Empresa Familiar: Conciliar Familia y trabajo
Ante todo, no quiero desilusionarlos en sus expectativas. Mi intención es, simplemente, recordarles que conciliar la vida laboral y familiar es sólo responsabilidad nuestra. Y además, que no busquemos soluciones mágicas. Lo más desafiante será cómo hacer buen uso de nuestra libertad y nuestra responsabilidad para poder desarrollarnos en todos los aspectos de nuestra vida. Y como para esto el desafío es personal, lo que puedo hacer es invitarlos a reflexionar juntos algunos criterios que puedan ayudarnos a direccionar un poco ese desafío. Estas cosas dependen de cada persona y el ser humano es tan subjetivo en todos sus aspectos, que encontrar una solución única –y mágica– sería una utopía y hasta un hecho monótono en su implementación. De los trabajos de investigación que hemos hecho con el equipo de ConFyE, han surgido una serie de ideas que pueden ayudarnos a ponderar nuestras cciones para poder alinearnos mejor a llevar una vida más armónica.
Formarse desde la profesión y desde la familia.
Formarse en la profesión es hoy una obligación impostergable para cualquier directivo que se quiera desarrollar como tal. Hoy, paralelamente, construir familia es un tema sumamente complejo y desafiante. La constante influencia que estamos sufriendo desde diversos ámbitos (jurídico, médico, educativo, mediático, etcétera) hace que esta comunidad sufra cambios a través de la cultura que impera en la sociedad. Y esos cambios, si no somos capaces de capitalizarlos para el bien familiar, terminarán deformando la célula básica por donde se construye una buena sociedad . Es la familia el primer campo de referencia de las ideologías. Por este motivo, mucho más que nuestros padres y abuelos, debemos dedicar tiempo específico a formarnos en ser mejores cónyuges y mejores padres.
Aprender a decir que no.
El único capaz de conocer tus límites personales y laborales para llevar una vida armónica, sos vos mismo. Pero no alcanza con conocerlos, hay que implementarlos. Para eso se requiere fortaleza, virtud que nos ayuda a resistir a las contradicciones y a acometer ante los desafíos. Está claro que poner límites es un riesgo, pero deben ser bien ponderados para evitar riesgos mayores. Además, conocer los límites es una tarea que debe hablarse en el ámbito familiar.
Vivir el orden
El orden es una virtud que se vive en tres niveles: en la razón, en los afectos y en las acciones. Estarás en paz cuando los tres ámbitos estén armónicos. ¿Se consigue habitualmente? ¡Claro que no! ¿El propósito? Intentar querer lo que uno debe hacer y hacerlo en orden, porque lo que debemos hacer es lo que nos mejora. Para eso necesitamos desarrollar una conciencia recta y unos objetivos claros. Ese es en el fondo, el sentido de nuestra libertad. Querer hacer lo que debemos.
Foco de concentración
Hay un sabio refrán que constituye todo un plan de acción. “Haz lo que debes y está en lo que haces”.
Si uno está trabajando, entonces, que verdaderamente trabaje; si se está en la casa con los hijos y su cónyuge, entonces que se esté de veras con ellos. Porque es común justamente lo contrario, es decir, estar y no estar a un mismo tiempo. Pensar en la familia cuando se está en el trabajo y al revés, pensar en el trabajo cuando se está en la familia. Es la dispersión la que amenaza constantemente las actividades quitándoles la fuerza que cada una conlleva y con ella, su misma eficacia. La focalización ayuda a la concentración y esta a la plenitud de una actividad. El 34% de los encuestados dice que cuando trabaja sigue pensando en su familia, en cambio el 54% dice que cuando está con su familia piensa en el trabajo. Es evidente que no se intenta con esto aislarse totalmente de un ámbito cuando se está en otro, pero sí tener bien claro donde tengo puesta la cabeza en cada momento para aprovecharlo al máximo.
Ejemplaridad e integridad
Nada arrastra más que el buen ejemplo. Por eso es necesario tener coherencia entre lo que se hace, se dice y se piensa. Esto es especialmente importante para el directivo porque le toca justamente dirigir.
Entonces la coherencia, si bien es un ideal difícil de alcanzar, es un gran bien que nos eleva y por lo mismo eleva a los demás. De lo contrario, la autoridad perderá vigencia y dinamismo, volviéndose sólo una fuerza extrínseca. Ninguna política alineada a ayudar a los directivos y empleados a llevar una vida más armónica será del todo eficaz, si no las empezamos a vivir quienes dirigimos las organizaciones.
