With all the ways we stay connected with work it's easy to be pulled away from family, even while home. When I get home from work, I try to be as present as possible for my family by leaving all of my devices in my truck. That way, in the short window between getting home and bedtime, I can focus on them. Work will still be there after they are asleep.
Balancing the roles of being a dad and a CEO is undoubtedly one of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of my life. As a father of two beautiful daughters, aged five and two, I've learned that the key to achieving this balance lies in being fully present in both roles, albeit in different ways. One strategy that has been particularly effective for me is setting clear boundaries and dedicated time for family. I make it a point to have undisturbed family time in the mornings and evenings. This means no phone calls, no emails, just pure, uninterrupted moments with my daughters. These times are sacred, filled with laughter, bedtime stories, and even the simplest of activities like drawing or playing in the garden. These moments remind me why I work so hard and keep me grounded. On the flip side, during work hours, I am fully committed to my responsibilities as a CEO. I delegate effectively and trust my team, which allows me to focus on strategic decisions without being overwhelmed by every detail. This trust in my team is crucial, as it not only empowers them but also ensures that I can step away without the business falling apart. Ultimately, the blend of structured work time and cherished family moments creates a harmony that fuels my passion both as a father and a leader. It's about quality over quantity, making sure that when I am with my daughters, they have my undivided attention, and when I am at work, I am fully engaged in driving the company forward. This balance, while delicate, is the cornerstone of my approach to life, providing me with purpose and joy in both realms.
Balancing dad life and CEO duties? It’s all about setting boundaries! I reserve evenings and weekends for family time—no work allowed unless it’s on fire. At work, I hustle to leave on time. It’s like juggling, but with less clown makeup and more coffee!
Being the CEO of a fully work-from-home company helps tremendously. My daughter is 16 now. When she was in elementary school I would walk her to school and walk her home most days. I drove her to high school every morning now. I connect with her about her day when she gets home. I seldom work nights and weekends. I go to her soccer games, go for family walks with our dog or bike rides with her. I coached her soccer and basketball teams when she was younger. In short, I think it's just about being intentional about your priorities.
Being a dad of 3 kids under 3.5 and a CEO of a growth stage startup can seem like a hard task, but having kids has actually made me work much smarter. Before kids I would take every meeting and work 60-80h/day. Now I have to stay below 60h/week, and ideally below 50h/week, which has forced me to prioritize things more. All the important work still gets done, but a lot of the extra "busy" work goes away and I feel more fresh at work. So forced constraints and 80/20 level thinking can increase overall productivity, but it requires saying 'no' to many things.
I founded in 1991 the company out of which grew College Recruiter job search site. My wife and I had our kids in 1994, 1996, and 1999 so I became a dad at the same time as I was working very hard and very long hours to build the very small company into something that could do some good in the world while also providing a good living to our family. One of the hardest and yet best decisions that my wife and I made together was shortly after our second child was born. We decided to downsize our business, move it into our home, and for her to quit her well-paying job so that she could be a stay-at-home mother. That decision was scary in some ways as it meant that all of the responsibility for earning money fell onto me and the still pretty young business that I had founded and led. Yet it also relieved a lot of stress as I no longer had to worry about making payroll every two weeks and it made our personal lives much easier. If my wife wanted to run to the grocery store while our kids were napping, she could as I was at home and was available should they wake up before she was home. At the end of the day, we worked hard and made a lot of sacrifices to allow me to balance being a father and business owner. Too many think of "balance" in the sense of being highly successful at both. Fortunately, we understood that we could get balance and a much higher quality of life the opposite way: by being okay not being highly successful at either. I gave up successes at work, and I was never was the primary caregiver for our kids, other than when my wife was under the weather, traveling, etc.
