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By Esther Ewing
Part One:WorkxxxxPart Two: FamilyxxxxPart Three: Community
Part One: Work
Controllers sometimes find themselves surrounded by requests from the boss and from peers, working late every night to keep up and with either no life or very little life outside of work. As contributors to our organizations, we need to ask whether we do ourselves or our company any favors if we are driven by our jobs or whatever biggest crises come along. This is the first section of a three part article which examines the balance between work, family and community which leads to a satisfyingly blended life. First in the workplace:
xxWhy is not giving everything to our work so important? Let me tell you about Ted. Ted's not really a planner. He has great intentions. He starts oft the day with a list of what he wants to accomplish. Then the manager from down the hall sticks her head in the door with a request for some information. The phone rings and it's Ted's boss with a request that Ted come and talk to him for a minute. And Ted's priorities for the day are all shot.
xxTed's boss greets him with a demand that he write an extra report for the Board of Director's meeting tomorrow. Ted discovers that his boss has known about the need for this report for a week and a half. Writing this report means that Ted will be staying late again and he'll have to pass on taking their son to his Cubs meeting. He sighs
xxWhat's wrong with this picture? Is the company getting the best out of Ted? Is Ted giving the company his best? Is it in the company's interest to have someone who can't set limits or plan ahead? What should Ted be doing differently?
xxWhen he thinks that he has it planned, there is one more thing to plan. Ted can assume that there will be a surprise item just before the Board meeting and he can try to leave time for that. Proactive planning, then, is a key controller's skill.
xxSo what should Ted do? Ted needs to write the report. But after the Board Meeting, he should request a meeting with his boss. In this meeting he could say, "Here's a schedule of all the information that I have provided the Board over the past year. I have, extended this schedule over the next year. Can you think of anything that I've left out that might be needed?" .
xxThen Ted needs to schedule the work of the department so that the information is available on a timely basis and try to build into that schedule, some room for last minutes surprises. He needs to follow through on his planning and stick to it. Ted will discover that when he keeps to his plan, everyone will have a renewed respect for him. And maybe next time, Ted will not have to cancel his other important appointment... with his son!
Part Two: Family
As we said the last issue, controllers often find themselves working late into the evening with either no life or very little life outside of work- This is the second section in a series of three articles which examine the balance between work, family and community which leads to a satisfyingly blended life. The last section will deal with the volunteer opportunities in the community and their advantages for you. But first, in the rest of your life outside of work... "
xxJennifer and Ted were sharing a coffee break one day and commiserating with each other about how it had been a long time since either had gotten to a movie or even gone home with enough energy that they felt like doing something in the evening. Jennifer commented that she hadn't seen her mother in a long time and that they were beginning to feel a bit like strangers to each other. Ted commented that he'd started to get his job a bit more under control -- planning ahead and anticipating the requests that he got from the CFO and the Board. But his wife still felt that she couldn't count on him getting home when he said he did.
xxGeorge overheard their conversation. 'Do you mind if I join in?" he asked. They pointed to an empty chair. He settled in and leaned back against the wall. 'I used to have that same problem. My wife, Maria, used to say that I would tell her that I'd be home at seven and it would typically be nine before I was walking in the door."
xx"What did you do?" asked Jennifer. "I could sure use some help with that one. I'm always trying to get away for an evening with Mom and never getting there until about eight or nine."
xx'Well," mused George, "I started telling her nine and then made sure that I got there at eight. I didn't make any fanfare about it but she started to feel as it she was important in my life. We'd lost track of that."
xx"Is that all?" asked Ted. 'That sure seems simple to me. I guess you were basically managing her expectations."
xx"Well, that's right. But there was more." added George. "I sat down and asked her to tell me all the things that had been bugging her about our life together. It was hard to get her to tell me at first. She felt as if it wasn't quite right to complain. But eventually, she told me one or two things, and you know what? They were little things! She hated it when I read the newspaper and then left it sitting in the front hall when I went to work. Also, she wanted to know that, every weekend, there was one night when we would sort of have a 'date'. They were easy to do and boy! Did it ever make a difference! Mostly she felt I cared."
xx"So, when you want to make things better with someone," Ted summed up. "It's a good idea to sit down and ask them what they would like."
xx"Yes." said George. "I would never have guessed about the newspaper."
xxJennifer stared oft into space in silence. This was something that was easy to do. She got up and went down the hall. The next day, she shared these ideas with a couple of other colleagues. They were all interested and a couple of common themes seemed to be emerging. Each of them had one or two key non-work relationships which could be improved by a little time and attention and some creative consulting. And in each case, it seemed that a lower level of satisfaction in these relationships was bringing down their overall satisfaction level with the other areas of their lives.
xxAs professionals in organizations, it is very easy to get caught up in our work with its pressures and its demands, and all too easy to let our other relationships "slide" a little. The key here is to recognize that when there are areas of our lives that are not working as well, it is important to get up-to-date with those people and pull it together. And the good news is it's not hard to do!