Saber negociar con uno mismo y no con la familia
El gran atractivo que pueden tener habitualmente nuestros proyectos laborales, pueden hacer que intentemos “negociar” con la familia el tiempo de más que dedicamos a nuestro trabajo, ofreciendo programas excepcionales, llevando regalos para “paliar” los reproches, etc. En realidad, lo más importante es saber cómo negociamos con nuestra agenda los tiempos para poder incorporar en ella todas las responsabilidades, laborales y familiares. No hay que buscar en hechos extraordinarios intentar satisfacer a la familia con cosas que no son lo que en definitiva necesita. Estas actitudes, pueden ser, a la larga, expresión de poco interés. Con la familia no se negocia. Se explica el motivo de los posibles desbalances, si estos son excepcionales y genuinos. Si no, hay que replantear algunos principios que pueden estar erosionándose.
Saber explicarle a la familia las demandas laborales genuinas
No hay que ser ingenuo y pensar que todo es muy fácil. Las empresas en la actualidad demandan, especialmente a sus directivos, muchas horas de dedicación. Y la familia debe saber eso. No sólo hay que explicar a las empresas la existencia de una demanda familiar impostergable. También hay que explicar a las familias que hoy las empresas demandan en forma muy distinta que hace pocos años. Viajes, reuniones inesperadas, horarios de llegada tarde, etc. Si hay que ir a trabajar un domingo porque el lunes hay que presentar una licitación importante para el desarrollo de la empresa, no cabe duda que la familia lo debe entender y deberá estar con el equipo trabajando. Sería mal ejemplo si no lo hiciera. Pero quizás sea buena que en esa semana te tomes algún tiempo especial para estar más con tu familia. Y así, con flexibilidad y espontaneidad, verán en tu casa que el trabajo es parte del desarrollo familiar.
Tener bien claro la escala de valores personales y familiares
Es importante saber en qué cedo y en qué no. Y por qué. Construir familia es construir una cultura que nos acompañe en el “modo de hacer las cosas”. Y la cultura familiar debe iluminar nuestros actos y decisiones. Para eso, en familia iremos desarrollando una serie de hábitos, junto a unos valores que sabremos que nunca vamos a poner en riesgo. Como hay que saber explicitarlos. Animo a que listemos en un papel, junto a nuestra familia, cuales serán estos valores “no negociables” para no dejar de tenerlos en cuenta.
Tomar conciencia de que desde la familia construimos sociedad
Los hijos del hoy serán los dirigentes del futuro, por eso en la educación de nuestros hijos está gran parte de la “calidad de sociedad” que tendremos en la próxima generación. Los directivos tenemos capacidades innatas de poder proyectar organizaciones en el mediano y largo plazo. Si hacemos lo mismo con la sociedad que nos contiene, y a la cual hay que atender a través de nuestras empresas, seguramente cuanto más sólida sea la sociedad, más provecho sacaremos del entorno donde nos movemos. En familia recibimos la mayor cantidad de educación que podemos recibir en nuestras vidas. Ahí nos formamos “de cero”. La familia es el ámbito privilegiado para educarse en las virtudes humanas. Y con nuevas generaciones bien formadas, vendrán sociedades bien formadas.
Tomar conciencia de que la familia es un trabajo
El trabajo mejora al hombre. A través de él conseguimos objetivos que nos satisfacen, promueven nuestro desarrollo y por sobre todo permite que hagamos mucho bien a los demás. Pero el trabajo no sólo es lo que hacemos en nuestras empresas. Todo lo demás debe considerarse trabajo, pues cumple las condiciones que detallamos anteriormente. Si tomamos conciencia de que nuestra familia es un trabajo que demanda, quizás seremos más concientes en dedicarle más horas y de “mayor calidad” que las actuales.
Para decir que no al exceso de trabajo, hay que decir sí a la familia
Nunca lleguemos a casa sin un plan concreto. Las mujeres trabajadoras, que llegan a su casa, siempre tienen mucho por hacer; en cambio nosotros, los hombres, si llegamos “a ver qué pasa” lo más probable es que molestemos. La única forma de poder llegar a casa a un horario razonable es tener un proyecto muy atractivo para hacer. Si no, “se alarga el horario de oficina” en casa y eso es muy molesto para la familia. Si tus planes familiares son atractivos, dejarás alguna cosa que hacer en tu oficina para llegar a casa muy ilusionado.
