Personal is personal… don’t be confused

In this day and age of the Blackberry, iPhone or name your flavor of smart phone, there is absolutely no reason to tell your boss about every non-work related item that you might need to take care of during work hours. And when are work hours anyway??

Many jobs are more structured but most corporate professionals “own their own” calendars and work whatever hours need to be scheduled to get the job done. With instant access to email, corporate IM on smart phones and more, being out of touch is a choice not a technical limitation.

So why do we still feel compelled to fill our boss and co-workers in when we have to go to the dentist or go to a quick parent teacher conference or run our grandmother to her doctor appointment?  Stuff happens… we deal with it. While you are driving from point to point, you are probably on a conference call. When you arrive, you flip open your Blackberry and check for any urgent emails. While in the waiting room (waiting…) you log into IM and make yourself accessible for any quick questions.

As your boss, as long as I can get a hold of you in a reasonable amount of time, I don’t need the details and where you are. If I get too many details, over time those details start to “pile up” and even if your work has NEVER been impacted, doubts start to creep in. I start to wonder that if you are a teeny bit late on a deliverable that perhaps you’ve been out shopping for bonbons.

Oh, and don’t fill me in on your medical history during happy hour… I DON’T WANT TO KNOW!

Best, Maven

P.S. Maven Tip: If the personal stuff is out of whack, I’ll eventually notice…even if you don’t tell me. Keep it reasonable and ruthlessly manage your priorities and schedule.