Personal vs Work…you in or out?

I sit here on the plane, contemplating what is important in life and how so many things can get lost in the day-to-day. Conversely, there is so much to add to your life if you take the time to experience and appreciate as it happens. Platitudes, I know…..Yesterday a colleague and I got to spend time with some new friends, learn a tremendous amount, share experiences and begin to build a relationship. I am at once overwhelmed and energized by the trip. Further, the time and the learning have begun to give me a target, focus and framework for one of our main BHAGs this year. Since I am an incredibly goal oriented person, this has been cathartic as for me, not having clear direction on an objective is both agonizing and distracting for me. At the same time, I realize how much I miss my children and my husband and how special they are. It could be the great conversations we had about our host’s families and kids in addition to the work talk; it could be that I got to spend time this morning with a friend I have not seen in many years and rekindle our relationship, or as I learned yesterday, perhaps it is altitude sensitivity (?)……but think there is more at play here. Simply, this is a preferred way to do business. Or, this is the way that I want to do business, anyway.

My career began a very “traditional” model, climbing the corporate ladder, working hard, and playing hard too, but usually not too much together. That is to say that I, like most corporate denizens, had my work life and relationships, and for the most part – separately – my personal relationships and life. A great example of this early on was when a friend came to visit at my office and was chatting, congratulating me on being inducted to my University’s Athletic Hall of Fame (which completely floored and shocked my assistant). Now it could have been that she was the prototype Staten Island working girl and thus made a huge play of this news and how shocking it was to her……but the reality is, she never saw me that way because I did not think my historical or personal stuff is what they were paying me for. Now that is NOT to say that I did not foster personal relationships with work colleagues both inside and outside my firm, I simply did not believe my personal life and activities were important to my work life.

I never looked at these relationships as a holistic part of the right way to DO business. I always looked at it as who I was, and that building relationships as something I liked to do. I understand there has been tremendous dialog, certainly within social media on the need for “authenticity” and how the walls must and will be transparent or broken down between these distinct areas of our lives. What I am getting at is slightly different – not just that you need to do this to be “real” and successful in social media, but more that you should view this melding as a key part of how you will be successful in your job or business going forward.

I for one have a new year’s resolution to actively pay attention to these relationships – both traditional “home” type and business. I now believe that we can be tremendously more successful and importantly have more fun if we do this purposefully (thanks William for articulating this better, and how timely). You have so many more opportunities to help another, the more touch points you have – and vice versa. I could go on, but you get the point and my flight is landing.

So, what about you?

Tags: BHAGS, career, HR, human resources, life lessons, Social Media, truth