Meltdowns

At my age (43), you'd think I would have a better handle on total life balance. What I mean by "life balance" is the way one balances work, self, family, friends, and other obligations.

As a child, my family was usually faced with financial difficulties... so being self-sufficient and financially secure have been a big part of my adulthood. Maybe that's why I give WAY TOO MUCH of myself (time, stress, and mindshare) to my job.

Well, on to the story. ALL OF MY EMPLOYEES melted down on me on Friday. Every one of them literally lost it during individual conversations with me, and I had a couple of unhappy customers contact me. WOW. Yes, this is our busiest time of the year. Yes, we lost half of our staff in a corporate downsizing last month. I understand everyone is stressed and working well beyond what is normally expected of them. But really?? We need to spend 45 minutes to get you to understand I need a simple email listing of what you plan to sell this month? (YOU ARE IN SALES YOU KNOW!!!)

I let it get to me after a solid 12 hours of complaints and emotional meltdowns. Trying to be healthy, I went to the treadmill to work out my stress. Little did I know that my husband was home and able to hear me! I RAN, not walked. I shadow boxed the people I was angry with. I yelled at them too. (I had my IPod on, so I didn't hear myself.. :)

Anyway, when I came upstairs after my workout I found my husband looking at me tentatively. I was surprised to see him and asked if I was too loud. He responded with "Yes! I thought about video taping you, so that in case we ever got divorced I could show the judge that you are truly INSANE."

Well, all I can say in my defense is that a short RUN on the treadmill does wonders for your stress level. And, I am not letting the team's stress fall on me any more. They don't have to like me. As the boss, I just need to help them be successful even if it's painful.