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Tips & Tricks Busy Professionals Can Use to Simplify Their Lives Compliments of Ribary & Associates, LLC February 2007 the "human element" in business Some of you may know that I recently lost my mom to a sudden heart attack. Through that experience, I learned a few things about business relationships, and what I call, bringing the "human element" into business. When life throws a curve into your clearly laid plans, how you handle it will impact your business either positively or negatively. And, it will have a lasting effect. As professionals, we often put pressure on ourselves to appear professional at all times. No matter what’s going on in our lives, we keep going, we keep our commitments and we don't let on to others that we are experiencing pressure outside of our business. This is often necessary, with all the demands on our lives. However, there comes a time when allowing a "human element" into your business can be healthy and necessary. When life throws a curve, and it's a BIG curve, our clients sense a change and wonder what’s going on. This is when it's better to communicate openly, than to continue on. When a traumatic event occurs - be it a death, a sickness, a sudden extreme cause of stress - the best thing we can do is pause to take care of ourselves and our families. This means letting clients and colleagues know that something is happening and that we need to take time off. They will sense the change whether we say anything or not, however, how they perceive the change makes all the difference. Remember, perception is reality. If clients and colleagues perceive us to be handling things unprofessionally, yet they don't understand why, we end up costing ourselves in health and in our professional image. If we communicate our needs immediately, it gives us the chance to cope and heal, and hopefully the energy to communicate and plan for our hiatus professionally. If however, we "keep going" because it's our job and we strive to push our human needs aside, we may go until we "break." Suddenly not returning calls, not completing projects on time, etc. This means "falling off the edge of the earth" in our client's mind. If we communicate up front what we need to support our human spirit, we may be surprised at the outpouring of support and compassion that we receive. Two positives come from this: 1. It allows us the space we need to cope and heal, without damaging our professional image. 2. It provides us with much needed support from outside our core family. And, at a traumatic time in our life, we can use all the support and care we can get! I urge you to remember two things: 1. That your clients are also human and will likely show you the kindness they would hope to receive in a similar situation. 2. When you have a colleague, vendor or client experiencing a traumatic event, the support they receive outside their core family can make a positive impact, not just on them, but on their entire family. Don't be afraid to show your support in whatever way speaks to you. Wishing you endless success, Tia I'd like to publicly thank my wonderful clients and colleagues for the support you've shown me and my family. It had a huge impact and I am very grateful! Know someone dealing with the loss of a loved one? Thanks to a colleague, I recently discovered the Dougy Center. The Dougy Center provides families and children with a supportive environment for grieving. They also have information helpful for all family members. They are a great resource. Visit http://www.dougy.org/ A couple of upcoming business events Women in Business Party and Expo April 26, 2007. Mark your calendars! For more information, follow this link. Women Entrepreneurs of Oregon meeting on February 13, 2007. Branding Yourself: A Small Business Administration Roundtable with Sylvia A. Gercke. Click here to register. Our intention is to provide helpful information specific to an office environment, and at times we will provide other community or resource information. If you do not wish to receive future tips, please e-mail remove@tiaribary.com. Do you have feedback? We would love to hear your comments. Please e-mail comments@tiaribary.com or call 503-810-3794. |
