Here are some ways to help build strength:

Cross-Train – Having a staff that is well cross-trained and agile directly influences your bench strength. Providing cross-departmental learning will give employees and managers more exposure, and will allow them to gain better knowledge of your organization as a whole system. This permits leaders to move personnel around to help support the needs of the customer, because their staff is well-rounded and not just one job specific.

Assess Talent – Assess your managers’ leadership skills, behaviors, and work ethic. Do the same for all your employees. When you clearly understand their current levels, you have more insight on how to help them increase effectiveness – you have a vision on what they need to work on and what they have mastered. Then begin to transfer the knowledge and experience from level to level. Capture the current state of the team, and apply the education, training, and mentoring needed to develop your future leaders.

Identify and Nurture High-Potential Leaders – Focus more on the employees possessing the strong capabilities, but also on the members who fall below the mark at which you wish them to operate. These are the two areas of people that will mostly likely leave an organization. Do not allow your high potential leaders to feel isolated where they are, but instead build their relationships. Help these leaders to team up with others and strengthen the interpersonal relationships across your enterprise. Help them guide the folks operating under the radar to gain stronger capabilities, learn new talents, and improve their daily output, channeling them to constructively strengthen their value.

Provide Mentoring/Training – Staff can benefit by having stronger support channels. Mentoring and coaching programs will help employees gain confidence and directly influence the development of the workforce. Finding new and fresh approaches to help your team learn is invaluable. Make your mentoring programs and training programs stand for something, and stress the importance of such programs to your team. If they see that training reflects on growth opportunities in your organization, more will be serious about it.

Job Leveling – An organization chart of your company is a useful tool that can show the company’s structure and the relationships between the employees and the jobs with which they are charged. The main purpose of this formal chart is to reflect the authority arrangement of the company; however, it often only reflects the responsibility structure. With such dynamic change in today’s business, the company’s organization chart is often out of date only weeks after updating with its new employees, new managers, and possibly new billets. One thing that an organization chart does show is the company’s formal relationships and allows customers to see where they can turn if an employee is not readily available or able to assist. But what it does not do is discuss any of the social relationships that develop from it. Understanding the direct line relationship between a manager and the subordinate is important, but having this serve as a “Hierarchy” can be dangerous. Having a flat line organization is more effective and more modern. An administrative “chain of command” is important for such things as vacation requests, timesheet approval, etc…but having it serve as the “pecking order” in your business can be misleading. Communicating the purpose of an organization chart is important – many employees may read to far into that one diagram and become discouraged. One-line your team and keep the focus on customers, not supervisors.

Take a look at the improvements that you would like to see in your organization and what can enable you to be a better team. What is your philosophy on leadership, what are the skills critical for success, and what do you value most in your team? As you spend time answering these questions, think about having a more agile workforce – a team that is cross-trained and well developed, as well as an organization that that has made a commitment to raise the bar for each individual, so at any given time, any one of them can step up to new challenges. Build your bench strength by providing quality mentoring and training, identifying potential new leaders, and assessing current skill levels. People are always ready to step up, they are anxious for new opportunities. Do not let people stay on your bench too long, get them out onto the field and allow them to exhibit the qualities they possess to help improve the company’s performance.

Since resources and opportunities are restricted in many circumstances, training and development activities should be prioritized for each individual employee. Training in the critical skills required to perform their assigned work should take precedence over training that supports their future development interests. Once the gap between the current skills and the skills to perform their present assignments are removed, the other development objectives can be pursued. This is specifically why each individual should have their own development/training footpath and emphasis and consistent awareness needs to be placed on their track. The one size fits all type of training programs are ineffective because each employee is different and possesses different skills.

When possible, experienced individuals with expertise in training and development should be made accessible for conducting detailed activities. They can assist in examining critical skills, providing knowledge for applicable training opportunities, conducting in-house training seminars, and evaluating each person’s learning curve, while ensuring learned skills are being transferred throughout the organization leading to a return in investment. Resources supporting training and development should be made available to the workforce. Each individual should be provided his/her own training roadmap, own list of training opportunities that are available, and own list of in house experts as resources, job aids, and materials for development. Again, not everyone’s package will be the same. These packages will be reviewed and updated routinely for each member.

