Change-o-Meter ™

When the heat of summer lifts and the crispness of fall arrives, it's invigorating.  We feel refreshed and renewed.  (Particularly here in Texas!) A perfect time to re-evaluate the slate of obligations and perhaps mix it up a bit to capture new opportunities. 

Our world is intense and fast-changing.  The perfect mix of work/life balance may be elusive.  Thus, it may be more pragmatic to focus on synergy -- getting multiple benefits from a single effort.  And very important to get rid of things that are harmful to your HQ -- Happiness Quotient.

Here's a process to consider.    Make three columns on a piece of paper and start making lists.

The Prize:  Is there something missing in your life that you want?  Make this a header at the top of the page.  This could be a major business goal or an important personal desire.  Or...it could be a sliver of time that you want to devote to something you enjoy.  Go for it.  You deserve it!

Column 1:   How are you spending your time currently?  Make a list of all work/home activities.  Include habits, hobbies and even time-wasters.    Evaluate recurring commitments.  Put a checkmark beside the activities you enjoy.  Put an "X" beside the items you loathe.  Circle the items that might be impediments to attaining The Prize.

Column 2:  What do you talk about in the various circles that you inhabit?  Make a list of your typical topics.  Do they help or hinder your path to the goal?  Remember, we get to control what we broadcast to others.  Thus, it might be important to edit and segment your messages.  Keep in mind that social media amplifies the perceptions being collected.  The dashing Mad Men ad man Don Draper says it best.  If you want a different outcome, "....change the conversation."

Column 3:   What new activities might you pursue to achieve your target?  Where is the audience that might lead you to the goal?  Is it a class, an organization, a change of scenery?  Or is it simply an allocation of time to deliver an important dose of happiness?   

Take a hard look at your list from Column 1.  You will be subtracting at least one activity from this group.  Are you focused or fragmented?  Everyone needs a tribe, so it's important to be part of a group that delivers conviviality, solace, learning, advancement of purpose.  Are you still involved in organizations that no longer fit your new goals?  Are you still chairing a committee that you're just plain sick of?   Are there things you can outsource -- at home or the office?

It could also be that something has already been taken away from you.  A job....a relationship....a family member or loved one.  If you've sustained a loss, be nurturing and good to yourself in the process of restoring and re-building.   

Evaluate what your are saying in your various venues.  Be mindful of the perceptions you are creating.  Capitalize on your relationships and time spent with others.  Craft a message that engages friends and colleagues in your pursuit of The Prize.  Delete some "tapes" in your conversations.  Edit and revise.

Be purposeful and strategic in adding new activities in place of the old ones you've purged.  Do you want a gractful migration or a full-tilt plunge?  Or do you just want a few months of breathing space.  Devote the time to what is important to you and savor the enjoyment!  You'll never look back, I promise.

Here is a dating diagnostic version of a Change-o-Meter™ (Click on it to enlarge).  It is a simple but powerful game-changer.

Example:  Column 1 -- Stop smoking and you will double the number of potential partner prospects.  Column 2 -- A date is not a therapy session, parent/teacher conference or business meeting.  It should be a respite from the pressures of daily life!   Column 3 -- Taking up golf is a matter of location...location...location.  It's where the men are. 

Synergy



Christine Breck, founder of Texas Wall Street Women, called this week with an invitation to present at the Dallas chapter's October meeting. 

We brainstormed critical topics to address:  leadership, career management and networking -- all wrapped up under the umbrella of busy career time constraints. How does one cope with work, home, family, fitness, a touch of social life and still find time to sleep??? 

It's risky to have all of one's eggs in one basket.  A byword of career planning is to network before you need to.  And advancement often requires relationships and outreach in industry circles beyond one's immediate department, according to author and career expert Dr. Helen Harkness.  Yet, in a post-downsized world, bandwidth is limited.  It's not uncommon for an individual to be doing the work of more than one. 

What's the solution?  Women in particular need a career and relationship strategy that delivers efficiencies.  It's all about synergy -- mixing business and personal realms.

Men have been doing it for years.  Drinks at the 19th hole after a game of golf.  Football and baseball outings.  Poker groups.  We now have executive women golf initiatives.  But you don't have to undertake sports if you're not athletically inclined.  There are many other paths.

Here are some points that I will address:

1.  People do business with those they like.  Become friends with your clients.

2.  Saying no is an important as saying yes.  Don't get saddled with commitments if they are not going to give you an effective ROI.  Or if they're not enjoyable.

3.  Delegate and outsource -- don't try to be the homemade cupcake goddess if you are a time-crunched  road warrior. 

4.  Seek alliances that can deliver multiple outcomes. 

5.  Find fitness outlets with friends.

6.  Target organizations where your customers are -- and your competitors are not.

When I was single in my 30s, I always built relationships with the wives of male clients.   My pro bono community work was always in support of their special charities.  When I married, my husband and I became friends as couples with many longtime clients and co-workers.  We are trusted advisors to one another.  We network.  We refer business.  We help each other.     

On Saturdays, I always look forward to Lisa Ann McCall's Body Balance class.  It's a wonderful regime and as a bonus, it's a catch-up session with friends and colleagues from Texas Women Ventures (4 of us), Second Wednesday Book Club (3 of us) and Women's Leadership Exchange (4 of us), as well as a women's financial breakfast series where I first met Lisa Ann!

Texas Women Ventures Fund has been highly rewarding.  We are a mezzanine fund that invests in women-led businesses.  It's an impressive network of professional women -- and some men, as well -- who provide funding as well as expertise and connections, as needed, by the portfolio companies.  It's a for-profit organization for the investors, but one which also does good, as the companies are creating hundreds of jobs in their local economies.  Many friendships and business relationships have been forged, as the group prepares to raise a third fund this year. 

The key is to find The Perfect Fit of outreach initiatives that work for you and your career goals.