Dear Sirs, In response to your query, I am pitching Maxim Ivanov. Maxim is a father of three and has been leading the Ukrainian software development company Aimprosoft for over 19 years. He worked his way up from a developer to a founder, overcoming career stages step by step with profound knowledge and skills. Here are his thoughts on the issue: I have three children: a twin son and daughter, who are nine years old, and a ten-month-old daughter. Balancing the roles of dad and CEO is difficult, but it is possible with a supportive wife. Statistics show that many successful CEOs are family men, and I am no exception. Despite the difficulties in maintaining this balance, I am constantly trying to improve it. Right now, the kids often lack my time. However, my strategy is to fully immerse myself in time with the kids during active vacations. Our time is vacation time. We do sports together and are fond of kitesurfing and hiking, and we like to go camping together. Before the war (we are from Ukraine), we also had a hobby - music. It brings the kids and me very close and fulfilling. While on vacation, I try not to check my work email box to be fully present with my family. To be honest, it is hard to do when you have over 300 people on your payroll. It helps greatly to go where the internet connection is poor and keep your hands busy with a camera. Sharing household duties with my wife also helps me spend more time with my family. I'm responsible for the infrastructure of the house: nailing something down, fixing a faucet, setting up the computer. Delegating some strategic issues at work also gives me more time to be a father. The war in Ukraine separated me and my children for almost a year. When I joined them, we had a touching moment of our reunion captured. My wife and I kept it a secret that I would come from Ukraine to Scotland, where they had taken refuge at the time, fleeing the war. When my daughter came out of school, she could not believe her eyes, and my son asked me several times if we'd have to break up again. It was an unforgettable, touching moment that I return to whenever my hand reaches for a work email on vacation or a day off. URLs: https://www.aimprosoft.com Maxim Ivanov https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximivanov/ Kindly let me know if you need any other info for Maxim Ivanov to be featured and interviewed for your coverage. Best regards, Julia Zaplavskaya PR and Comms Manager at Aimprosoft j.zaplavskaya@aimprosoft.com
Founder and Lead Financial Planner at Twin Cities Wealth Strategies, Inc.
Answered a year ago
Being a dad and a CEO are both full-time jobs that require significant time and resources. Anyone who tells you that there is an easy way to manage the work/life balance has never actually done both at once (at least well). While it isn't easy, time blocking or scheduling dedicated time for each "job" can certainly help you stay devoted to what is important during that scheduled time. If you can manage your schedule to prioritize your time during certain hours of the day or days, you can better concentrate on the job at hand and be in the moment. Finally, if you have a spouse or partner who helps out, be sure to let them know how much they are appreciated.
My son was born on the day we were supposed to take our client's corporate jet to a meeting in Hartford, CT. Despite our largest client calling twice to confirm I couldn't make the meeting and we'd have to reschedule and fly commercial, I was at the birth of my son. There is no balance. Giving up being a father to two amazing children for entrepreneurship wasn't an option. Fatherhood is a once in a lifetime event, entrepreneurship can happen many times with varied success -- failure is optional. Failure in fatherhood is not optional.
Being a CEO and a dad can be a balancing act, but it can also provide great opportunities. As CEO, I was able to take my daughter to visit some of our overseas offices and to see our work with coffee farmers firsthand. This helped expand her horizons and she was thrilled when she got to meet a star of screen and stage who had been helping fund our work. At the same time, being a father helped me connect with staff all over the world, as there is so much that is universal about being a parent. I've always taken my work seriously and I'm proud to see my daughter now doing the same thing in her first job out of college.
Finding a sustainable approach is key and that looks different for everyone. For me it’s been about being able to take lessons from both your family life and business life, and using those realizations to help support each world. For instance carving out time to empower your kids so the time that you do spend with them is of great quality, and understanding the patience you have with your kids is a skill you'll need in business, or vice versa. For perspective you have to ask yourself what your dad did when you were a kid that you remember and what did your dad do that probably didn’t feel the best. I remember my dad being an even keeled guy that was present and taught me things. I learned so many lessons from my father, lessons that would help me become a better father and a better business leader. My dad taught me the ability to fix just about anything and rarely ever yelled at me or gave me a hard time. Being a dad is about understanding frustration, something that also greatly helps an entrepreneur! BALANCE comes from being able to take the lessons from one aspect of your life and being able to implement them into another. So, if you have become a CEO, you most likely got there because you not only were good at thinking ahead but you were also good with understanding people. Your kids are just learning the ropes and you have the ability to teach them everything that they need to know…. Go easy on these newcomers because they are basically still in training. Once they graduate from training, if you arm them with your skills they will be amazing- I think the same goes for CEO’s leading the team to success!
Balancing the roles of a father of two and a co-founder/CMO is definitely challenging but also rewarding. The key aspects are scheduling and planning. In a fast-paced environment like Meat N' Bone, I am involved in various meetings, reporting, and execution tasks. Planning ahead and developing routines, along with having a reliable team that supports me, is crucial for managing day-to-day work. As a father of a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, I strive to keep them involved in my work life. Not only do I get to teach them about what I do, but also create great memories with them. They love our products and enjoy interacting with my team and even our clients. I feel this involvement is beneficial as it teaches them about responsibilities, how adults live, and gives them an understanding of what I do when I'm not with them. However, the most important aspect of balancing life and work is communication. Sharing challenges, concerns, and feelings is vital for me. There isn't a single perfect guide on maintaining a healthy lifestyle in a fast-paced environment, so I rely on myself and the people around me to make it work.
