life@work

How to Give an Effective Performance Review

2012-01-17T13:00:38-08:00

Most of us crave meaningful feedback at work. It's natural to want validation and acknowledgment for our accomplishments, and many of us wish we could hear constructive criticism more often to help us learn and grow.

Yet the tool that organizations give managers, the dreaded performance review, is pretty universally loathed. Most managers aren't well-trained on how to give effective feedback. They forget the importance of direct, positive acknowledgment. They shy away from direct confrontation when they have a criticism (or go the opposite route and criticize far more often than is useful).

My number one tip for effectively reviewing performance is to do it frequently and informally. Nip problems in the bud. Catch people doing things right and say so directly. Be specific and be timely.

But you still need to give an official performance review using the process and form that your employer has selected. Here are my golden rules for giving effective reviews:

1. No surprises

Don't store up all of your grievances for review time. Address performance issues as they come up instead of waiting for the annual review. The best performance reviews document what you and your employee already know.

2. Make goals and revisit progress throughout the year

Don't set goals in January and then ignore them until the next January. Make goals relevant, adjust them as necessary throughout the year, and touch base about progress regularly.

3. Be specific

Provide a context and situation for your praise and criticism. For example, how is your employee a good communicator? What examples do you have to support your comments?

4. Don't just make your employee write it

Self assessments are a fine part of the process, but to make the review effective, you need to add your two cents. Spend some time and show a little care here.

5. Be on time

Haven't we all had our own reviews delayed by weeks or months (or years?) It's not exactly a recipe for feeling appreciated or motivated. The value of a review decreases rapidly every month it's overdue.

For more tips on how to give effective reviews, check out this article on WikiHow.

How do you think becoming better at giving reviews would benefit you? Please share in the comments below.

How to Get the Most Out of an Informational Interview

2011-12-14T12:42:32-08:00

Many mid-career people I coach are surprised that informational interviewing is still going on for the over-25 set.

If you're curious about what's happening at a certain company you're interested in, want to know what kind of experience is really needed to break into a related field, want the skinny on what other organizations you might want to target, or have any one of a thousand other career development questions, asking for an informational interview is the best way to get your questions answered and get acquainted with new people.

You may already have some of the basic principles down about informational interviews:

Explain briefly who you are and why you'd like to meet.
Suggest a specific amount of time for the meeting (30 minutes or less).
Come prepared with questions.
Don't ask for a job.
Write a thank you note.

Since it can feel daunting to email or call someone you don't know personally (even if you've been referred to them by a mutual acquaintance), you want the experience to be worthwhile. Here are four key tips for getting the most from your time:

1. Define the outcomes you want from the interview.

Do you want to get on someone's radar? Learn more about an organization's culture? Find out about a specific career path? Figure out how you can increase your chances of being competitive in a new field?

Decide what you want to get out of the interview and create your questions based on those desired outcomes.

Craft more questions than you think you'll need and write them in priority order.

You may get an hour with someone or you may only get ten minutes. Write down all the questions you can think of (the more detailed, the better). QuintCareers.com has thought of a bunch already for you, to get you started.

Then rearrange the order of your questions so they're in priority order. This way if your meeting is cut short, you've already asked the most important questions.

2. Research the organization and person you are meeting with.

Take the time to read not only the company website but any recent articles written about the organization. Check out the interviewer's LinkedIn profile and see if they have a Twitter ID.

When you bother to do some homework you are able to ask better questions and it leaves a good impression.

3. Ask for referrals to others.

Think of every informational interview as a potential gateway into more interviews and more new contacts. At the conclusion of the interview, after you've established rapport, let your interviewer know you'd like more information (and on what).

If she suggests people for you to contact, ask whether you can use her name when you inquire or, better yet, ask wether she's willing to send an introductory email to that person and copy you on it. Then it's very easy for you to reach out to the new potential contact.

4. Keep in touch.

After you've sent a thank you note to the interviewer, decide how (or if) you want to keep in touch with him. If you hit it off, if you have mutual interests, or if you're now extremely excited about his organization, you'll probably want to keep in touch.

Check in with your gut as you decide on an initial plan, however don't be afraid to push yourself a bit if you know you have a tendency to hang back.

