8. They Value Relationships
According to old school management thought, there should always be a distinction between the professional self and the personal self when it comes to business.
Proponents of this ideology even proceed to allude to an imaginary demarcation line between management and employees. This way of thinking holds no water in today’s world of behavioral leadership and purposeful marketing.
You have to give people a reason why they should do their best for you. If people can’t see you for who you are, the result will either be underperformance or lack of productivity.
Here’s a thought for you to digest: If you can’t be truthful to yourself, how can you expect to be truthful to others?
If you present a “professional self” in the office and a “personal self” at home, here’s my question: “Which one are you?”
If you value your relationships with people, you should be who you are. There should be no demarcation line. Who you are in your home, should be the same person in the office.
Do you need proof? Read the biographies of Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group, Tony Fernandes of Air Asia, Mark Zuckerberg, Tony Hsieh or perhaps the most emphatic of them all, Elon Musk founder of Tesla.
On the verge of bankruptcy, Musk did not shut down Space X and Tesla because he did not want to remove his people livelihood. Instead, Musk dug deep with his people and on Christmas Eve was gifted with a US$ 1 Billion contract by NASA!
9. They Strive for Balance
I’m sure many have heard or read about Tim Ferris. Tim is a multi-awarded and world-renowned author, blogger, and entrepreneur.
Before Tim achieved success, he was struggling with his online health supplements company BrainQUICKEN. He was putting in 14 hour work days with nothing to show for it. He was tired, stressed out, burned out, bummed out; you name it, Tim was out of it.
Since nothing was going well with his company, he decided to take a 10-day trip around Europe. To keep track of BrainQUICKEN, Tim hired virtual assistants and delegated non-essential work to them.
He made it a point to check his e-mail only once per day and instructed his virtual assistants to get in touch with him on scheduled dates.
By hiring virtual assistants, Tim realized he was more productive than before. He could focus better on the things that needed to be done and spend less time at work. Eventually, he sold BrainQUICKEN for a profit and wrote his experiences in the bestselling book, “The 4-Hour Work Week.”
Tim pursued other interests such as bodybuilding, cooking, started a podcast, some blogs and even became a kickboxing champion in China!
Many people I know live for work.
For one friend of mine, time stands still when it’s time for business. In the meantime, precious moments for a family pass by. Years later, he finds himself searching for answers as to where time has gone. The only thing he knows is he is about to walk his only daughter to the altar.
You should work to live. It’s great to have the means to earn money and support a comfortable lifestyle. But there are experiences which are priceless.
Successful people strive for balance because they know life is more than just work. They want to be part of the family, remain in contact with friends and keep track of their health.
10. They Live to be Happy
I love listening to great stories about people who struggled through life to feed their families and send them to the best schools. Some of them work as market vendors or push cart vendors. Some work 3-4 jobs.
They don’t own anything but the clothes on their backs, yet they are happy. These stories are very inspiring and keep my priorities in the right perspective.
Then I also hear stories about these people who became rich and famous in a very short amount of time only to spend the remainder of their lives in jail. They dabbled in criminal activities and behind the scenes, outside the trappings of fortune and fame, they are miserable.
Again, we go back to the matter of core values. You should be true to who you are.
In our example, the pushcart vendor spent several hours a day trying to sell enough products to put food on the table and set money for his child’s education.
Material things don’t make him happy. What makes him happy is the thought that he is doing something to improve the livelihood of his child. Everything he does; every hour he spends working is borne out of love.
The spurious individual who made money from illegal activities owns every kind of extravagance money can afford. But is he happy? How could he be when he spends his time looking over his shoulder for the police to arrest him?
Money is only currency that allows you to purchase the things you want or need. But it should not be the reason for your happiness.
Related: It’s About Time: Strategies for Time Management
Invest in Time Wisely
Always keep in mind that you will always have 24 hours in one day; 16-18 hours of time to be productive. You should not place your available hours in only 1 or 2 aspects of your life.
To succeed, you must know how to invest and generate the most returns from the assets you have.
And what asset could be more valuable than time?
Roel Manarang is a seasoned entrepreneur who helps businesses succeed through design and digital marketing. With over 10 years of experience, he has assisted 170+ global companies. Roel is the founder of Workroom, a digital marketing company, and Tycoon Philippines, an acclaimed business and finance blog. Find him on LinkedIn.