In most organizations (70% or more) there is no Training Officer/Training Department or concrete training programs in place. If there is a program in place, often you will find the “one size fits all approach” being used, which may not have the right impact on every employee. Matter of fact, a lot of employees lose faith in their leadership/management when concrete programs/departments are not in place – they feel that is a true reflection of management’s interest in long term development of the employees. In these organizations the training staff often struggles mightily to find the right level of leadership. What should the head of training do? Where should they report? What should they be called? What background should they have? Is the company ready for it? In today’s growing business and highly competitive talent environment, the Training Officer and Training Department are more important than ever. Having a center of expertise to which individuals throughout the organization can turn, ensuring they access to the intellectual tools, information and data they need, is invaluable. Many times, valuable people within the organization know they need more, but are not sure where to go to get more or how to do it. A training officer/department is able to form that path for the organization and for each individual employee.

Effective training is critical to employees’ ongoing education, satisfaction and achievement. It is also a strategic investment in the long-term success of an organization. In fact, the custom of acquiring knowledge is so important in our workplace that individuals and companies must institutionalize the process of education or it will not happen. And the definition of learning should be broad – not just additional training to enhance job performance, but rather a cultural change that affects the daily operations of a company and its employees. By providing a long term road map, tailored to each person, employees are given an outlook and something to reach for. Often you will find personnel looking for new employment after 2 or 3 years into a job. Much of this is because they do not feel they have any future development plan in place for them within the organization. This can be prevented. Concrete programs directly reflect retention.

Building a culture of innovation, where everyone is involved in action research and constantly collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data for continuous improvement is essential. Some say that a frustrated manager complains that every time their company provides training, the now highly skilled employee gets snatched up by a competitor. However, the only thing worse than training people and having them leave is not training them and having them stay. In reality, the only thing worse than that happening, is putting in training programs that are not tailored to needs, to individuals, and that are not institutionalized as a true process. If you are going to put a training program in place, do it all the way. Focus on removing the gaps between the current skills of each employee, the skills required to perform in their actual positions, and the skills needed for future relevant growth opportunities. Individualize the training tracks, and provide a center of excellence for your organization.

Many of us are familiar with the following scenario: Improving Our Fitness! We go to the local sports store and buy some new shorts, t-shirts, and a nice pair of running shoes. We are going to turn over a new leaf; we are going to start working out again and start running. We say okay, we will run 3 days a week, Monday –Wednesday – Friday. Tuesday and Thursday we may do some weight training and take the weekends off. We set our calendars to reflect this, and we tell everyone this is my new leaf. First day comes and the alarm goes off, we get dressed, and run two miles… “Wow that felt good, I feel a difference in myself already” is what most of us say. Next morning is the weight training day, and the alarm goes off, and we are a little sore, but still get up and hit the weights…again, we feel good. Now comes Wednesday morning and since we had to work late the night before, we say to ourselves, “I need to get an extra hour of sleep so I can be more effective in the big meeting today, so I can skip the run.” Thursday morning comes, and we say, “Well since I didn’t run yesterday, I don’t want to do back to back weight trainings so I’ll skip today and hit Friday with the normal two mile run,” and we go back to sleep. Now comes Friday morning and it is raining outside – “I can’t run in the rain, so I’ll just wait and start over on Monday.” Monday comes and we are tired from the weekend. Next thing you know, a month goes by. Our “improving our fitness!” goal is out the window. What happened? This is a difference between being interested in doing something and committed to doing something. This is a difference between “reasons and results” or “talk and action.”

Remember: Life is not measured on where you start or where you finish, it is a matter of whether or not you start. You may have a decision you have to make, a problem you have to solve, a project you have to start, a goal you need to reach, an opportunity you need to seize, or a dream that needs to be fulfilled. You cannot wait for everything to be perfect before you start acting on these things. If you wait, that chance may be long gone. People who are successful and passionate are the ones willing to pay the price today. Millionaire Andrew Carnegie once said, “You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb himself.” The point is, you cannot move forward unless you are motivated to do so. Every step you take today and everything you do today will build on what you accomplished yesterday. What you do today will help build your tomorrow. See, you can have the best idea in the world, but what good does that idea do if you do not act on it, if you do not pursue it, if you do not keep marching upon it?