Possible ways you might keep in touch include:

Ask to connect with him on LinkedIn. One advantage of connecting here is that if he stays current on LinkedIn, you'll be able to see if they change jobs. You could then send a note of congratulations.
Follow him on Twitter and engage with him every so often.
Email him every so often with a link to an article that relates to your meeting, or with a comment about something you read about them or their organization, or a brief status update and a question.
Offer him something he would value. Depending on you and the interviewer's situations, you might offer to interview him for your blog, volunteer for an upcoming event he's running or do some other volunteer work.

Then write down your keep-in-touch plan and create tasks in your calendar now.

Of course, you shouldn't try to force a connection if you're getting lukewarm responses or can't think of any good reason why you'd want to keep in touch. Your energy is much better spent building and maintaining quality connections.

Professionals are meeting new professionals all the time. Don't be shy about asking for someone's time; simply do so respectfully and thoughtfully. Most of us are very open and willing to meet new people, offer suggestions and answer questions about ourselves.

However, don't take it personally if the answer is no, or if you never get a response to your request for an informational interview. There are a thousand possible reasons for being turned down that have nothing to do with you (too busy, in a career transition themselves, going through tough times personally, simply not interested in talking to anyone).

What are some of your best suggestions for informational interviews that really pay off?

How to Boost Your Self Confidence During a Job Search

2011-11-16T15:48:30-08:00

It's ironic when during a job search, just at the time when you need to feel your most confident, you're feeling your most deflated

Earlier this year I met with a client who had been searching for a new job for over five months. Although she had a full-time job, she was looking for a different one because she had been underemployed and underpaid for several years. She didn't have a supportive manager, the organization's culture did not support the employees' desire for career development, and she felt stuck.

She was grateful that she could support herself, yet she was anxious to move into a different organization, where she could expand her skills and work within a supportive team.

The years of underemployment had taken a toll on her self confidence. She needed to sell her skills and highlight her accomplishments in order to stand out, yet she didn't believe she had much material to work with.

We worked together to identify how she could strengthen her job search tactics. She had her resume re-written by a professional, we talked about how she could network more effectively, and we planned and practiced responses to difficult interview questions.

But just as important we looked at how she could bolster her general feelings of self confidence. Besides the tactical job search strategies, she needed other ways of generating strong feelings of self worth.

You may in a similar position right now. Here are some strategies my client tried out. Some of them may work for you:

Write down your best career moments

It's natural for us to forget what we did well and instead focus on what went wrong. We also tend to view our abilities and achievements as unremarkable compared to everyone else's.

Think about the times in your career when you felt successful. What was happening? What did you do? Write down the specifics.

If you can't think of a single good career moment, try to recall any positive feedback you've received in the last five years, from a manager, co-worker, or customer. Dig out the old performance reviews, if you have them (note to self: get them if you don't have them!)

What did people notice about you? How did you affect their experience, the bottom line, the team, or anything else?

No achievement or quality is too small.

Exercise

Feeling a lull in self confidence makes us feel draggy in general. Counteract the drag by moving your body. At the very least, walk every day.

Getting exercise feels good. And now more than ever, you need to feel good.

Do something you love

Confidence in your ability to find a new job is eluding you, yet there are other things you know you're good at and enjoy doing. Don't set those aside now! Spend time every week doing something you feel confident about.

Examples might include baking, taking photographs, playing basketball at the park, giving a friend advice, listening, playing your guitar, playing video games (in moderation - it's also very easy for this to turn into a major procrastination tool), running the PTA fundraiser, or whatever else you enjoy and are good at.

Be helpful to others

It feels good to give. Give away your time or expertise to someone who could use it. Babysit your nephew, help your mom with her computer woes, help the newbie at work, volunteer to tutor a 3rd grader at your neighborhood school - whatever feels right up your alley.

The way you treat others affects how you feel about yourself. Being of service is a great confidence booster.

Limit the brooding

I'm not talking about putting on a happy face every day and pretending everything's just great.

But the more you ruminate about how terrible you are at networking, how awful the job market is and how you're never ever going to get a great job offer, the more you'll believe it and the worse you'll feel.

If you let the brooding thoughts run rampant, they'll try to take over as much real estate in your mind as they can and will eat away at your self confidence. Yes, kind of like a virus.

When you notice that you're thinking those worst case scenario thoughts, stop. Bring your attention to something else. Employ one of the strategies above. Distract yourself.

This takes a lot of practice, and it's effective.

After adopting these habits my client had a lot more energy for her job search. She noticed that her attitude of desperation shifted to possibility and curiosity. She knew she was doing everything we could think of to be successful in her job search and she let that be enough.