After years of wearing a Dad and a CEO hat, I’ve learned that the art of balancing the two is one of the hardest challenges of my life. I have an issue at work that if not addressed is going to cause financial pain and when I’m with my family it’s all I can think about. I was not really present every time these fires would come up, but when things are peachy I’m back to being a great husband and father. What helped me the most was joining a peer group of entrepreneurs where I meet with a few times a month to share and discuss my biggest challenges. Somehow by discussing these problems out loud instead of in my head I was able to get the mental clarity back I needed to spend meaningful time with my family.
Work with your spouse to be a better dad. My wife has helped me to have accountability for the time I can be back each day. Get up as early as you need. But come home at 4 or 5. Have dinner with your family. Your business will never be more important than your family (even if your passion for your business comes from wanting the best for your family). It's a false choice to say you have to make a choice between focus on your business and family but you will have to cut out other stuff. Workouts, guys nights, hobbies, none of those will come above serving my faith, family, and team and customers.
Balancing being a Dad and a CEO is certainly a challenging but rewarding task. One of the best strategies that has worked for me is running a fully remote business. This setup allows me to be more present for my family while effectively managing my professional responsibilities. By embracing remote work and flexible scheduling, I can spend quality time with my children without compromising on my work commitments. I make it a point to schedule dedicated family time just as I would important business meetings, ensuring that I am fully present with my kids without distractions. Task delegation is also very important. I empower my remote team to handle various aspects of the business, allowing me to focus on high-priority matters and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Ultimately, the flexibility of a remote business has been key to successfully balancing both roles.
In short, I didn't, and now do. When my kids were small I worked over 100 hours a week. I was in my mid-thirties and thought I needed to. Looking back, if I had my time again, I am not sure I had the experience, knowledge or understanding to do it any differently. My wife 'made' me go to sports days, school plays, and similar events. I am very thankful to her today & every day that she did - I am now in my early fifties. My balance is good now and has been for about 10 years. A little too late for my small kids, but I am better for them now, when they are in their early twenties. Better for me. Better for everyone. So, what changed? Partly, it was me 'growing up'. Experience is a great teacher. You realise what's important, what isn't, what can wait, what can't, and that in the hours 90-100 did I really achieve anything? Possibly not. The challenge with having no boss is you have no boss, no one to help curb what you do, tell you you're doing great, or you're working too hard. As a CEO, you have to be your own boss too. One of the best things I did was make a decision. A decision about what hours I would work. My first transition from +100 hours per week was to 6 am-6 pm, 5 days a week, and I said to myself, if you cannot make this business work in 60 hours per week then maybe it will never work. Then, some years later I chose to reduce those hours to 8 am-6 pm for 5 days a week. This is what I do now. Make a choice of what hours you will work and stick to it.
Responsibilities and commitments that go with being a father and a company CEO are very similar. They both require your 24/7 presence. And neither can ever be considered a job. They require the presence of your mind, heart and soul at all times. They need to be cared for, nurtured and treated with great deal of sensitivities. As your children or company grows, they both go through times of difficulties, confusion and a bit of chaos. At those times, as a father and a leader you must find your moral and spiritual center to deal with the situations at hand and navigate out of those turbulent waters to more calmer seas.
"Whether you're at work or home, ensure that neither aspect of life is consistently being neglected" We need to understand that achieving a perfect balance between work and family life is difficult. It will never be a perfect 50/50 balance but learning to integrate work and family seamlessly is crucial. We need to accept that some days will tip the scale more towards work while others lean more heavily towards family. There will also be times when work demands more of your attention and times when family commitments take precedence. I'd say - be kind to yourself and strive for progress, NOT perfection. The key is being present at the moment, whether you're at work or home, and ensuring that neither aspect of life is consistently being neglected. For me, it's about making conscious decisions every day and learning to adapt and adjust as situations change.
Balancing fatherhood and CEO responsibilities requires effective time management and prioritization. My best strategy is to establish clear boundaries between work and family time. During designated family hours, I'm fully present, engaging in quality activities with my children. Simultaneously, I delegate tasks, empower my team, and set realistic goals to ensure business operations run smoothly in my absence. Additionally, leveraging technology allows me to stay connected remotely while physically prioritizing family moments. By fostering a supportive company culture that respects work-life balance, I lead by example, demonstrating the importance of nurturing both professional success and family relationships.
My role as a father is far more important than my role as a CEO. It's a priority that was established as soon as my first child was born. This prioritization is one of the most worthwhile investments you will make in your lifetime. One tip that helps me balance and prioritize effectively is by ensuring that I win the morning. For me, winning the morning means that I'm investing in myself (workout, meditation, work, etc.) before the kids wake up. By setting myself up for success early in the morning, I have more energy and time to dedicate to be a present and active father when the kids are ready to rock when they wake up. It's a daily effort and requires ample sacrifice - often sleep, but the return on investment is massive.