“Leave your problems at work at work and your problems at home at home. You will have one problem to solve at a time.” Ruskin Kwofie
I can’t count the number of times I have heard from CEOs that their staff bring the home life issues with them into the office. I can say I have also witnessed equally problems at home that are caused by people bringing issues from work into the house. It is very neat and tidy to think that you can just drop your problems off at the door before entering your office. It is also ideal not to carry your work challenges home with you. There is just one big issue with this. It is more ideal than practical. Your problems, be it a job task you dislike, a person who you are stressed about or a worry stored in your mind. The last time I checked you take your mind with you everywhere you go! The vast majority -and I’m estimating that the number is closer to 99% than 1% – of professionals cannot just park their problems at the doorstep.
Businesses, corporations, and organizations are made up of people and most people’s C.V.s are jam-packed with work experience, and problem-solving skills that don’t involve knowing how to deal with life’s everyday problems. I am certain that problems that we carry with us from the workplace to the home more often than not involve relationships. The only way to come to work without issues from home is to understand how to turn challenges into home championships and the only way not to have problems at work is to develop the skills required to turn obstacles into opportunities. These are skills every professional needs to understand so that they can quickly eliminate distraction, emotional baggage and solve simple problems. We can all suppress problems, avoid talking about them and carry on doing what has to be done on a daily basis, but this doesn’t mean that we are leaving them behind. Instead of leaving them at home and at work, it makes more sense not to have them in the first place, and when they do show up, having a way of dealing with them swiftly, graciously and permanently.