And it was! After four months she accepted a position that suited her very well. It took her longer than she had hoped it would, but she stuck it out and got what she wanted.

What are you doing to stay confident during your job search?

Underrated Jobs and the Brady Bunch

2011-09-28T13:39:34-07:00

I loved The Brady Bunch as a kid. I watched every episode about a million times, because somehow there was always a rerun on, and we kids of the 70's watched a whole lot of TV.

People who know me well know that I can relate pretty much everything that happens in life to a character or an episode of The Brady Bunch. It's one of my outstanding skills.

So I can't believe that in the six years I've been writing this blog I haven't yet connected any career issues to the Bradys! Because there's a lot of material to work with (five whole seasons!)

Here goes.

When you're considering a career change or trying to figure out your first career, of course you should look within to identify your strongest skills values. Still, when it's time to look externally and consider the many options out there, it can feel overwhelming.

You might be taken with the Marcia Brady careers - the glamourous, eye-catching, completely cool gigs that pay well and are very difficult to get.

But don't discount the Jan Brady jobs - the slightly less sexy but totally dependable careers that are actually within your reach.

"Underrated" is a good word to describe the Jan Brady jobs, and recently CareerCast.com published their report of the most underrated jobs of 2011.

What makes a job underrated?

According to CareerCast.com's report, it has:

Median-to-higher salary level
Lower stress
Lower environmental dangers
Lower physical demands
A lower than average unemployment rate

Interestingly, the underrated jobs are in a variety of industries, including health care, insurance and high tech. See the whole list here.

If no one but Marcia will do, then of course by all means start plotting how you're going to become captain of the football team or one of Greg's best friends (or both!) so you can have a chance.

But remember that more than likely, Jan, the sister in Marcia's shadow, is sitting by the phone waiting for your call.

I'd love to hear: What career do you believe is underrated? And which Brady kid was your favorite?

photo found on fanpop.com. Image credit: Paramount Pictures

Three Master Skills for Managers

2011-07-12T11:06:22-07:00

By the time managers and small-business owners call me, they’re pretty frustrated and discouraged.

They’re a good fit for their job. They’re well-respected. And they’re struggling.

Typically the struggles look something like these:

Underperformers on the team
A demanding boss who’s never pleased
Too many projects and not enough resources
Exhaustion

While each struggle is unique, there are three skills that every new and seasoned manager can fine-tune for better results:

Take decisive action
Delegate well
Set clear boundaries

Take Decisive Action

Everybody procrastinates.

It’s natural. When we are facing an unpleasant or unclear task, have a large project looming, are concerned about getting it perfect, don’t have a clear deadline or are just plain uninterested, we put off action.

Getting things done well in the eleventh hour works for some of us. But if your procrastination is hindering your or your team’s effectiveness, it’s time for a tune-up. Here are the most useful ways to combat procrastination:

Set a firm deadline for each decision or deliverable. Tell others about it.
Imagine the benefits of getting the task done. See yourself on the other side of the project.
Do the most unpleasant task first, followed by something you enjoy.
Honestly assess whether making it perfect is worth the extra time.
Break large projects into very small tasks and make appointments with yourself to do them.
Finish a task as quickly as possible with no interruptions. Set a timer if you need to.
Keep your thinking specific and factual (“I can finish two more reports before 3:00”) rather than abstract and emotional (“I hate these #$@%* reports!”)

Delegate Well

There’s an art to skillful delegation.

Done well, you select the right people for the right tasks at the right time to get the right results for everyone.

You may not feel like you have enough time to properly delegate, because it would take too much time to train someone, or you may feel safer holding onto the keys to the kingdom all by yourself.

However, as you advance into more strategic positions in your career, your ability to delegate well becomes crucial to your success. To fine-tune your delegation skills, keep these tips in mind:

Know your team members’ strengths.
Start by delegating small and low-risk tasks and projects.
Clearly communicate directions, resources, deadlines and your expectations.
Be available for questions.
Immediately coach people through problems or errors.

Set Clear Boundaries

Your time is an asset, so manage it well.

Too often the managers I work with are constantly interrupted at work, take work home every night, respond to texts at all hours and hardly see their families. They are approaching burnout fast.

They do all this because they believe that their jobs depend on it, that the culture requires it and that there’s no alternative way to manage time.

Very often they have never even tried to set even the smallest boundaries on their time.

When you set boundaries on your time, you’re telling others that you’re not available to address everything with everyone all the time.