Make an impact on yourself and others. The old saying by Anita Roddick – if you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to sleep with a mosquito in your room – applies here. You have what it takes to make an impact, no matter what the issue is. Take a step, and take action. Persistence is the key to continual movement. There is no such thing as instant success. You will be surprised on what you can do with your life if you have the courage to take the first steps toward your goals, dreams, and aspirations. Thomas Edison once said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” If we would have just stuck with our goal of “improved fitness” a year ago, who knows where we would be today. Set your goals, reach for them, stick with them, and do not let the obstacles and reasons get in your way. An English Playwright James Albery once wrote, “He slept beneath the moon; He basked beneath the sun; He lived a life of going-to-dos; And died with nothing done.”

Do not let this happen to you. Take that first step, and keep persevering. Do not make “Someday Island” your home. “Someday” never comes. That “someday” needs to be now, the present. Allow me to compliment James Albery’s quote by adding my own: Courage will test your talent, passion will help you persevere; The step you take today will make your tomorrow even more clear; Learn from your failures and keep reaching for your dreams; For the stars are much nearer, closer than they seem.

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” – Mark Twain

People who decide to go along for the ride, or be the “passenger” in a vehicle are in the hands of the leader, the driver. You have to go where they decide. You have no control over the speed they set to get to the end point. You have no decisions to make with regards to the directions used to get there. Sure, it is tempting to be the passenger. You can sit back and relax, put on your iPod, play your games, talk on the phone, send text messages, fall asleep, and enjoy the ride. The journey is pleasurable, but you often do not pay attention to exactly where you are, who you are around, who is ahead or behind you, and whether or not you are even making progress.

People who decide to be the achievers, the “drivers” accept the responsibility of moving forward. You have to pay attention to the “traffic” or “people” around you. You have an end goal or destination that you are required to reach. You are in control of the pace or speed you wish to set to get to that end result. If you come to a fork in the road, you can determine which new path you will take. If you need a break, you make the decision on when to stop and for how long.

In a vehicle, the distance between where the driver sits and where the passenger sits is small, yet the differences between the two roles are enormous. Do you want to drive and lead, or do you want to ride and depend? If you desire success, then you must make responsibility your choice. Responsibility maximizes your ability and opens the door for new opportunities. When you lead, you drive, you take action – you make things happen, they don’t happen for you.

When you follow, or go along for the ride, and things do not go as you would like, the first thing you do is blame the driver, the leader. You act like a duck and quack quack quack at the driver. Look in the mirror and ask yourself who really is to blame. The answer is you, because you chose the role of the passenger. Put things in your own hands, take responsibility, maximize your contributions, and accept accountability – stop being the quacking duck who blames others for “leading you down the wrong path.” Instead, be the eagle who soars. When you lead and believe in yourself, you are free to focus on improving yourself, reaching your potential, and deciding where you want to go and what speed you want to set to get there.

Tommy Lasorda, a long time manager of the LA Dodgers, once said “There are three types of baseball players: 1) those who make it happen; 2) those who watch it happen; and 3) those who wonder what happens.” When you are the first type of player, you make it possible for yourself to be successful. You have the fuel to pursue your purpose. You have the power to grow your potential. You make the journey on which you are about to embark more enjoyable along the way. You are in control.

Anybody can be a passenger. Anybody can go along for the ride. Anybody can see problems coming and do nothing about them. Anybody can watch and wonder what just happened. Do not be just “anybody”. To be successful you need to understand that nothing positive happens if you are unwilling to step up to the plate, lead, and take responsibility for your actions. Identify your mission, your reason for being – knowing where you want to go is the first step in getting there. Identify your passions, your priorities. Keep your goal on target. Success is a journey. You do not suddenly become successful when you arrive at a particular place or end point. Success is the role you acknowledged, the actions you took, the decisions you made, the responsibility you accepted while traveling down the road to that particular place or end point. Wake up tomorrow, look in the mirror, and decide whether you will be the driver or the passenger. Once you decide, act. I will see you at the finish line.

