Goodbye Tim Russert

I am a big Tim Russert fan. Like many people I was saddened by his early death. I spent some time watching the news and MSNBC as they paid tribute to this wonderful man. What has really impressed me were the consistent comments from a variety of people interviewed stating that Tim knew how to have a balanced "circus."

He was a very successful journalist but time and time again there were stories on how he slipped out to meet his son Luke for a ball game or left early just to be home when his son arrived home from school. Stories of his devotion to taking care of his father, his great relationships with those he worked with and his attention to his religious faith. It seems to me Tim Russert knew the purpose of his circus and focused on what really mattered to him. He worked hard but didn't let that get in the way of his "other rings." I saw separate interviews from Matt Lauer and Maria Shriver and both mentioned advice that Tim had given them individually on the importance of family and taking care of the family along with career. He was a tough, hard hitting journalist but he showed people that he cared for them individually.

As I personally struggle with "getting it all done," I appreciate examples of people like Mr. Russert who, with their silent actions say, "It is OK to make a stand and be the ringmaster of my circus. I am leaving work early today to catch a ball game with my son!" They take care of the important and the rest takes care of itself. We send our best wishes out to the family and friends of Tim Russert. He will be greatly missed.

Corporate Work-Life Initiatives

A recent article by Jeff Stimpson entitled, "The New Equilibrium: Work-Life Balance" brought to my attention some innovative policies that companies have put in place to help employees deal with the issue of work-life balance. Policies such as:

• Flexible work hours such as offering longer work days resulting in shorter work weeks (4 day work weeks)


• Allow employees to come in later and stay longer (adjusting schedule to school and daycare hours)


• Three days of paid funeral leave, generous paid time-off, and the ability to work offsite


• Offering Blackberries with combined cell phone service to anyone who requests them enabling instantaneous call forwarding and message retrieval providing the ability for off-site work to be completed from anywhere with Internet access


• Offering part-time hours for employees and/or work-sharing


• On-site babysitting/childcare


• Three to six months of parental leave after childbirth – (yes, this goes for Father's too)


• Providing childcare on Saturdays during busy season and allowing employees the option to take time off (comp. time) instead of being paid overtime

If your organization does not have policies or programs in place to assist with the growing work-life balance issue, take the opportunity to bring up the issue with your boss or place a note in the suggestion box. Organizations that have work-life balance programs are finding that recruitment and employee retention increases thus offsetting the potential cost. It also makes sense that employees would be more focused and productive.

Imbalance can be a career killer

Steve McKee, founder and president of BusinessSuccessCoach.net, has written a fantastic article for Forbes.com entitled Seven Career Killers. One of the seven he lists is imbalance. Below is what he writes:

Many individuals move up the corporate ladder so fast that they actually end up failing as a consequence. More isn't always better -- especially if you're not ready for the challenge at hand. It's important to ensure that you are not only professionally ready to take on a new and bigger challenge, for which expectations are equally bigger, but also that your personal life is ready for the new demands and strains to be placed upon it. Achieving career success also includes maintaining a life balance, and a misplaced professional desire can create a backlash both at home as well as amid peers for your perceived obsessiveness.

Great example of the need to look at all 3 rings before taking action in one.

Realizations During A One Ring Intermission

I had the opportunity to spend some time with an old friend today. He was just beaming! He was always a positive guy, but today he seemed even more enthusiastic than ever. A few minutes into the conversation, one of the reasons for his new found zeal became clear-he had been on an intermission with one of his rings.

In July his position at a company had been cut. Out of work since that time, he had engaged in more quality time with his family and took more time for himself. He said that he had been spending so much time on work that he just didn't realize what he had been missing in the other areas of his life. He said, "After my time off from work, I look at people differently. I see what was lacking and have taken steps to find more fulfillment." Wow!!! All that, and he still doesn't have a job!

With his "work ring intermission" now almost over, he plans to keep many of these "new acts" in his lineup even after he returns to a regular work schedule.

What would an intermission reveal to you?

We Got Into Our Relationship Ring

Six years ago today was such a horrible moment in time. It was also a day that so clearly demonstrated a time most of us wanted to be in the "relationship ring" of our circus. As people learned of the tragedy, many just wanted to go home and be with their families. People stranded by grounded flights rented or bought cars, purchased RVs and did almost anything humanly possible to get home. Those people who could not get home were comforted by the amazing generosity of others who also knew which ring was most important in their life at that moment. I simply went home and spent the day with my daughter and wife.

Which ring(s) do you you need to be in today? The sense of urgency may not be as great as 9/11, but it probably is just as important.