Your dean calls and wants to you to attend a late-afternoon meeting with a CEO who has agreed to sponsor Executive MBA students. But if you attend the meeting, you'll miss your son's soccer game.

It’s a reality that Executive and Part-Time MBA Program administrators and staff know well. There are no easy answers, but in this article, five council members share their ideas and stories, including the ways in which their programs address this issue for their students.



G E O R G E  A B R A H A M
University of New Hampshire

"It's never been a cake walk."

George Abraham says he finds a successful balance in work/life when he has an “energy level sufficient to perform the tasks that I enjoy doing in both venues, work at the University and life at home.”

As director of executive programs at the University of New Hampshire, he has found no shortage of on-the-job demands, as the school’s executive programs grew throughout the years. He now manages the school’s Executive MBA Program, its full- and part-time MBA programs, and its non-degree offerings for executives.

He initially thought he could make his life more efficient by living close enough to campus to walk to work, but the reverse proved true. “When I lived extremely close to the University, I never got away from it,” he says. “I found it difficult to separate from work.”

Now, he commutes 38 miles and uses the time to make the transition. “If I am driving to work, I am thinking about work. If I am driving home, I’m thinking about home.”

Abraham enjoys the support of his organization and dean and his family. Even though there are plenty of opportunities to work late every night, Abraham commits one night to dinner with his father and another as date night with his wife and sticks by the commitments. He keeps close tabs on his time and sets routines.

Several days a week, he lunches with his dean and/or his staff, but he always leaves one day a week to lunch alone. “I try not to schedule any appointments before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m.,” he says. “I try to eliminate any infringements on my time.”

Students also face the pressures of balancing school, work, and life. To help them, the program sponsors a significant others’ event on a weekend and also brings in alumni to talk with students about the challenges.

Successfully balancing work/life is not an issue that is unique to Executive MBA Program administrators, staff, or students, or to universities, he says. It can help to talk with others and to explore your own values. Abraham knows he missed some opportunities as his daughters were growing up, but overall feels good about his efforts to keep it all in balance.

“It’s never been a cake walk,” he says. “If you enjoy what you are doing in both lives, there is something that will interfere with the other. It’s important that you understand what you want.”


L Y N  H O F F M A N
London Business School

"My weekends are sacred."

Eight years ago, Lyn Hoffman was program manager for the MBA in international business at the University of Bristol. She then became director of the Sloan Fellowship at London Business School, and now she runs the school’s Executive MBA and Executive MBA Global Programs in addition to the Sloan Fellowship.

With greater responsibilities came greater challenges.

“When you are in a demanding, challenging, and frankly absorbing job, then it is far too easy to work all the hours on the clock,” says Hoffman. “For me, work is always in danger of taking over from life, never the other way around, so my definition of work/balance is making sure that I spend enough time and effort on life!”

Hoffman prioritizes and uses self-discipline to help maintain her balance. “Although I work all sorts of ridiculous hours during the week, my weekends are sacred…I’m very good at relaxing. I’ve done a lot of yoga and can also meditate. I’m passionate about art and literature, both of which help me focus my mind elsewhere.”

She also is aware of students who struggle with balance issues, and the programs work to ease the challenge in a number of ways, including handling logistics, involving partners and children as appropriate, and offering social opportunities. In one session of an introductory course, students discuss work/life balance and use self-assessment tools to understand themselves and their lifestyles better.

Staff members within the program also use different approaches. “Some of my colleagues who have children leave at a reasonable hour every afternoon, but I know they often spend an hour or so later in the evening doing paperwork or e-mails or writing documents,” she says. “Others regularly spend a half-day during the weekend on work, either at school or at home. I think it’s for each team to get together and understand the preferences of individuals and to try and work with that.”

Hoffman knows that she works long hours, but her choice is appropriate for her. “I met someone the other day who said he was a recovering workaholic, which I suppose meant he was taking each day at a time. I think as long as we know ourselves well, and know what both drives us and gives us joy, we can work it out.”


C H E R Y L  M A I L L E
Boise State University

"Assess the situation and choose accordingly."

Throughout her 18 years in executive education, Cheryl Maille has offered guidance to many students, but she acknowledges when it comes to balancing work and life, “I rarely took my own advice.”

In 1987, Maille launched the Executive MBA Program for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York. She served as the program’s manager, eventually moving to the position of director of Executive Programs.

Maille raised her daughters while her career responsibilities continued to increase. “I was a single parent for a number of years, and I was determined to provide my daughters with the best I could, including a college education.

“My trade-off primarily came out of sleep, pursuit of personal interests, and time spent with friends,” she says. “Although I did not always spend the quantity of time with my two daughters that I would have preferred, I made a point of making quality time for them. They are now young professionals, and we have traveled in Europe and the U.S. together. I have not only a mother/daughter relationship with them, but I consider them my friends.”