Vision is important in this equation because it paints a target for an organization. It lights the fire, keeps people moving forward, and allows your employees to see the big picture. Unlike looking at a stationary target, however, organizational vision changes as the needs of the customer changes. Your vision prepares you for this, but your flexibility and agility are what get it done. For example, the strength and success of a football team does not just come from the plays the coaches call from the sidelines or how well each player understands what they are supposed to do according to the playbook…it comes from how they are able to perform once the ball is in motion, when the play has begun, and things change, or unexpected things happen. The vision comes from the coaches/leadership, but the ability to react, perform, and outlast comes from the agility and flexibility of the players/employees. Having the most talent on the field at one time is not always what leads to success. Being able to consistently perform play after play, not running out of gas, and keeping a marathon pace are also very important factors in your success. In a business organization, it is no different .

If your organization is flexible and agile, they will be able to rapidly address issues, respond to new opportunities, and meet new customer demands. This is the formula for success for any small business, because agility and flexibility are extremely critical in not only keeping/pleasing current customers, but also adding new ones. When each employee in an organization shares these traits, they are able to offer valuable insight to the leadership. Let’s look again at the football analogy. Coaches see things happening from the sidelines – they have a perfect view of the entire field. But the players are on the field, and they see the action from another angle. When your players are able to hear and see things that the coaches may not be able to hear or see, they share the information with them. This allows coaches to make changes to their game plans or call new plays. In business, when the employees are out on the floor and they see new opportunities, they can share them with the leadership, which allows the leadership to get a jump on the action and possibly strike big. This can have an incredible influence on the long term success of any organization.

Being able to meet customer requirements depends on the heart of this very issue. Take a look at Walt Disney, for example. Although he was one of the first to create cartoons that had sound, cartoons that had color, and movies that included animation, they were not his biggest accomplishments. He had to be able to adapt to change, and had to keep a long term vision. He was agile and flexible. He adapted to customer needs and new demands. He saw change coming and planned for it. In doing so, he created his greatest masterpieces, Disneyland and Walt Disney World. But he didn’t give up on books, cartoons, and movies. He was in tune with what people and customers wanted and needed and led the effort in that direction, while still contributing to the products he began with. Today he is still the leader in the business, and will probably be tomorrow. If your organization is successful now and wishes to be successful tomorrow, as well as decade after decade, they need to have similar vision, agility, and flexibility.

Almost any company or employee can do a better job in preparing for change. Recognizing this is important. Keep moving down the path that has gotten you where you are today, and keep the vision open to where you want to be tomorrow. Your company culture is important and being a close knit team is vital. Adapting to change, preparing for new challenges, and responding to demand signals all contribute to this. Doing such will lead to revenue growth, employee happiness, satisfied customers, and a long-standing successful organization.

Now let me offer you this. What if I added the famous Buffalo weather to the equation, where it is not unusual to receive 2 feet of snow overnight, heavy sleet, and ice. It makes your trip over the Rainbow Bridge a little bit more interesting. What if I said to you, I am taking away all of the guardrails on this bridge, leaving nothing between you and the 300 foot fall into the Niagara Falls below. Then you would probably say “no thank you.” Why is that? Easy – those guardrails are what give you security. They protect us. They make our trip to the other side easier. We have more confidence riding across the bridge or path to reach our destination when we have security or guardrails beside us. In business organizations, it is no different. Organizations create guardrails to help protect us from falling over the edge. They give us tools to succeed. They lay in places like mentoring programs, training programs, communication, leadership, guidance, performance reviews, etc. Us as employees rely on these “Business Guardrails” to help guide us and protect us, all while building our confidence to reach our goals.

When you are new to an organization, you are unsure of where you fit, what your responsibilities include, what your limits are, who in the organization can help guide you along the path of development. It is somewhat intimidating at first to take a drive onto that bridge. So you reach out to the leadership to assist you in the transition. They explain your position, their expectations of you, and put people in places to help guide you along the path or bridge. You begin to reach out and find mentors inside and outside of your company to help steer you along the way. Your organization places you into a training program to help give you the tools so you can better succeed in reaching your goals. Your managers give you some level of authority, responsibility, and accountability, but not too much at first, and when you start getting too close to the edge, they are there to stop you and keep you on the right track. All of these things are security items that help you from falling over the boundary, or keep you on the road, giving you more confidence to cross the bridges you have in front of you in order for you to succeed and reach your goal of reaching the other side.