Every workplace is different, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution to setting boundaries. But even small shifts can lead to big results. Here are techniques that work:

Block off time in your calendar to work uninterrupted during the workday.
Limit most communication with staff to weekly on-on-one meetings.
Negotiate priorities and deadlines with your manager in favor of your time.
Don’t check your mail or phone after a certain hour in the evening.
Schedule enjoyable activities during weekends.
Take your paid vacation.

Practice all three of these skills early and practice them often. Check in with how you’re doing in one area and set one specific goal for enhancing that skill.

One final step: Find mentors who demonstrate mastery of one of more of these areas. Usually just finding one role model can give you the permission and inspiration you need to pursue these master skills for yourself.

What management skills are you working on right now?

This post originally ran on TalentZoo.com.

Five Keys to Finding Motivation

2011-06-09T13:41:38-07:00

Earlier today I was really unmotivated to write a blog post.

But as you can see, I went ahead with it.

Most days I talk to at least one person who is having a hard time getting motivated. Motivation is one of those things we can never have enough of. Often it becomes impossible to find when there's a task ahead that is either daunting, dull, confusing, or uncomfortable. And sometimes we're not motivated to do anything, even something fun, because that's just our overall mood.

Where there's a will there's a way. But what if there's not much will? Then what?

To illustrate the keys to finding motivation, I'll use an example from a client I spoke with recently, whom I'll call Terri, who wanted a new job but was feeling completely unmotivated to start a search.

She basically knew what she needed to do, but because she felt it would be tedious and stressful and because she was very busy in her current job, she kept putting it off.

We worked together to help her find the oomph she needed to get going and stay engaged with the process.

The Five Keys

1. Find the meaning

Figure out why you care that this task gets done. The tricky part is to connect the "why" to a deeply-held value.

Terri wanted a new job for a variety of reasons, most importantly because she was asked to compromise her integrity at the current one. The culture of her workplace rewarded behaviors that were not natural to her, such as aggression and competitiveness. More and more she was realizing that if she could find an employer who valued a collaborative working style she would be much happier.

Many people are tempted to look for another job primarily to earn more money. But such external typically don't provide enough real juice to feel motivating. When something that is intrinsically important to you is at stake (such as integrity, time with your family, or the opportunity to learn new things), it's much easier to commit to following through.

2. Change how you do something

Terri was feeling unmotivated partly because she thought finding a new job would require her to cold call a bunch of people she didn't know. That's what she thought "networking" entailed, so of course she avoided even thinking about starting a job search.

We came up with a job search plan that included networking tasks that seemed doable to Terri. She started by getting in touch with current contacts and contacts with whom she had lost touch. She updated her LinkedIn profile and asked for a few introductions to people she could ask for informational interviews.

She paced herself by contacting only a few people each week so she could keep up with her current job's demands. Suddenly she was actually enjoying the networking she had so dreaded.

You may be feeling unmotivated because you're imagining steps in the project that don't play to your strengths, that are too complicated, that are too numerous, and so on. Look at how you might change your approach, delegate, or re-design the work to create less resistance.

3. Visualize the outcome

Terri was spending a lot of time imaginging all of the boring or unpleasant tasks associated with a job search, such as updating her resume, sending out cover letters, and not getting interviews, that she became disheartened before she even started a job search.

I encouraged Terri to write about what being in a new job that was a good fit for her would be like. She imagined what she was doing, where she was working and how she was feeling.

She was visualizing a positive outcome and getting excited about where all this job search business was going to lead her. She reviewed this happy ending every day for at least a couple of minutes.

When the journey from Point A to Point B is arduous, you simply must be excited by how great Point B is going to be. Otherwise you run out of steam very quickly. Do what top athletes do and imagine yourself crossing the finish line before you even get started.

4. Choose to do it

How many times a day do you tell yourself that you have to, must do or should do something? It is hugely unmotivating. If you can shift your language and choose to do something, it feels much more empowering.

It sounds kind of silly, but try it and see what happens. You move from complaint to positive action just by changing from "have to" to "choose to".

Terri realized that choosing to update her resume and contact people for informational interviews automatically connected her to the meaning attached to the task (see #1 above). She chose to do those things so that she could find an organization with a great culture.

5. Just do it

Sometimes it takes good old-fashioned discipline to get started on something you're just not feeling motivated to do. Schedule the dreaded task first thing in your day and commit to working on it for 15 minutes. Then reward yourself for a job well done!

