Business Networking and Sex - Ivan Misner [58]
Gray matter’s primary function is to process information and white matter’s is to integrate, network, and distribute the information harvested from the gray matter. Another point worth noting is that the gray matter in women’s brains is distributed more within the white matter, rather than as it is in men’s brains—more separated. This explains why women excel in language, communal activities, and connecting, where men are more goal-, mathematics-, and task-driven.
He Says . . .
The Conflict Between Family Obligations and Networking
As the breadwinner, my primary responsibility to my family is to provide. I must provide a dwelling, food, heat, transportation, and all the other stuff that costs money. Though female primary breadwinners are on the rise, in more than 60 percent of households, men still hold that role, with the women being the primary caretaker of the family, according to a WorkingMother.com survey done in 2010.
The responsibilities of caretaker and breadwinner alike are not easy, and the hours of sweat equity invested are many. The duties and requirements cost money, energy, and most importantly, time. For the breadwinner, that time spent is usually away from family. It’s unfortunate, but I must do what I must do to provide for my family and maintain the lifestyle that my wife and I have decided is right for us.
Networking is an important part of my business. Building relationships, creating visibility, and taking advantage of introduction opportunities to new professionals in the community are all mandatory aspects to growing a local business. Does family time suffer because of it? Regrettably, yes.
I’d like women reading this to understand that for most men, time away from family is not what we want. It is simply what must be done. The reason family time does not get in the way of my networking is because
I know that in order for my family to remain my primary commitment, focusing on my business must remain my primary objective.
There are cycles in which I produce the necessary cash flow to meet the family goals, and then I can relax, or “coast” for a little bit and spend time with the family, but then the cycle inevitably starts up again and I have to honor the ebb and flow of keeping the bank ledger balanced. Also, by working extra hard on nights and mornings that aren’t reserved for important family events, I can get a little ahead and then be free to enjoy time with my family.
She Says . . .
It’s 4:00 P.M. and I’ve worked a long day, starting with getting the family and myself out the door early in the morning, to shuttle each of us to our respective activities. In the span of a typical day, the speed of duties is breakneck. I’m running one child to soccer and another to baseball, picking up the dry cleaning, rushing home to get the kids started on their homework for school tomorrow, doing a couple of loads of laundry, putting the dog out, answering the phone, and packing lunches for tomorrow. At the end of the day, while I’m still in the middle of all this, I hear a voice shouting through the house, straining over the din of the TV, that asks, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” I stop in my tracks and think, What is wrong with him? It’s like having one more child in the house.
As a mom, wife, and business owner, managing my time is extremely important. I’m always seeking some sort of balance between those three areas. Most of the time, I feel like the ringmaster of a three-ring circus with lots of out-of-control clowns running around me. Before I learned the delicate balancing act of time management, I knew that networking was important for creating visibility for my business, but was torn between commitments