It is not only about what the organization gives you as forms of security, or guardrails. You also have to create your own protection. They are your values, your beliefs, your character. These items play an important part in keeping you straight on that bridge. Not every single road out there has guardrails; it is then up to you to reach inside yourself and pull out these tools to help you maintain the right direction. This is when you have to remember to walk the talk, and do what it is right, not what is always easiest.

These guardrails are available to you in your organization, and people should not feel they have to cross such a bridge without them. Why would you want to? Why would you want to turn your back on such valuable things like mentoring programs, training programs? Why would you want to turn your back on your team, your leadership? Why would you want to cross the Rainbow Bridge without guardrails? Reach out and count on your organization to assist you in reaching the other side. Reach out to your leadership who give you a path to success and allow you to drive along that path, but will also put up a guardrail for you when you get to close to the edge. Dig down deep and find the beliefs, the values, the character that is inside of you. That is what keeps you focused when times are tough – when it is snowing and you have to cross that bridge. Be confident. Know that your goal is on the other side of the bridge. Know that when you reach the other side, there will be more bridges to cross. Know that your inner you and your organization are there to ensure you do not fall over that edge. You just have to realize they are there for you, and count on them.

Learning to create a disciplined lifestyle is an important first step in achieving this goal of continual movement. When you do something only when you are in the mood to do so and when it is “convenient” for you, you are on the road to failure or stalling. When you fall into this trap, you tend to only accomplish the simple goals, the ones with the least amount of needed persistence. The more you do it, the more selfish you become. In your professional life, you will begin to become un-engaged because you will only care about personal growth, and not the goals of your organization. The problems will continue to domino on you. The most challenging tasks do not always come when it is convenient for you. You not only have to be willing to take them on, but actually do the tasks at hand. When you create a partnership with your organization, you have to do your part in completing the most challenging of tasks. Your leadership is counting on you to step up when times are tough, not just when you feel like it. To do this, it takes self-discipline. This self-discipline cannot be a one time thing. You have to turn self-discipline into a lifestyle.

Begin to rid yourself of excuses, because excuses are the very tool we use to turn our backs on the people and the organization when times get tough. You will say or do anything you can to put blame on other people for things not getting done, rather than stepping up and doing what is required yourself, or worse yet…just ignoring everything all together because it is not a convenient time for you. You need to eliminate any tendency to make excuses. If you want continual movement down that right track, or if you want your organization to keep outclassing the competition, then start realizing that excuses are nothing more than reasons why you do not think self-discipline is possible in your life.

Remaining focused on your goals and the goals of your organization is important. People often become discouraged when they focus on task difficulty rather than the task itself. You need to envision the end result in everything you do, so you may keep that light at the end of your tunnel. When you sit and ponder “difficulty”, you are creating opportunities for excuses to be used. Resist this opportunity. The easy path is to throw your hands up, quit, and allow someone else to pick up the load. Resist this. Choose what is right, not what is easiest. Think of the end result, think of the benefits, think of the accomplishment, think of what doing what is right can do for you and your company. Focus on that and do it.

One of the most important ingredients in the formula for success is your commitment. Your commitment to yourself and to your organization is essential. Remember – anyone can sit at their desk and say they are willing to do A-B-C. But when the going gets tough, and the challenges begin to roll in, and you are already swamped with workload, are you going to be the one who continues to drive forward, or are you going to remain in neutral and look the other way, or even worse, will you go in reverse and back peddle from the challenges? Start to take on new responsibilities, begin to practice lifelong self-discipline and commitment, and start walking the talk. Even if you are leading from the front now, that does not mean you may be leading from the front tomorrow. If you do not keep goals in front of you, sooner or later you will stall. Keep your personal vehicle in drive, keep pushing, and do not allow the “breaks”, or what I call excuses, to stop you from your continual movement. Stay focused, keep driving forward. Do not just raise your hand and just be willing to do something. Actually stand up and do it…and do it well. You and your organization will not only stay on the right track of success, you will also be passing by the rest of the competition who are just taking up room on it. But remember, when you pass them by, smile, wave, and don’t look back!

