The Frazzled Entrepreneur's Balance Beam

The Endangered Working Male

Several years ago, my friend, Dr. Jed Diamond explained how masculine acculturation was creating a huge obstacle for men in the workforce: both young and old. As the world moves from an industrial model to a "post-industrial" (or knowledge-based) economy, the skill sets most in demand evolve away from brute strength (construction and manufacturing) and systems and problem-solving (engineering, etc.) and toward sharing, empathy, and networking. These last are the very skills that have traditionally been beaten out of the males of our western culture. Those men who, in the past, have dared to develop their "feminine" side have paid dearly with their self-esteem (dancers, artists, decorators, florists, etc., etc.). As a result, the driving force behind our economic engine is reflecting the skills that empower it: it's becoming decidedly female.

Now, we find ourselves plunged in a global recession. As national economies falter, one after another, and the world-wide demand for goods and services dries up, companies cut back on staff and unemployment skyrockets. Who are these people being laid off? They are overwhelmingly male. The bulk of the male job market remains focused in traditionally 'macho' corners of the economy; and these are exactly the corners that are losing jobs at a frightening pace. In a well-publicized article last week, The New York Times reported that fully 82% of the job losses in this current recession have affected male workers.

Don't Select the Route before You Know the Destination

As a coach, I know very well how important goal-setting is. Also, as a coach, I know that goals aren't all that they're often cracked up to be. As critical a competency as goal-setting is, if misused, sometimes it can have some very unfortunate consequences. I want to take some time in this article to spell out some of the theoretical underpinnings of goal-setting: what it is (and isn't) and how it can be used (or misused).

When we consider what goals are and how to use them, I think it's important to start with an awareness of the context in which goals and goal-setting operates. Goal-setting is one of the elements of project management. Although I'm sure that there are many folks out there who could explain project management better than I, nonetheless, my background in ISO and QS quality systems and my experience designing, operating, and evaluating projects and their components does give me a certain valuable perspective.

Digging Yourself Out of the Hole

What a time to be in business, hey? Isn't it exciting? It's not? I read the paper every day, and I try my best to follow the latest developments in the global economy. What I read and what I learn tend to be very disturbing. It seems that the global economy has been precariously balanced on the habits of China (producing goods at artificially-suppressed cost at the expense of their workers and their environment) and the United States (purchasing much more than it can afford on credit from China). Does it bring any comfort to know that your business is just 'collateral damage' from the collapse of this mutual exploitation system?

You know the facts: your business consists of a lot more than your livelihood. If you're like most entrepreneurs, your business represents your lifeblood, your soul, your dream. Even more so, it represents a direct route to your self-esteem. There are many committed women and men entrepreneurs out there who now feel cornered — not only entrepreneurially, but personally as well. Many people who have poured their 'blood, sweat and tears' into their business are currently standing back, drained of resources, wondering whether or not it's time to throw in the towel and get an 'RJ' [real job]. The critical questions keep coming: 'How did I get buried in the mess?' and 'How can I ever get out of it?'

The Frazzled Entrepreneur Makes a Comeback

It's been six months since I took a sabbatical from The Balance Beam. I was asked to create a major presentation for The Frazzled Entrepreneur and I couldn't do that without bringing back the entire program. In the meantime, I've picked up a lot of readers, and many of you may be unfamiliar with The Frazzled Entrepreneur, The Balance Beam, The Balance Sheet, and our own Auntie Cyclone. So let me take a few paragraphs and explain a little about what we're up to . . .

What is a 'frazzled entrepreneur'? It's not only quite simple; you also may recognize elements of yourself in it. A 'frazzled entrepreneur' is anyone who is in business and who has more month left at the end of the money and more work to do at the end of the time. A 'frazzled entrepreneur' is a business person who's always running out of resources and whose motto could be that old Pennsylvania Dutch saying, "The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get."

Becoming a frazzled entrepreneur takes very little skill at all. In fact, it's exactly as easy as rolling down a hill: just let gravity take you. All that's required on your part is to 'go with the flow' and let the current carry you along, bouncing you off one set of rocky rapids after another. Surprisingly enough, being a frazzled entrepreneur doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be a failure at business. We frazzled folks have learned the hard way how to take a beating and keep on pushing forward. Of course, if you're a frazzled entrepreneur, your business may not fail but it'll never be much of a success (at least not for very long) and your personal life is apt to be a disaster.