La conciliación de nuestra vida familiar y laboral es iniciativa y responsabilidad nuestra, la empresa debe ser sólo facilitadora
La empresa, que es fundamentalmente una comunidad de personas, entiende que no puede ser un obstáculo para el desarrollo integral de su gente y por eso debe poner a su disposición buenas y eficaces políticas y prácticas de conciliación. Sin embargo, por más políticas promotoras, la tarea de conciliar pertenece al ámbito personal. La empresa no puede resolver este problema si no hay una iniciativa tuya. No son en estos casos las recetas las que mejoran… Es la libertad de querer hacer el esfuerzo para llevar un desarrollo personal más armónico. Por último, y sin numeración, me animo a decir que, si bien el desafío parece un imposible, no hay que dejar de tener un buen sentido del humor y gran espíritu deportivo para empezar de nuevo todos los días y no desanimarte. Acá lo importante no es tener una hoja impecable de logros para mostrar, sino vivir con naturalidad estos desafíos en la familia, el único lugar donde podemos ser,a pleno, lo que somos.
Consejos de cómo llevar su empresa Familiar al éxito. Libros y artículos sobre temas del mejor manejo de la sucesión, del trato entre familiares y como coordinarse para que la empresa sea exitosa y se mantenga por generaciones.
domingo, 6 de noviembre de 2011
martes, 1 de noviembre de 2011
Relación entre la Familia
Este será el primer tema que tocaremos. Les estaré publicando diferentes artículos que los ayudaran a entender las relaciones que existen en los diferentes negocios familiares y como podríamos solucionarlas.
Relationships
Relationships
How do you manage family relationships when a family owns a business?
Carefully! There are multiple family relationships which add an extra layer of complexity onto a business: owner / spouse; owner / children; spouse / children; siblings, cousins, family members in the business / family members outside the business, in laws on all generation levels. The larger the family and the larger the business, the larger potential issues there are.
That sounds daunting. Why own a family business at all?
Family businesses provide a good opportunity for wealth creation. Beyond that, studies have shown that family businesses at their best make a great contribution to society. They foster family cohesion and pride, they tend to act ethically because of the family reputation, they often have very loyal employees because they treat their employees as family, and they are generally very active in their communities.
But that's family businesses at their best. What about the rest of us?
Even the best family businesses work hard at relationship building. An understanding of what the company's mission is, what its short-term goals are, and solid job descriptions are a start. Family business members must know their boundaries. Good, open communications fostered by the CEO can help to build good relationships throughout the firm.
What about family history?
Family members in family businesses wear different hats, often at the same time. How does a CEO distinguish between the role of CEO in the business and his or her long-time role as mother or father when dealing with the younger generation in the business? The same question goes for the younger generation. Do they expect special treatment because they wear son or daughter hats? How do siblings in the business put aside memories of long-ago wounds or slights and put on their business hats in the best interests of the company and the family? These are not easy issues to deal with, but it's essential that all members of a family be aware of them.
How do you deal with these deep-seated issues?
If such relationship issues are an impediment to the smooth functioning of the business, they must be dealt with. Many families have relied on family-business counselors, coaches, and psychologists to help them through. Lists of such professional people can usually be found through college and university family business programs.
What is a buy-sell agreement?
If ownership of a family business is shared by two or more partners, a buy-sell agreement sets forth in detail the provisions for one or more partners to sever their relationship with the company. To whom may the departing partner sell his or her shares, and under what conditions? Buy-sell agreements are necessary for all partnerships, including siblings who may inherit the company from their parents. Lack of such an agreement can result in unintended distribution of ownership to non-family members, dilute the family ownership, and cause chaos in the family and the business.
How do you manage family relationships when a family owns a business?
Carefully! There are multiple family relationships which add an extra layer of complexity onto a business: owner / spouse; owner / children; spouse / children; siblings, cousins, family members in the business / family members outside the business, in laws on all generation levels. The larger the family and the larger the business, the larger potential issues there are.
That sounds daunting. Why own a family business at all?
Family businesses provide a good opportunity for wealth creation. Beyond that, studies have shown that family businesses at their best make a great contribution to society. They foster family cohesion and pride, they tend to act ethically because of the family reputation, they often have very loyal employees because they treat their employees as family, and they are generally very active in their communities.
But that's family businesses at their best. What about the rest of us?
Even the best family businesses work hard at relationship building. An understanding of what the company's mission is, what its short-term goals are, and solid job descriptions are a start. Family business members must know their boundaries. Good, open communications fostered by the CEO can help to build good relationships throughout the firm.
What about family history?