A company’s challenge is how to get their team to this point. Creating an all-around engaging work climate in order to have a solid effect on the employees’ commitment and productivity is key. Being able to improve the relationship between employees and employers is essential in forming a solid team for your organization’s future. Building trust and integrity is important in this regard. When managers communicate effectively and practice what they preach, subordinates are likely to follow. The “do as I say, not as I do” concept is where leaders often stumble. They need to be consistent in their behaviors and lead by example. If your managers are not engaged, it is unlikely a high percentage of your team will be. The workforce needs a strong relationship with their manager, valuing his/her professional character.

Career growth opportunities and desire for constant development are areas of focus for employees. Are you making a significant effort to develop your employees’ skills or is your training program practiced for the sole purpose of “checking the box”? Do your team members feel like the opportunities to grow in your company are limited? Do your employees feel they are expendable or underappreciated? Do they understand how their everyday work contributes to the company’s overall performance and success? Being able to create these connections instills pride and confidence in your team. The longer employees stay with the company, the better the chance they will become more disengaged – having concrete development programs will help. Higher levels of employee engagement will increase individual and corporate performance in areas such as retention, output, customer service, efficiency, and allegiance. The costs of a disengaged workforce can ruin your company.

To be fully engaged, you must be physically energized, emotionally connected, and mentally focused, with a purpose beyond your own self interest. It begins with feeling eager to get to work, but equally happy to return home as well. By creating clear boundaries between your personal and professional life, you will be able to immerse yourself with the challenges at work, as well as spend quality time with your family and friends at home. Seek out other engaged employees within your organization and team up with them, and help others by leading by example. This kind of behavior is contagious. Take pride in yourself and your company, and understand how your job fits into the big picture of the organization.

Little by little, companies are finding ways to respond to these challenges by creating an all-around engaging work climate and focusing on ways to motivate employees by offering intangible incentives. They link specific job performance with larger goals for the organization. They recognize employees for some everyday type tasking, provide feedback, and focus equally on job completion and development of their people. Such dedication shows long term commitment to your employees, which will result in long commitment by your employees – they are more likely to stay with the company when they feel the company truly cares about them. This effective form of leadership will not only create engaged employees, but will also create loyal customers, resulting in bigger profits and more business. Ignoring this need and necessity will result in dissatisfied, disengaged, and unproductive working, especially when it comes to crunch time when stress builds. Reshape the relationship between the junior level workforce and the senior management, and encourage the individuals to invest energy. People want to offer more to the organization, but often feel there are obstacles in their way. Knock down those obstacles, renew their energy, and let loose the true potential of your team.

While your people skills, posture, and eye contact are very crucial, the ultimate greeting starts with your handshake. The handshake is the initial form of communication/interaction when you first meet, and often serves as your first impression. It is a very important aspect of the business world, and a person would be unwise to overlook its significance. You are being judged on your handshake whether consciously or subconsciously, so you need to put effort into it and make it count. A few items to consider are: Watch are how you extend your hand, the amount of pressure you apply, and the length of time you continue to shake. There is strategy to it, but it only takes a small amount of practice and awareness to give the type of impression you want.

A correct handshake is “web to web” and includes two pumps from the elbow, not from the shoulder or wrist. It is firm but not a bone crusher, as that can signify anger. In business, a handshake should only occur with one hand; do not put your other hand over the connection, as this shows overconfidence. In general, you see that type of handshake in personal relationships, as well as often in religion. The fingertip handshake can portray weakness and nervousness. In the United States in is unimportant who offers their hand first, but by extending yours first you now have a distinct advantage of not conducting a fingertip grip. Doing this also establishes control and represents initiative – two key ingredients in business. Posture is also important during your handshake. You should stand square across from the person, maintain eye contact, and smile.

