Crystal Clear Communications Blog

I celebrated a milestone birthday a few days ago, and I spent some time reflecting on my life. I realized there were three key pieces of advice I received over the years that have helped me succeed.

Unsurprisingly, they’re things we’ve all heard and know we should do. It’s putting them into regular practice that makes a real difference.

These three pieces of advice have helped me succeed:

• Be proactive
• Treat employees how you want to be treated
• Work-life balance is commonly used for a reason

Proactivity will help you succeed

When I was 10 years old, my father gave me my first job. He paid (if you consider all the Yoo Hoo you can drink payment) me to take inventory at his restaurant and bar.

After I finished, I was leaning against the bar, Yoo-Hoo in hand, when my father walked up and said, “What are you doing?”

I replied, “I’m finished taking inventory.”

My dad looked at me and then kindly informed me that standing around drinking Yoo-Hoo would get me nowhere in life. He said, “Whatever job you ever have if you finish a task and don’t have something to do, find something to do. There is always something that needs to be done.”

I will never forget that moment, possibly because I was super-embarrassed that the cute bartender heard every word. By the end of the day, in addition to taking inventory, I had thrown all the beer bottles down the chute, dusted the jukebox, swept the floors, and cleaned the tables.

And to this day, when people ask me how I advanced in my career, I tell them it’s because I took on projects or found ways to get things done that weren’t getting done. Being proactive will truly help you succeed.

Treat employees how you want to be treated

As children, most of us were taught some form of “treat others how you want to be treated.” Yet I often see this rule broken in the workplace.

The person who promoted me to my first managerial role, my current business partner George Stenitzer, said to me, “The first rule of management is simple: treat your employees how you would want to be treated.”

That statement seems obvious. Yet think about the managers you’ve known during your career who aren’t transparent with their employees, who leave early and want their employees to work late, and who admonish employees in front of others.

Treating employees how you want to be treated really will help you succeed.

Find your personal work-life balance

The thing to note about work-life balance is that it’s different for each of us. Each person has a different ideal balance. Some people may prefer to work more or be more active, while others need to enjoy more downtime.

We do all need balance. The trick is finding the balance that’s right for you.

How do you find that balance? Think about your personal patterns and habits. Are you more awake earlier or later in the day? When do you get your best thinking done? When are you happiest? And lastly, when are you most frustrated?

Keeping a journal of your patterns can help you figure out the balance that’s best for you.

Here’s an example of how I found one part of my work-life balance. About a year ago, I realized I wasn’t getting much work done on Friday afternoons. My brain was maxed out from the week.

Now, whenever I can, I stop working around 2 p.m. on Fridays. In exchange, I work for about 4 hours every Saturday morning, when my brain is fresh after a night of sleep.

I get much more done on Saturday mornings than I ever did on Friday afternoons. And I can do my Saturday morning errands on Fridays. It’s a great way to get some balance into my life.

Finding the right balance for you.

Some of my clients and friends do not understand this, and that’s okay. Their work-life balance needs are different from mine.

More and more employers offer flexible work hours and schedules because they realize balance is important. A tired, stressed-out employee is neither happy nor productive. Finding the balance that’s right for you can help you succeed.

Ensuring you incorporate what may seem like obvious tips, such as being proactive, treating others how you want to be treated, and finding your personal work-life balance can help you succeed.

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