Nancy’s Balancing Act

Here's another chapter from my book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness. Every character in the book is based on someone I learned from during my career.

As I wrote this chapter I had my long-time friend, coach, and editor, Nancy D Edwards in mind. I hope you get a few new ideas as you read about Nancy Elder's interaction with John Andrews, the main character.

Nancy’s Balancing Act

Nancy Elders was last in the rotation of people John would shadow. He looked forward to his three days with her because one day he hoped to get married and have a family. Thinking about time with Nancy made him realize the sooner he got a handle on how to balance work, family, and personal interests the better off he would be. He related it back to something he picked up playing sports: learning good skills and habits early always paid dividends over the long haul.?

Nancy was waiting for John each day in front of the office precisely at 8:00 a.m. and he was dropped off promptly at 4:30 each afternoon. Nancy maintained her schedule with the kids and work in a way that would make the toughest Marine proud. Her obligations outside of work left little extra time to devote to her career. This meant there was no time wasted as she squeezed everything she could out of every minute of each day. John didn’t say anything but he was a little intimidated by her initially.?

As soon as John’s bottom hit the car seat they were off. Nancy filled him in on each client as they drove from appointment to appointment. He wondered how she could know so much given that she had little time outside of normal work hours. She let John know that she took a memory course to help her with that. She learned to chunk information in ways that made it easier to remember. John asked if she could explain what chunking was.

Nancy shared the following with John, “If I asked you to name all the furniture in your house you might struggle a bit. But, if I asked you about the furniture in your living room you could easily tell me about each piece. Then we’d move to the kitchen followed by the dining room. If we hit every room you would remember so much more because you can visualize the furniture in each room. That’s basically what chunking is: put what you know into categories that will be easy to remember. I couldn’t possibly recall all of the physicians I interact with at a large hospital but when I chunk them by specialty such as orthopedics, cardiology, or infectious disease, it’s pretty easy. Get it?”

“That’s so simple but brilliant,” John exclaimed.?

She went on, “I look for every shortcut I can because they make me more efficient. I know I can accomplish more in eight hours than most of my peers do in 10 or more hours. Work smarter, not longer.”

“Makes sense,” John acknowledged. Then he asked, “What would you say is the biggest key to maintaining a healthy balance between your family, work, and whatever outside interests you have?”

“That goes back to something I did just before we had children. I worked a lot more hours back then. My husband’s job required him to travel quite often and still does. I didn’t want to give up my career but with my territory being local we agreed I would be the primary caregiver for the kids. It was around that time that a friend gave me a copy of Steven Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. There was a chapter called ‘Begin with the End in Mind’ where Covey encouraged readers to write a personal mission statement. It made sense to me because every business I’ve ever worked for had a written mission statement. I took inventory of my life and what I wanted to be remembered for when it was all said and done. I looked at my faith, family, personal interests, and my career.”

“That’s inspiring. Can you tell me a little bit about your mission statement?” John asked.

Nancy replied, “Without going into details I will say this: I chose to prioritize my faith first, family second, myself as an individual, then my career. I love what I do but I make daily choices to not let my career overshadow my faith, family, or personal well-being. At times in my career that meant getting passed over for opportunities but I was able to accept those decisions because I was living life on my terms. That’s freedom and it’s one of the best feelings you can have.”

She went on to ask, “John, have you ever considered writing a mission statement?”

John confessed, “I haven’t because I’d never heard of a mission statement until now. But, based on what you’ve shared, I’m going to pick up that book and think about writing one.”

Nancy was blunt when she said, “John, during my career I’ve encountered more people than I care to acknowledge who had good intentions but didn’t follow through on activities that would benefit them. So I’m going to be very direct and ask you: will you commit to writing a personal mission statement within the next six months?”?

How could he say no? Before he realized it he heard himself say, “Yes, I will write one.” Thinking about Russell and what he said about commitments he knew he was on the hook with Nancy. She ended the conversation telling John she was going to follow up in six months if she didn’t hear from him first.

As John reflected on his time with Nancy he realized she had treated him like the teachers and coaches he enjoyed most. She was demanding something from him that was in his best interest. He knew her time was precious and the fact that she would take some of that time to follow up with him added weight to the commitment. The takeaway with Nancy was, Think about who you are and who you want to be then write a mission statement for accountability. He knew this exercise would take time, effort, and a lot of thought.

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at?Influence PEOPLE. An?author,?TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers (CMCT) in the world, Brian was personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book,?Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by?Book Authority. His follow-up,?Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book,?The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable designed to teach you how to apply influence concepts at home and the office.

Brian’s?LinkedIn courses?on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 500,000 people around the world!