This morning as I was catching up on my e-mail, I ran across a blog post by Keith Ferrazzi called What’s Your Take on This Controversial Topic from Never Eat Alone? In his post, he is asking for input on whether you should blend your work life and personal life, or not. In his book, Never Eat Alone, Ferrazzi advocates for a blended life rather than balancing and separating your work and personal life.
Building Stronger Teams Through Personal Connections
Personally, I believe a blended approach to work and life results in a more cohesive team. The Air Force encouraged supervisors to become well acquainted with our troops and their lives. The Air Force supervisors urged us to understand their personal goals and interests, so we could incorporate them into the organizational goals and mission.
While I no longer supervise anyone in the workplace, I still feel it is important to know about those who I work with. As an instructional technologist, I can use their interests and goals to personalize instruction for them. I also take Ferrazzi’s advice about giving freely. I regularly find resources and share them with others based on their interests. This type of sharing is possible only if you get to know the interests of others.
The Air Force was all about constant improvement. They encouraged me to look for methods to improve performance. I still continue with this mindset. I want to see the organizations I work for succeed. People perform better or put more into their work if there is a personal connection. If I can tap into that personal connection, I stand a greater chance of succeeding with my mission.
Making Learning Personally Relevant
One of the stronger motivators for adult learners is the idea of relevance. If instruction can be relevant on more than one level, such as work, personal, and academic, then deeper learning will take place. Wlodkowski, in his book Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn, explains that introductions are important to establish trust in the classroom. It is about understanding students on a personal level, and it is about others trusting you through your sharing.
How My Work and Personal Interests Connect
I closely connect all my daily activities to one another. My work life as an instructional technologist affects my personal life. For example, instructional methods and strategies have a powerful influence on my degree program and my instruction in the Bujinkan and Civil Air Patrol. What I have learned in my degree program has certainly influenced my work and my instruction in the Bujinkan and Civil Air Patrol. Over this weekend, I have been working, but it has also given me ideas I can use in my personal life. As you can see, I cannot separate my work and personal life, and I would not want to work in a place where I would have to.
Social Media Blurs the Boundaries
Social media has made the separation even more difficult. Programs like Facebook effectively show off all aspects of your life if you choose to participate in them. Social media has allowed me to share with family and friends across great distances, and it allows me to participate in their lives. It would be a lesser place if I could not share in the lives of co-workers because of separating work and personal life.
I would find it difficult to separate my work and personal life, especially since I love all aspects of my life and I want to share them with others. What do you think?
Additional Reading
- Book Review: The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level
- Book Review: Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business
- Book Review: The 4-Hour Workweek