You should always shake hands whenever you are introduced to a person, as well as when you are saying goodbye. When someone enters your office space, offer your hand as a form of welcoming. Not standing or offering your hand is a negative greeting which can imply that you are too busy for them or they are unimportant, both of which can ruin your company’s image. Always be ready to initiate or receive a handshake. Avoid wearing bulky jewelry on your right hand and wrists. A large ring on your right hand normally leads to a bone crusher handshake that will ward off others. Having bracelets that dangle will cause an uncomfortable handshake. For men, having your shirts and suit coats tailored ensures your counterpart is not grabbing your sleeve as your perform a handshake. You never want to apply lotion containing fragrances when you know you will be going to an event where you will be shaking hands with a lot of people. This type of awareness betters your chances on projecting the right image.

A handshake is the most powerful form of nonverbal communication. The type of handshake you present can convey a great deal of information about you. When you shake hands easily and often, you create an impression that is positive and creates a distinct advantage over others. In business you should feel comfortable with shaking hands with each person you meet. Remember this the next time you shake a hand and pay attention, because it means more than you think.

There are several ways in which your working life can impose on your home/personal life, such as by working overtime or by bringing the fallout of a taxing work day home to your family. If your balance is off, you may find that you dislike your work, and therefore cannot unwind when you get home, making you resent your job even greater. If you are like the majority of us, you are trying to find a better work/life balance, but are unsure of where to begin. Here are some tips to start you on your way.

Figure Out What Really Matters

Obviously, this thought process does not happen overnight. Take some time and develop your priorities. Ask yourself these questions:

1. If I could only center my attention to one thing in my life, what would it be?
2. If the opportunity exists to add a second item, what would I decide?
3. Now, if I can add a third item, it would be?
4. Number four?
5. Number five?

Some examples people may choose include: Family, Satisfying Career, Health, Hobbies, Traveling, Sports, Television, Community Service, Religion, etc.

Drop Unnecessary Activities

By making a solid list of what the actual priorities in your life are, you may discover that you are devoting way too much time to activities that are not on your list. Adjust your schedule and drop the commitments that do not relate to your top 5 priorities.

Allow me to create an analogy so you may visualize the effects of what this did for me. Most people have “catch all” places within their household. Usually it is a closet or two, sometimes it is a garage, or maybe a basement. Whenever they clean up or want to store something away, they normally put that “stuff” in those “catch all” places. After a few years of this continued practice, they are left saying to themselves, “I have no room for anything.” All this “stuff” has built up over the years, and it all seems to be in their closets and/or garage. So they plan some spring cleaning. They rip apart their closets, their garage. They throw away a bunch of “stuff” and organize their belongings. By the time they are done, they are usually left with closets that are empty, or a garage that has barely anything in it, so they can once again park their cars in there.

By focusing on what I really needed in my life and dropping unnecessary activities that did not fit with my priorities, I “cleaned out my closets”, “cleaned out my garage”, and threw out all this extra “stuff” that I did not need any longer. By doing that, I realized how much more important “stuff” I can fit into my life. My plate or “closet” went from overflowing to only being 30% full. I was then able to take on all these dreams and new challenges I always wanted to pursue.

So for the people that say “I cannot take on anymore, my plate is full”, I recommend the two previous steps to see what old “stuff” you can get rid of, or at least organize more effectively. You will be amazed at how much more room you have and how many new things you can take on to fulfill your dreams, both personally and professionally. Once you have completed these steps, you may be able to add #6 to your list, or use the extra time to spend balancing out the time you spend in your personal life with the time you spend in your professional life. And your list does not have to be concrete. Your priorities will change throughout your life. That’s okay. When they do, take the time and repeat these two steps. This will allow you to plan effectively to maintain your balance.

Guard Personal/Professional Moments

By creating a clear line in the sand between your professional and personal life, you will have a clear signal in your mind on what to protect. Protect the time you have at work, and protect the time you have at home. Feel eager to arrive at work in the morning, and feel equally eager to return home at the end of the day. The goal is to be fully engaged in all aspects of your life. While at your place of employment, your focus should be on the challenges in front of you, your tasks, and your professional development. While outside of work, your complete focus needs to be on the personal items on your priority list. For example, if you are attending your child’s soccer game, you should be there to support him/her. You should not sit on the sidelines typing away on your blackberry or laptop or discussing operations on your cell phone. By doing this, not only are you setting a poor example for your child, but your spouse may also not appreciate it, leading to tension. You would not be either fully engaged in your work at that time, nor on your child’s soccer game. Therefore, you would be losing all battles. If you want quality of life – an enjoyable work life, personal/professional development, health and fitness, time to tour the world, time to spend with your family and friends, etc. – you must protect your time to make this possible.