Part Three: Community
xxThis article completes the theme of achieving balance in work, family and community life. It discusses the advantages to your effectiveness at work to being involved in the community.
xxWhen last seen, Jennifer and Ted had been pondering the challenges of balancing the challenges of being effective in their relationships outside the home with meeting their work obligations. Now we look at community involvement. Finance professionals are often recruited to sit as treasurers on boards. There is so much need, especially in this current climate of wanting to reduce public debt. Funding is very difficult. Finance acumen is urgently needed. However, let's listen in on another conversation between Ted, Jennifer and George...
xxThey had just finished the team meeting and as the others filed out, Jennifer gestured to Ted and George to wait. "Have you got a minute?" she asked. They sat back down at the table. "I've got something that I'd like to run past you. I've been asked to sit on the board of the Health Care Clinic as their treasurer."
xx'That's great", enthused Ted. "That's a compliment. I've heard that they're really careful in their recruiting."
xxJennifer nodded. "I know. I think it's because I helped them run the 10K run last year. I really enjoyed that."
xxGeorge asked, "What's the issue, Jennifer? I sense that you're not jumping at this. "How come?"
xx"'Well, I've been the treasurer on a couple of boards before and the problem is, I end up doing the same sorts of things there that I'm doing at work", She explained. "I become a little stale at both. I thought that this time around, I'd try to do something different."
xx"I know what you mean," said Ted. "I've been treasurer of my son's hockey association for a few years now. The advantage is that I can pretty well do the work in my sleep. It's not hard and everyone is so grateful. The disadvantage is that I'm getting bored with it. There isn't much contrast with my job."
xxGeorge commented, "I've been chair of the fund-raising committee of my board for the last two years. That has been really interesting. I got to meet people in the community that I wouldn't otherwise have met and I've been developing my influencing skills, enormously. You know, it occurs to me that there's an important question you might ask yourself, Jennifer. What are you hoping to learn in the next six months?"
xxThat is a very interesting question," she responded. "Do you mean here at work?"
xx"I mean, in any part of your life?" he replied.
xx"Well, right now I need to learn more about the human side. I want to be better at managing people and at working with different kinds", Jennifer replied.
xx"And what kinds of people would you work with as treasurer of the board?" George asked.
xx"They would be the board members on the audit committee and the accountant at the clinic." Jennifer went on. "They're all involved in financial activities. Perhaps this opportunity to become their treasurer isn't the right one for me."
xxGeorge explained that when he was being recruited for his current board involvement, he was first asked to be treasurer. He explained to them that lie had been treasurer before and was interested in something else. (He had already identified a couple of principles: he wanted to improve his influencing skills and he thought that fund-raising would be a good fit.) He told them what he was thinking. He was put on the fund-raising committee at first and later, invited onto the board.
xxTed thought for a moment. "The thing I'm trying to learn over the next while is how to handle negotiations. The union contract is coming up in four months for renewal and, while I didn't do badly on the negotiating committee last year, I'd sure like to get better at it. Maybe I can find some kind of role that involves using that skill."
xxGeorge added, "Sometimes you have to put the word out among your contacts to let people know what you're looking for. And being clear about that purpose helps others respond. It may take a few months to find the right role but it is more likely to happen if you're clear about it.'
xx"And," said Jennifer excitedly, "it would make life so much more interesting. It's like combining your current interest and need with the community interest and need. Everybody wins."
xxOf course, there is nothing wrong with being treasurer of an organization but it is not the only option. A blended life is all about achieving a "win" by combining your interests and needs in one area with those in another. As a finance professional, you have a lot to offer. There's a bigger "win" for everyone if you make sure that your contribution is one that fuels your learning and growth.
If you have any comments or questions for Esther Ewing, please contact her.
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