How I Used These Keys Today

How did I find the motivation to write this blog post?

First I reminded myself why I care about writing this blog - I want to reach out to careerists and offer encouragement and support. I challenged myself to get it done in less than 90 minutes, which lit a fire (or at least created a few sparks!) because I work well with deadlines. I also incorporated a "Just do it" mentality and opened up a blank file and simply started to write.

I'd love to hear: What are you trying to get motivated to do?

This post is adapted from a post I originally ran on Mom In The Balance.

The Top Lists of the Hottest Careers of 2011

2011-05-13T11:10:00-07:00

It's graduation time, a time when millions are thinking about what they will do with their freshly minted degree in hand.

I've compiled here a "list of lists" that you can peruse if you're still in the brainstorming phase of what the heck you will do now. They're also useful for those of you who graduated a short or long time ago who want to (or have to) shop for something new to do.

To get the most out of these lists, record your findings on a spreadsheet and create your own ranking system so you can put your spin on what you think is hot and what is not.

These lists of hot careers are just a springboard for further thinking, research and networking. They can spur inspiration and creativity, but reviewing them is just the beginning.

The 50 Best Careers of 2011

(US News)

This is a general list, created by compiling data on job growth, salary, and perceived job satisfaction. Categories of jobs listed include business, creative and service, healthcare, social service and technology.

200 Jobs from Best to Worst

(Jobs Rated Report, CareerCast.com)

OK, this is a big list! They've looked at five key criteria: work environment, income, outlook, stress, physical demands, using data from government sources, trade groups and private organizations.

At first glance there are the usual suspects near the top (Software Engineer, Actuary, Mathematician) although I was a bit surprised to see Philosopher holds the #16 spot.

Top 10 Careers for 2011

(Bloomberg Businessweek)

A brief list of diverse careers that aren't the same ones you see on every other list.

Top Jobs for Grads

(National Association for Colleges and Employers, as reported by Huffington Post)

Um, hopefully you majored in some kind of engineering.

Best Jobs in America

(Payscale.com and Money Magazine)

They're looking at just pay and growth for this list of 100 jobs.

Top 10 Best-Paying Jobs for Women in 2011

(ForbesWoman)

Unsurprisingly, tech and healthcare is where the money is at.

The New Best Jobs for Retirees

(SmartMoney.com)

Suggestions for how to parlay your former career into something new and part-time.

High-Paying Jobs for Generalists

(Monster.com)

OK English majors, how does selling sound to you?

This is less a list and more a helpful article about what to consider in your career exploration and job search when you have a liberal arts degree.

I'd love to hear: What will you do next with the information you see on one of these lists?

Please share in the comments below or over on the Dream Big Coaching Facebook page wall.

Why You Don't Want to Be Indispensable

2011-04-14T11:29:18-07:00

A dear friend of mine took her newborn baby home from the hospital a few days ago. Most of us parents get seven or eight months to plan and prepare for a new arrival, but my friend had three days.

She and her husband had just agreed to adopt this baby, due May 5, and then received the call Friday: "She's here!"

There was not a single diaper, onesie or bottle in the house. No car seat, Baby Bjorn or bouncy seat, either.

The talk with their four year-old son went something like this:

"What do you think of having a baby sister? Like on Monday?"

The healthy baby was born four weeks early, operating on her own timetable, as babies are wont to do.

My friend has a very responsible job. She is a real muckety-muck whose Plan for April did not involve starting family leave a month ahead of schedule with no time to prepare. She had critical projects to complete, loose ends to tie up, reviews to write.

Cue the work-life balance theme music.

When she started talking to me Sunday night about how she might work one day a week from home during her family leave, I could see where she was coming from. It's hard to remember just how time consuming taking care of a newborn is, even when you've done it before, and it's hard to imagine completely stepping away from a major responsibility, even temporarily.

But it's called family leave for a reason, and I said as gently as possible, "You aren't indispensable, you know." I was hoping she'd cut herself a break and allow herself to focus fully on getting to know the baby, helping big brother adjust, and enjoying this unique time as much as she could.

The saving grace for my friend is her outstanding team. She knows she's hired a great group of people whose competence and helpfulness she can rely on when she's gone.

I was so relieved to hear this. Because being the only person who can do "X" or the only person who knows about "Y" is not only exhausting but reflects poor planning.