Family members in family businesses wear different hats, often at the same time. How does a CEO distinguish between the role of CEO in the business and his or her long-time role as mother or father when dealing with the younger generation in the business? The same question goes for the younger generation. Do they expect special treatment because they wear son or daughter hats? How do siblings in the business put aside memories of long-ago wounds or slights and put on their business hats in the best interests of the company and the family? These are not easy issues to deal with, but it's essential that all members of a family be aware of them.
How do you deal with these deep-seated issues?
If such relationship issues are an impediment to the smooth functioning of the business, they must be dealt with. Many families have relied on family-business counselors, coaches, and psychologists to help them through. Lists of such professional people can usually be found through college and university family business programs.
What is a buy-sell agreement?
If ownership of a family business is shared by two or more partners, a buy-sell agreement sets forth in detail the provisions for one or more partners to sever their relationship with the company. To whom may the departing partner sell his or her shares, and under what conditions? Buy-sell agreements are necessary for all partnerships, including siblings who may inherit the company from their parents. Lack of such an agreement can result in unintended distribution of ownership to non-family members, dilute the family ownership, and cause chaos in the family and the business.
10 Ways To Use The Extra Hour This Week
10 Ways To Use The Extra Hour This Week
Laura Vanderkam | octubre 31, 2011 6:56a.m. CST
I am a big fan of Real Simple magazine, but the editors have, sometimes, been known to take the "time crunch" narrative a bit far. Back in January 2007, I found myself paging through a section that asked readers a question: if you had an extra 15 minutes in your day, how would you use it? In wistful prose, the readers described how different their lives would be if only the clock would slow down for a bit. They would play with their dogs. They would play the flute. They would sit in the hammock. My favorite letter? A woman from Abilene, Texas who wrote that "Fifteen minutes of uninterrupted writing time would be a priceless gift," though, somehow, she did find 15 minutes to write Real Simple about her elusive dream.
In other words, when it comes to lamenting how starved for time we are, many of us stretch the truth. The best evidence? Most weeks have 168 hours, but once a year, the powers that be grant us a 169-hour week. This week is it (if you include Saturday night as part of this week). The clocks fall back an hour. Do you see a lot of people using that precious extra hour to write, play the flute, and sit in the hammock?
Nope. We pretty much live as we always live. Our problem is not a lack of time.
But let's say you did decide to use that extra hour for something meaningful. What would be the highest impact way to use it? Some ideas:
1. Get an extra hour of sleep (I suspect this is what most of us do).
2. Spend five minutes writing a note to each of the 12 most important people in your life.
3. Go sit outside and really observe your surroundings. This is especially great if you're in a part of the world that features an explosion of autumn color right now. A nice slow walk somewhere beautiful should do it.
4. Write in a journal about what you hope the next year will bring. New jobs? New loves? New friends? New adventures?
5. Look over your calendar for the next few weeks and spend the hour pondering what you'd like to do with your time, rather than what you "have" to do.
6. Do something out of character your kids would love, like finger-painting with them if you're a neat freak, playing video games if you're the bookish sort, or making hot fudge sundaes if you normally push organic kale chips.
7. Snuggle with your partner.
8. Read poetry.
9. Meditate or pray.
10. Visualize what you'd do on a perfect day, and brainstorm what you'd need to do to make that day happen.
Like these ideas? Then why wait for an extra hour? If you tried, I'm sure you could re-arrange a 168-hour week to include most of these if you wanted. After all, even 10 hours is small change compared to the time we spend watching TV, hitting refresh on our inboxes, surfing random websites, puttering around the house and doing errands that probably could wait. We already have more time than we think. The question is whether we're using it to build the lives we want.
Laura Vanderkam | octubre 31, 2011 6:56a.m. CST
I am a big fan of Real Simple magazine, but the editors have, sometimes, been known to take the "time crunch" narrative a bit far. Back in January 2007, I found myself paging through a section that asked readers a question: if you had an extra 15 minutes in your day, how would you use it? In wistful prose, the readers described how different their lives would be if only the clock would slow down for a bit. They would play with their dogs. They would play the flute. They would sit in the hammock. My favorite letter? A woman from Abilene, Texas who wrote that "Fifteen minutes of uninterrupted writing time would be a priceless gift," though, somehow, she did find 15 minutes to write Real Simple about her elusive dream.
In other words, when it comes to lamenting how starved for time we are, many of us stretch the truth. The best evidence? Most weeks have 168 hours, but once a year, the powers that be grant us a 169-hour week. This week is it (if you include Saturday night as part of this week). The clocks fall back an hour. Do you see a lot of people using that precious extra hour to write, play the flute, and sit in the hammock?
