As I wrote in the last issue of BIC Magazine, across all of BIC Alliance’s companies, we have recently been pushing really, really hard to make strides in a rough environment.
We’ve been grinding (and I know you have been too). Our team works additional time when the job requires, and they cram an extraordinary amount of productivity into a workday. They publish through all our various channels in a timely and accurate manner, plus they take initiative to investigate and implement new ideas, tools and events to allow us to meet our mission of connecting people in business and industry with one another for the betterment of all. I am amazed and grateful for the steadfast determination and dedication of our staff.
Our award-winning publication is looking better than ever, with fantastic content, and our online presence has been racking up record levels of traffic. We have physically added offices in our Houston location. We have added new channels of video, vlogs and social media coverage to improve our ability to keep our readers up-to-date with more media choices. Our recruiting firm has brought on additional staff to better help our clients grow by hiring talented staff in a hyper-competitive landscape. And our investment group IVS has been working to find funding for groups seeking investors and exit
At our company, we have a running joke: we only work half days and we also have flex time… you can choose to work any 12 hours a day you want!
We like to joke, but we do have a serious creed as well: no success at the job makes up for a failure at home.
As a reader of BIC Magazine, odds are you spend between 45 and 60 hours a week on the job. Success at home will involve some kind of break from the job; it means not focusing on career, at least for the moment. To this end, most of our team takes vacation during the summer months; the timing is a natural fit with a school schedule if you have kids. I myself have just returned from taking a family vacation and I haven’t felt more relaxed or rested in quite a while. Personal note: please unplug to take a real break. A recent survey showed that more than a third of Americans said they planned to check in with the office several times a day while on vacation this year (up from 19 percent who expected to do so in 2021). My family trip was camping in an area with really awful cell service, so that helped a lot. Still, I had great teammates covering for me and now I feel ready to take on the second half of the year.
Taking that break is also a beautiful chance to reconnect with a spouse, to create or deepen bonds with your kids, to experience life and create memories. For yourself, it might be only a necessary recharge for your batteries, or it might go as far as helping you keep your sanity. I believe that we are created with taking breaks in mind; that is, we are programmed to perform better when we periodically rest.
Taking the occasional break is absolutely necessary. If you believe in God, it is appropriate to note that taking that day off isn’t just recommended, it is commanded. “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but on the seventh … you shall not do any work.”
It’s no secret that Americans are notorious for not taking time off. When folks think of a break, we naturally think of a vacation. However, taking a break might mean just having a little quiet time during the day. I like to get up early and have quiet time in the house. During this time, I can plan my day, think about life, study scripture and pray. I know it allows me a chance to be more productive overall, even though I may not be “accomplishing” much during this break time.
I hope you take the time to rest, reconnect with your family and recharge for work. We hope that the information, products and services discussed in BIC Magazine will help you take on the second half of the year. In this issue, we feature insight from ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery Plant Manager Dave Oldreive, Shell Deer Park Chemicals General Manager Nathan Levin, Caban Industrial Group CEO Carlos Caban, and Power Storage Solutions Strategic Sales Manager James Coker.
Also covered in this issue are topics to help grow your businesses and teams, such as the importance of early input around scope when executing turnarounds, the human factor as industry’s next reliability challenge and the many advances in safety management.
One last point: one might be tempted to begrudge a coworker’s or employee’s holiday when the staff is already stretched and now you have to cover for someone else, but we are called to serve one another. And your time is hopefully coming soon.
Blessings, — Thomas Brinsko