Leading WomenHow to Make it to the Top While Still Maintaining a Work-Life Balance

Leading WomenHow to Make it to the Top While Still Maintaining a Work-Life Balance

INTRODUCTION

Work-Life Balance. Is that a real thing? What defines it? Who defines it? All valid

questions, and we’re here to tell you there is no right answer. We went ahead

and asked some of our leading ladies here at Access Communications how they

define “work-life balance,” and how they manage to climb the ladder while juggling

everything that is thrown their way, both at home and at the office. Read on to see

what they have to say.

“I have two musts: take care of yourself and surround

yourself with good support at home and at work. If

I counted balance each day I would fail so instead I

look at each week. I try to make sure I have quality

time set aside for family, friends, work colleagues

and myself. If I don’t stretch, walk or find ways

to relieve my stress I won’t have the energy and

resilience to give to others.” BARRI RAFFERTY

SENIOR PARTNER & CEO OF NORTH AMERICA KETCHUM

“I think seeking work-life balance is a flawed concept

because it is based on the premise that one is good

and the other is bad and each must come at the

expense of the other. Instead I focus on passion

and happiness in both my work and home lives.

Of course there are times when my work world is

exhausting or negative, and at these times I reset

my “balance” by spending time with the people I

love and doing things I love. This allows me to better

address whatever is draining my happiness and

better balance me and my world.”

SUSAN BUTENHOFF

CEO

“Nike COO Eric Sprunk recently talked about how

coaching his kids’ sports teams helped him “put

fuel back into the tank” to be a better leader. I love

that. For me it’s walking my dogs at Crissy Field or

bashing around a tennis ball as part of a team or

going with friends for a Friday night foot massage in

the neighborhood. It’s also making sure I plug in with

my immediate family back East. I call my mother

twice a day, believe it or not. Making sure you are a

whole person outside of work makes you a better

person at work.”

NANCY BLAIR

VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT

“Balance for me is all about prioritization. As I think

about my schedule for the week or each day, I

prioritize the biggest things I need to accomplish

– from a client meeting, to volunteering at my

children’s school, to a new business presentation or

working out for mental sanity. I build my schedule

around my priorities and where I am most needed.

No two days are ever the same. I know I can’t do

everything at once… so I do my best to focus on

what’s most important.”

LINDSAY SCALISI

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

“I think the reality is that if you work in PR and

you’re a parent, you can’t expect that you’re going

to achieve work-life balance on a daily basis. There

are some days where it’s just not going to happen,

but you have to be ok with that, and do your best to

keep the crazy days to a minimum. It also helps to

have partner balance. My husband and I talk about

(read: negotiate) our schedules in advance to ensure

that over the week our kids are getting what they

need from us and from life. So my recommendation?

Take a longer term view – if you can look back and

feel good about what you’re achieving at work and

at home overall – then you’re golden.”

JODI MARONEY

VICE PRESIDENT

“First off, I hate the phrase work-life balance. I think

it conjures up all sorts of negative stuff. There are

two things I do to make myself survive and be sane,

however, the first being exercise. I try to work it in at

least once during the day – either before work, right

after work, or even in the middle of the day if that is

the only way that it works for my schedule. That is a

priority for me. I try to map it out for the week using

something like ClassPass to make sure it merges

with my work calendar and remains a priority. As a

working mom, I also subscribe to the idea of a strict

shut off when it’s family time. I’ll go back if needed in

the evenings, but I don’t expect that of my teams, it’s

just my time to get caught up with my kids.”

CORI BARRETT

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

“I see work-life balance as not necessarily something

that you do. If you enjoy the people that you are

surrounded by and work with, and you like what

you’re doing, then it doesn’t always feel like work.

So finding that “balance” doesn’t have to be difficult.

It helps to have teams, managers, and an executive

team that supports and encourages people taking

time for themselves and ensuring that you’re

completely unplugged when you’re able to.”LYDA VALEZ

VICE PRESIDENT

ABOUT ACCESS

We are a communications agency obsessed with our clients’ success. Good enough

simply isn’t good enough for us. We create connections that count, turning brands’

audiences into activists and stakeholders into strategic partners. We are clever

storytellers who help companies find their voice and make it heard. We knock the

norm with every aspect of communications, creating custom-designed campaigns

that impact and inspire. For more than 20 years we’ve built trusted partnerships with

companies who seek to stand apart — from global brand names to emerging growth

companies and start-ups.

WWW.ACCESSPR.COM