Definitely worth a read

But for all his greatness as a businessman, I marvel at his personal relationships.  Steve Jobs did not only put his products above all else, something true of many entrepreneurs, he also put them above his family relationships.  He barely knew his daughters, especially not the one he fathered out of wedlock at a young age, whom he refused to believe was his after many years.

I am a strong believer in work life balance, particularly maintaining healthy relationships with family.  I have made decisions in the past to give up parts of a professional life to have more time for family, a decision I have never regretted.  I can’t imagine making the choices that Steve did; to me, no product could ever replace the kind of bond I have with my husband, my child, and my close family and friends.

Yet, many entrepreneurs do make the decisions to pour their life into their work.  It makes you wonder: can you be a successful entrepreneur and still have family time?  One of my business mentors told me that entrepreneurs get to choose their own work hours, that “you can choose which 20 hours you want to work each day.”  That kind of attitude seems to forgo having any life outside of work.  And many examples we see in life, Steve Jobs included, seem to indicate it’s not possible; that in order to be good at one thing, you must give up time spent on anything else.

I hope it’s possible to do both because I won’t be the kind of person to pursue my career at the expense of everything else.  It’s just not who I am.  Even if I die and only my family remembers me, that’s legacy enough for me.  Steve Jobs gave a great speech about staying hungry and foolish.  I know he meant pursuing your passions in business or art, a personal passion, not an interpersonal passion.  But I’m going to make that mine and pursue both my professional and personal life.  Make them both meaningful, and not sacrifice one for the other.

It may be the most foolish notion ever, but it’s who I am.

-Deborah Fike

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So no, managers and leaders, just like the guys on the front line, often have to use their experience, intuition, and just plain common sense to make decisions on a day-to-day basis.

Why is this important to know?  Because it makes them human, just like you and me.  I like Steve Jobs as much as the next guy, but I’m reading his biography and it’s amazing how much hero worship he had in his own head and collected.  True, the man was a genius, but he didn’t get there gathering data.  He had a plethora of life choices and experiences that gave him insight into the consumer mind and that’s what made him special.  But he wasn’t infallible.

Keep that in mind the next time you’re reading expert advice and material.  It’s great to learn from others, don’t get me wrong, but in the end you should make your own choices.  Hone your own skills and create experiences that will make you better at whatever it is you’re doing.  And for the love of Steve, don’t wait around for “all the info” before you just get out there and do something.  Do it now and learn from your mistakes rather than waiting around for a bunch of random facts.

-Deborah Fike

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Stereotypes abound for a reason. If you don’t like yours, why not consider a change? You might not be able to completely eliminate these kinds of interactions, but you might be able to find a better way to get things done.

For starters, how about less meetings?

-Deborah Fike

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• Who you endorse in your private life.
• What you do online.
• Where you spend your personal time.
• When you choose (or not choose) to help others.
• Why you get up in the morning.
• How you act when you think no one cares.

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It’s like he’s waiting for you to leave home before he delivers.  (Photo by var resa)

I have been fortunate enough that this has rarely been a problem for me.  My managers have been pretty good about letting me run errands as needed, and now I manage myself.   I know everyone is not nearly so lucky, and I feel your pain.  We live in a dual-income culture where many of us (myself included) don’t have relatives that can help us run these errands.  Life outside of work doesn’t stop because we “need to be at work.”

If you are stuck in this situation, talk to your manager.  Explain your life situation.  Getting someone to understand why you ask for extra time out of the office goes a long way in granting it.  You can ask to come in late, leave early or take a long lunch to minimize the time taken to run errands.  You should also insist that you will finish all of your work, even if that means coming in earlier or staying later another day (and follow through with this 100%).

If you’re the manager who won’t let an employee leave to run an errand, have a little empathy.  Work isn’t about butts in seats; it’s about getting things done.  It doesn’t matter if you work for the government either…I’ve worked for both the US and Japanese governments, and even they can be flexible.  If you put rules in place and treat everyone fairly if they need to run an errand, you won’t lose control of your office.  I guarantee it.

-Deborah Fike

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