It may be tempting to think that your ticket to job security is being the one whom the company can't do without, but in fact the opposite is true. When you hire superstars and mentor them so well they could take over the world tomorrow, everyone looks good.

Babies arrive early, parents get sick, and stuff happens. Any one of us might need to take a month or longer off work with no notice.

When your team can step up to the plate and hold things together well, your previous efforts are better protected and your return to work goes much more smoothly.

Note: This post first appeared on this blog in December, 2006. I'm pleased to report that my friend did take time off to be with her baby, who is now an adorable, spunky four-and-a-half-year-old.

I'd love to hear: How are you avoiding being indispensable at work?

Share in the comments below or on the Dream Big Coaching Facebook Page!

Flickr photo by kudaker

The Best Free Job Search Apps

2011-03-17T12:20:24-07:00

Looking for a new job? There's an app for that.

In fact there are many free apps for your smartphone or iPad that can help you be as efficient as possible with your job search when you're away from your computer.

There are also many good, inexpensive apps to invest in, but I'm focusing today just on the free ones.

LinkedIn, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, LinkUp, Indeed.com, and other major networking sites or job boards that you're using all have apps. It's a no-brainer to go ahead and download these to your iPhone, Android phone or iPad.

If you're using Twitter during your job search (as you should be!) you can download their free app. TweetDeck and Hootsuite, free social media dashboards, also offer free apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android phones.

RealTime Jobs allows you to search and apply for jobs quickly. You can send business cards digitally with SnapDat (both for iPhone and iPad).

CareerOverview.com recommends a number of apps for Android users. Of these I think PrinterShare Mobile Print (print remotely from your phone) and Quick Contact (provides a shortcut to add a new contact) are among the most useful.

Evernote, is an indispensable, free tool you can use to capture ideas, bookmarks, receipts, photos, voice memos, and anything else you can think of when you're at your computer or on-the-go.

Unlike piles on your desk or the jumble of bookmarks on your computer, it's very easy to find whatever you want later.

The most important thing to remember about apps is that they should make your job easier, not be a job in and of themselves!

If you find yourself focusing too much on the shiny new apps instead of using them to help you do the more old-fashioned job search work, such as meeting people, you may want to limit how many add.

I'd love to hear: What are your favorite job search apps?

Add a comment below or head over to the Dream Big Coaching Facebook page!

Flickr photo by Yutaka Tsutano

Consciously Choose Better Work-Life Balance

2011-02-11T14:14:51-08:00

What kind of balance do you want to strike between your professional and your personal life?

Harvard business blogger Ron Ashkenas wrote an article in December in the Harvard Business Review that a key to minimizing regret regarding your work-life balance (or lack thereof) is to consciously choose the tradeoffs you're willing to make to achieve personal and professional success.

Absent that, we're likely over the years to make hundreds of small and subtle decisions about when to stay late, when to make it home for a family dinner, when to work through a weekend and whether to take vacations that create an overall pattern we could be profoundly unhappy with.

This is a conclusion Ashkenas came to after studying a group of academic physicians. Even though none of the physicians had consciously chosen to sacrifice their families to advance their careers, some of them ended up doing just that.

It was an accumulation of small choices that gradually created a new reality of work-life balance, a reality that made them wonder, "How did I end up like this?"

Now It's Your Turn

Think back a few years and try to remember what your life was like.

Were you working more hours than you are now? Were you closer to your friends or significant other? Did you see your kids more often? Were you sleeping better? Were you in worse health?

Now think about the kinds of choices you've made over the last few years that led to the changes you've experienced.

What did you tend to choose and why? What patterns can you see? Do you want to continue these patterns of decision making? If not, what could you choose differently?

Ashkenas suggests several good questions we should be asking ourselves continually, so that we create a relationship between our personal and professional life that we're satisfied with on the whole:

What's the balance you want to strike between personal and professional success?
If you had to honestly choose, is one more important than the other?
What are your goals in each of these spheres, and what can you do to optimize both?

These are not questions you can answer easily. But I believe exploring these can affect whether your marriage, health, and career succeed or fail.

No one sets out to stall in their career or become estranged from their kids. By being introspective and making conscious decisions about your work and personal life, you're much more likely to avoid either extreme.

I'd love to hear: What are you choosing that is resulting in a good work-life balance for you? And if you're not in a good place with this, what could you be choosing differently?

Leave a comment here or head over to the Dream Big Coaching Facebook page Wall!

Flickr photo by scribbletaylor