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And then, there's family

It's a curious thing that I've never contemplated or covered how we weave our family relationships into our work lives. So allow me a pit stop there.

It's complicated. We all say "family comes first." And yet, does it really? Many of us have parents who made sure there was food to eat and shelter. To do that, they had to be absent sometimes during what were critical moments of our lives. Today's career hungry strategist has made the choice to miss even more of those family moments to gain the next promotion, to jostle to the top, to make the mark, to meet the deadline.

I'd be inauthentic in saying I have a model sense around balancing this critical work-related challenge. How do you balance being a responsible, kind, supportive and appropriate family member, while honoring work responsibilities and building a successful career?

The answer is completely individual, I suppose, and depends on the level of responsibility assumed at work AND at home. Communication seems key--to family members and to co-workers. And a true assessment of what's right for you. I have to weigh the family relationships, and there are some members of my family and friendship circle who I will excuse myself from a step up the ladder for. And frankly, there are situations where I stay focused on my career responsibilites.

There is no way that I can be all things to all aspects of my life all the time. This I'm finding is the greatest challenge of all. The balancing act of work/life.

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