SHORT TAKES
By Jorge Zuloaga
Success at work: family failure?
Not long ago I asked a good friend about one of our colleagues who
I hadn't seen in a while. His answer hit me hard. "At work", he
said, "our friend is very successful. He has risen like foam, it
would seem that he is shooting for the stars."
So far so good. I had always considered him a brilliant person who
was always ready to try new things, a creative mind, and a hard
worker. The answer continued and it was the second part which
really worried me: "It seems that he is having problems with his
wife."
It is difficult to achieve success both in business and family
life. Success at work must have its cost: we can lose our health
and even our family. In our minds we establish the relationship
between success on the job and the possibility of other problems,
including a family failure.
How to obtain the much sought after balance? Obviously there is no
magical forula nor an an easy recipe, but there are some elements
one can take into consideration:
- Use time dedicated to the family in an efficient manner. Show
the same or more interest for things as you would show your best
clients.
- Put your family on your agenda. This means to program a
certain amount of time exclusively for the family.
- Consider special ceremonies or rituals and small family events
as very important.
- Keep close even at a distance. During trips call home and
talk even a little bit with each member of your family.
- Share business with your family. Share with each member, at
their own level of understanding, what it is you do at work, the
difficulties you face, your goals, and what you are doing to
achieve them.
Comments to gerencia@nortropic.com
December, 1995