Friday, February 13, 2009

Work-Life Balance


 




















Work. Lots of stuff goes on at work -- interpersonal dynamics, personality clashes, team cohesiveness, corporate culture -- and then economic ups and downs. Findings ways to regroup, streamline, engage, and play up strengths available is something company management and leadership looks to do. Many companies right now are evaluating how best to keep solid employees; and to keep a company sustainable during stormy times (looking for that lighthouse!) -- a delicate mix of visionary, strong leadership with compassion and creativity.

Professional development can be helpful, even third party interventions to help facilitate new possibilities and re-structuring. Leadership development, coaching and mentorship, transition/change management, communication, stress management, conflict management, and financial management -- just a few aspects of a workplace that can be developed. Life Strategies offers workshops and seminars to help with these many facets of a corporate culture. http://www.lifestrategies.ca/training.cfm 

Professional development can be done via further specialization, such as through the Career Management Professional Program: http://www.lifestrategies.ca/training.cfm  Online learning can be a great contributor to work-life balance as an individual need not take time from work to engage in these courses; they can be done in the comfort of one's own home, at a convenient time -- less time traveling, less time taken from work. 

These same issues can be addressed individually -- for both work and home -- in order to best enjoy and function in both worlds. Life Strategies has some ideas here too: learning about work-life balance, career building, parenting styles, budgets and business plans, financial management, and entrepreneurial strategies. http://www.lifestrategies.ca/training.cfm

Life. As for personal balance (or that ongoing quest for...), people have different ideas of what balance means; but being aware of what that is to oneself will make the search for that balance a bit more reachable. https://lifestrategies.ca/secure/store/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=146   

As much as we need to learn to foster this balance within ourselves (for personal reasons, and professional), we can also encourage this in our co-workers and clients:    https://lifestrategies.ca/secure/store/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=42

Cultivating that balance
There are many aspects to work-life balance; finding ways to work better and more harmoniously and efficiently; finding ways to make time for personal interests, friends, and family; and even time just for you are all integral to a healthier way of being. Even with the multiple stressors going on -- again from work, family, personal pursuits, and so on -- with some sense of balance, skills, and awareness, can one also handle these better.