During the years, she saw students who struggled with work/life balance. The program built into the pre-orientation picnic, orientation week, and periodic lunches, coaching sessions about balance. The program also offered social functions that included spouses and families.

Maille’s own intense juggling act took its toll, and her health began to suffer. “After a series of medical procedures and scares over the preceding two years and some serious soul searching, I decided to make a life change.” She chose early retirement from RPI and moved to Boise State University. There, she works part time as director of the newly formed Office of Executive Education, where she will oversee development of a new Executive MBA Program and customized management programs.

In Boise, she enjoys bike riding, long walks on the “Green Belt,” and floating down the Boise River. Maille recommends that program administrators and staff take time for their family and themselves.

“I do hope others can learn from my situation the value of balancing work and life early on,” she says. “One can have both. Just do it. The work will be there tomorrow, but your child’s recital, school play, your mom or dad’s birthday, or whatever family function only happens once this season or year. Assess the situation and choose accordingly.”


C A R O L  N E W C O M B
The Ohio State University

"I don't believe there is a simple or universal solution."

Her sense of guilt is a warning signal for Carol Newcomb that her life might be a bit out of tilt. If she feels guilty either for not finishing enough at work or not paying enough attention to family, she knows it’s time to make adjustments.

“It is challenging because I love what I do and would enjoy being able to follow-up on everything and become involved in a greater number of new initiatives but I can’t,” says Newcomb, executive director of executive education at The Ohio State University. “Part of the challenge is that there is always more work and ideas to follow than there is time.”

Over the years, the on-the-job demands on time have grown, she says. “I know I regularly work 50 to 60 hour weeks – so do most people. As some economists say our economic growth has come at the price of one person doing the work that two people did 10 years ago.”

For Newcomb, the key involves setting and keeping priorities. When possible, she takes an occasional afternoon off to walk, shop, paint, or have fun. “It helps me keep my sanity and escape for short periods, and I find it very revitalizing.”

She continues to work on improving the coordination of her and her spouse’s hectic schedules. She also tries to schedule more regularly planned time to spend with her grandchildren.

The Executive MBA Program raises the issue of balance with students in several ways. They discuss the commitment with students during the interview process and involve spouses in orientation. The program sponsors a family day after six months, and older children may come for lunch or sit on a class session for an hour. The program also works closely with students who have unexpected circumstances.

Balance will remain an issue for program administrators, staff, and students, she says.

“I don’t believe there is a simple or universal solution,” she says. “If job requirements continue or increase, and technology innovation cannot absorb this increase then perhaps looking at more flexible scheduling, more online work that can be done from locations, or at other 8-5 time periods would be helpful. Another helpful option might be added flexibility so individuals could drop into a part-time slot for a period if family responsibilities become too great and then back to a full-time position later.”


C A R L O S  R U I Z
IPADE

"It's difficult to say 'stop' or 'enough of this' when you have to focus in giving your best in the other area as well."

Carlos Ruiz knows that there are sacrifices along the way and that the path involves constant adjustment.

“It’s very difficult, because trying to be successful in both requires a degree of involvement that creates some inertia,” says Ruiz, director of the Executive MBA at Instituto Panamericano De Alta Direccion De Empresa (IPADE).

“It’s difficult to say ‘stop’ or ‘enough of this’ when you have to focus in giving your best in the other area as well. Additionally we tend to give more time to what is giving us the most satisfaction at that moment, and the risk is to leave out the aspects in which we are experiencing difficulties. Paradoxically, that area requires our attention.”

Ruiz defines work/balance as the ability to achieve family and work goals and to maintain equilibrium between both. “Sometimes you will have to sacrifice some activities of an area for the sake of the other,” he says. “However, this will be done according to the priorities and how they contribute to the results.”

As part of his goals, Ruiz is looking to take more vacation with family, save enough time on the weekends for family activities, and spend more time with his children.

Ruiz also takes into account the impact of work/life balance on students and staff. For students, the program doesn't meet on Saturdays, includes sessions with spouses, and delivers case studies on life balance and family issues.

For staff, he shares information about work load as much as possible in advance to help them better organize their time. The program also tries to avoid weekend activities, and the office encourages and respects vacation time.

Along the way, Ruiz knows that he has sacrificed some goals in both work and family. “I have to keep always in mind my objectives and the importance of maintaining the balance.”


How do you define work/life balance? What do you do to maintain balance in your life? What are you working on to improve your work/life balance or that of your students? Send your ideas and stories to darlene@embac.org, and we'll share them in a future issue of Exchange.