Accept Help

Internal and External Mentors can help you develop your work/life balance by offering their experiences, coaching, and validation. They can teach you how to delegate work, as well as offer advice on how to team up on projects so you do not carry the entire load on you shoulders. Family members can offer advice on their experiences. Rely on this, it can be influential.

With regards to the mentorship, allow me to share with you where a lot of people fail and do not benefit from the mentorship. When a good portion of people seek out mentors, they pick out a few people that are exactly like themselves, who turn out to be more like friends than mentors. That is okay for one of your mentors, but you really should have at least three, and none of the three should be exactly alike. One should share your strengths, acting as your cheerleader of sorts as you accomplish new stepping stones. He/She should help coach you along, motivate you, and be a person you can brag to about your accomplishments. For example, in my life, I have people I call when I accomplish something, and they congratulate me and cheer me on. This feels good, and keeps me motivated.

Mentor #2 is one who can help you develop certain weaknesses you may have, as well as help you navigate up the development ladder. This person is important because they can give you feedback containing ways to improve and share with you an image that other business folks may have of you, which often differs from the image you have of yourself. By correcting those things and accepting this type of feedback, you can help close the gap between those two images. For example, in my life, I have a list of people that when I do talk to them or share an accomplishment with them, they give me some advice/recommendations, or tell me I overlooked this/that. This does not feel so good immediately, but it keeps me focused and grounded. Once I correct those things, I feel much better and do not make those mistakes again.

Mentor #3 should be external from your organization. This is a person who has a broader perspective on development and does not work within your company. This is someone who is usually more experienced and well networked. If they are in tap with things that are occurring everyday out there in the business world, they can share these with you. They can help introduce new ideas on how to succeed. They will serve like your career compass and will help direct you along a path you may have never considered. Fore example, in my life, I have several Mentors that fit in this group. They are always out there hearing about new opportunities and sharing them with me. This has been instrumental in my development.

Avoid Over-Scheduling

Unscheduled appointments, emergencies, and last minute tasks are realities, and planning for those by not over-scheduling yourself is an important step. Life rarely goes exactly to plan. Seldom are you able to accomplish 100% of what you planned to accomplish for the day. Count on only accomplishing 30-50% due to the realities in your life. When you do not plan for those, and you get behind, you tend to treat everything as an emergency, which will leave you drained and unengaged. This is important in time management. For example, most of my career was spent as an executive assistant to high ranking officials, where I basically ran the professional day to day agenda for them. I maintained their calendars and scheduled all of their meetings. The executives who wanted their day blocked full of meetings, one after another for the entire duration, usually failed in keeping their commitments. This led to poor image for both the person and the company they represented. Total lack of civility! The executives who scheduled meetings spaced throughout the day were able to keep their commitments and stay on schedule. They allowed time to take care of the “realities” that come with day to day business. Those leaders were much more effective in day to day operations. I have molded that thought process into my own personal and professional life. My wife and I have a 17 month-old child, with another on the way. I know that I need to plan for some “unexpected events” – my child having to stay home sick, my wife’s upcoming medical appointments, my medical appointments, car trouble, etc. If I do not plan my day in this matter, I will waste plenty of valuable time trying to figure out why things did not get accomplished. I will then try to spend the next day attempting to catch up, treating everything as an emergency, and still fail, all while being left worn out and disengaged. Do not overbook yourself; plan for the realities that you will face in your day.

Again, there is a difference between knowing what work/life balance is and understanding how it can help you, why it is important, and specific ways you can accomplish it. Take some time and make a list of your priorities, and rid yourself of the activities that are not involved with meeting your personal and professional goals. Protect your time, accept help, and plan for the realities in life by not over-scheduling yourself. If you do, you may begin to feel more content, more in control, and like you are maintaining your commitments. You will have more balance in your life, you will learn from past experiences, and you will have a positive image of your expectations.