In reading Milton Chang's Toward Entrepreneurship and reading other articles and books about successful innovators, entrepreneurs and visionaries, the one common theme seems to be that in order to be truly successful, you need to dedicate every waking minute to your endeavors, sacrificing time spent with family. So my question is: can a successful innovator, entrepreneur or visionary balance their family life their entrepreneurial endeavors?
For instance, in reading the Steve Jobs biography, he rarely spent time with his children until he was diagnosed with cancer. The biography also highlighted the fact that Steve Jobs was very poor at maintaining any relationships. I am sure a lot had to do with his personality and the fact that he was abandoned as a child, but could Steve Jobs been able to do the things he did if he spent more time at home? Are the same personality traits that make someone a successful entrepreneur make them bad at maintaining relationships?
I think that it is possible to be both a successful entrepreneur and have a healthy relationship with your family. I think it is hard to balance both things and requires understanding from both family members and colleagues. However, if both things are important to you, you will find a way to balance them in your life.
Good post Brett. I guess the entrepreneur - family balancing act predicament is inevitable. Thanks to mobile technology and the world of SaaS, today's entrepreneurs are in a better position to handle the ever changing and challenging work-life tug-of-war.
ReplyDeleteBrett,
ReplyDeleteI love the post because my husband is an entrepreneur and I know what it is to process so much info and coordinate a so many activities and still allocate time for himself and family. The amount of stress related to it requires great understanding from family and friends and an immense level of control on his part. But I honestly believe that is what separates average people from real entrepreneur.