood.

Customers can help you to correct ineffiencies in your business, fuel your product/service development and grow your business. When a business realizes the true value of its customer, it will soar. I hope that during this holiday season you experience purpose driven service with a smile!