Nope. We pretty much live as we always live. Our problem is not a lack of time.
But let's say you did decide to use that extra hour for something meaningful. What would be the highest impact way to use it? Some ideas:
1. Get an extra hour of sleep (I suspect this is what most of us do).
2. Spend five minutes writing a note to each of the 12 most important people in your life.
3. Go sit outside and really observe your surroundings. This is especially great if you're in a part of the world that features an explosion of autumn color right now. A nice slow walk somewhere beautiful should do it.
4. Write in a journal about what you hope the next year will bring. New jobs? New loves? New friends? New adventures?
5. Look over your calendar for the next few weeks and spend the hour pondering what you'd like to do with your time, rather than what you "have" to do.
6. Do something out of character your kids would love, like finger-painting with them if you're a neat freak, playing video games if you're the bookish sort, or making hot fudge sundaes if you normally push organic kale chips.
7. Snuggle with your partner.
8. Read poetry.
9. Meditate or pray.
10. Visualize what you'd do on a perfect day, and brainstorm what you'd need to do to make that day happen.
Like these ideas? Then why wait for an extra hour? If you tried, I'm sure you could re-arrange a 168-hour week to include most of these if you wanted. After all, even 10 hours is small change compared to the time we spend watching TV, hitting refresh on our inboxes, surfing random websites, puttering around the house and doing errands that probably could wait. We already have more time than we think. The question is whether we're using it to build the lives we want.
6 Truly Frightening Bosses
6 Truly Frightening Bosses
Margaret Heffernan | octubre 31, 2011 6:53a.m. CST
I'm sure more people are scared of their bosses than they are of monsters, ghosts and goblins. For one thing, bosses are with us all year round - while spooks walk the streets just one night a year. But companies can be frightening places - especially if you work for one of these:
The Zombie
Numbed by economic upheavals and the impossibility of getting ahead of events, Zombie bosses have run out of ideas and energy. They don't understand innovation and fear the levels of risk that it involves. So instead they do the only thing they know that works: they turn up. Lucky enough still to have an office door, they skulk behind it waiting until it's time to go home. These walking-dead leaders generate enough revenue to keep their companies going but never enough excitement to make the business truly successful.
The Cheerleader
Every day is a fresh start, so Cheerleaders come in each morning, beautifully groomed and full of the joys of spring. They're partial to giving motivational speeches about how great the team is and how everyone's a winner. Their signature management tool is the Big Hairy Audacious Goal. They'll set absurd targets for no reason except they imagine they will get everyone pumped. Then they vanish into the night, mumbling jargon and catchphrases from their favorite management guru.
The Ghost
Once legendary over-achievers, Ghosts are burned out. They remember breakthroughs and victories and talk about them endlessly. A rich source of history and mythology, they constantly re-examine the past, finding in each past victory the key to future success. Ghosts still have charisma and people often want to work for them to understand what made them great. But what was there once is now gone. And the smart people see right through them.
Margaret Heffernan | octubre 31, 2011 6:53a.m. CST
I'm sure more people are scared of their bosses than they are of monsters, ghosts and goblins. For one thing, bosses are with us all year round - while spooks walk the streets just one night a year. But companies can be frightening places - especially if you work for one of these:
The Zombie
Numbed by economic upheavals and the impossibility of getting ahead of events, Zombie bosses have run out of ideas and energy. They don't understand innovation and fear the levels of risk that it involves. So instead they do the only thing they know that works: they turn up. Lucky enough still to have an office door, they skulk behind it waiting until it's time to go home. These walking-dead leaders generate enough revenue to keep their companies going but never enough excitement to make the business truly successful.
The Cheerleader
Every day is a fresh start, so Cheerleaders come in each morning, beautifully groomed and full of the joys of spring. They're partial to giving motivational speeches about how great the team is and how everyone's a winner. Their signature management tool is the Big Hairy Audacious Goal. They'll set absurd targets for no reason except they imagine they will get everyone pumped. Then they vanish into the night, mumbling jargon and catchphrases from their favorite management guru.
The Ghost
Once legendary over-achievers, Ghosts are burned out. They remember breakthroughs and victories and talk about them endlessly. A rich source of history and mythology, they constantly re-examine the past, finding in each past victory the key to future success. Ghosts still have charisma and people often want to work for them to understand what made them great. But what was there once is now gone. And the smart people see right through them.
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)