Q-Time (Evening Work-Life Balance Roundtables)

Q Roundtable sessions are held in the evening, in a comfortable setting complete with a gourmet meal prepared by a master chef, and accompanied by the appropriate beverages, camaraderie and music conducive to good chatting and good times.

The focus: Work-Life Balance. (No, that is not inherently an oxymoron!)

Who? Executives of all persuasion, some with children, some with “significant others”, some with elder care responsibilities, some without any formal family ties at home. What they have in common is that they are trying to find the right balance between home, a social life and work.

Some members are also trying to come to terms with how to help colleagues and/or employees deal with similar challenges as our workplace undergoes significant changes in perceptions towards work. People are starting to reevaluate the criteria by which they define themselves. And there’s no roadmap to follow along this new path. Adding to the problem: stress levels are rising and there seems to be no time for “down time”.

At a meeting of the Q Roundtable, executives have the opportunities to discuss these matters (and more) with peers and with leaders (authors, speakers, pioneers) as experienced in this burgeoning field of “Work Life Balance” as anyone can be.

The details? Members of Q Roundtables meet once every six weeks or so. The first part of the evening is spent reconnecting and relating progress made since the last time bread was broken together. After dinner there is a short go-round where people have the opportunity to ask for help/ feedback on a specific challenge they are facing (it’s like a mini Mastermind).

After dessert, the spotlight shines brightly on a single subject. Having been chosen in advance, the featured member presents a prepared synopsis of the problem at hand. Penetrating questions are then posed by fellow Q Roundtable members. Frequently, hidden issues come to light as the group seeks to understand the situation fully. Specific problems are addressed in a “no holds barred”, yet highly supportive, forum.

As the final coffees are being poured, each of the Roundtable members provides the person in the spotlight with specific feedback. The suggestions are taped so that the ideas can be listened to again – and again.

Said one person, “In these kinds of sessions [which, by the way, are actually quite enjoyable] people make breakthroughs in all areas of their lives. They may start off thinking the problem is at work, then come to realize it’s at home, or within themselves, or...
Either way, they make progress that changes their lives.”