| While every entrepreneur tends to wear multiple hats, female entrepreneurs often juggle as many - if not more roles - in their personal and professional lives. This approach to getting things done, whether out of habit or necessity, can cause “role strain,” that is, undue stress and conflict.
As a founder and CEO of Health InfoTechnics (HIT), LeeAnne Denney is an example of an entrepreneur who is also a part of the “Sandwich Generation.” She and her husband not only care for their two children, ages 12 and 8, but also are the caregivers for LeeAnne’s mother and her husband’s mother, who live together in a house nearby. Denney considers herself a mentor, strategist and developer at her company as well as an “air traffic controller” at work and at home.
“I hired a great assistant this year to help me keep track of everything,” says Denney. “I am also learning to delegate and mentor the staff around me. I am beginning to turn over more and higher levels of responsibilities to others and to focus on tutoring them.”
Denney says she constantly re-evaluates whether or not something is working. “If it is not working, I trust my instincts and am prepared to find something else that will work and to make the changes necessary.”
Kirsten Mohan not only owns her own successful real estate business but pulls double-duty as marketing director for her husband’s photography business not to mention being mom to two boys, ages 1 and 3. And she teaches classes in her community.
“I’m constantly juggling everyone’s demands on my time and working to find the balance needed to get it all done without losing it,” says Mohan. “Somehow we’ve managed to make it this far, and we’ve got what’s shaping up to be an even better year this year, despite the economic trouble on the horizon. To make all of that work, I have to work very hard to keep my energy and focus up as much as possible to achieve short and long-term goals for both businesses.”
Mohan admits time is her biggest challenge - trying to prioritize everyone’s needs and squeeze enough time out of each day. With more to do each day than she can actually accomplish, Mohan says she has to be “ruthless with priorities.”
Says Mohan, “I sit down each day in the morning to evaluate my goals and plan for the day. I make a list of what I need to accomplish to feel like I’ve ‘won,’ then set out to do just that. At the end of the day, I try to sit down and review what I’ve done and strategize for the days and weeks ahead. If something didn’t work about that day, my husband and I often sit down after the kids go to bed and brainstorm solutions.”
“To pursue desired larger goals, it is helpful to have a clear vision of a greater goal that you are pursuing,” offers Pamela Garcy, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and author of “The Power of Inner Guidance: Seven Steps to Tune In and Turn On,” who gives these tips for women who are plagued by role strain.
1. Imagine yourself working on your goal. Get clear on the smaller steps and schedule these steps into your planner.
2. Reward yourself at various milestones along the way to the goal. (Most people forget to do this part!)
3. Hire a coach or find an accountability partner. Touch base with this person weekly.
Garcy also emphasizes the importance of women taking care of themselves both physically and emotionally to maintain their stamina and suggests:
1. Remember to drink water, eat healthy food, exercise, talk or write about problems, sleep enough and take time out to relax. If you operate in “fight or flight” mode all the time, you will find yourself burning out.
2. Allow yourself to take vacations and time off. You might think that the world will fall apart without you, but would you allow your car to go years without a tune-up?
3. Treat yourself with the same respect that you treat others. If you set healthy boundaries for yourself, you will increase the odds of longevity!
4. Take time to tune-in to yourself and ask yourself questions such as, “What do I want?” and “What can I do to help myself right now?”
While Denney does get a massage every other week for her “me” time, she points to her support network as critical including her mother, her husband and her staff.
Mohan follows this formula:
- Spend time around positive, successful people.
- Help other people achieve success.
- Take time out for myself.
- Coffee. Lots of coffee.
Mohan also points to her husband as her key supporter. “We make it all work because we’re a team. I help his business, and he helps mine. The end result is something better than either of us could achieve alone. We keep each other sane, we support each other’s dreams, and we share ideas and energy to constantly move the businesses forward. Collaboration is really the key to our success.”
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