Timing Is Everything

So I thought I would share with you an incident that happened over the holidays. As I've mentioned before in this blog, balancing my roles as Mom and CEO can be quite a challenge. Some days I do well, some days not so well. Of course, having Naomi here makes a huge difference for me to get it right. However, over the holidays we all took "vacation." That doesn't necessarily mean I didn't work - it just wasn't formally planned. Here's my case in point...

The week before Christmas I had gotten an e-mail inquiry from a potential client about one of my training courses. I replied to his e-mail with some additional information. He then wrote back that he would like to set -up a phone call to discuss the training in more depth with himself and a couple others at his plant. Well, since I didn't have Naomi here I would have to schedule it for 12:15 pm when my husband, Ed, is home for lunch. I also picked the day I had to take my daughter to the doctor's for her 15 month check-up. While that might sound strange, you'll see why in a bit. The potential client e-mailed back that he could do the day and time I had suggested. Here's where my balance part comes in...

At 8:05 am the morning of the call, the prospect calls my cell phone. Well, both kids are up and I'm trying to get them breakfast so there's no way I can answer the phone. It goes to voice mail and I check it while making the kids scrambled eggs and toast. He's calling to confirm our call. My voice mail states I return all calls within two hours. Well, my daughter's doctor's appointment is at 10 am, so I plan to return his call while I'm in the car on the way to the doctors. The kids are usually quite in the car and I use my bluetooth earpiece. At 8:45 am I start getting both kids dressed, teeth brushed, and on the potty/diaper changed. My son then has a fit - he does not want to take his sister to the doctor's because he doesn't want her to get a shot and cry. Finally, at 9:40 am we are heading downstairs to get into the car. Since my son is still quite upset about taking his little sister to the doctor's I can't make the call in the car. While we're in the doctor's office, the prospect calls again. After the appointment, while we're still in the parking lot, I listen to the message - he is just confirming the call and the attendees. I leave the doctor's office and we stop by the train tracks so my son can watch for trains. I take the opportunity to return my prospect's call. We confirm the time and number.

As I pull into our garage at home, my daughter is asleep. I put her in bed and take my son down to my office. It's 12:05 pm. I get everything ready for my call. Ed pulls in at 12:13 pm and takes our son upstairs for lunch. I get on my call at exactly 12:15 pm. The call goes well and we wrap up by 12:40 pm. I head upstairs to the kitchen to see Ed before he goes back to work and finish lunch with my son. Perfect timing. Now, I can spend the rest of the afternoon racing trucks and reading stories with my kiddos. Life is good!