When work-life balance means bringing the whole family to dinner with clients

If you work with an individual client, getting together in a room with that person may not be terribly difficult.

If you represent 15 members of a family, coordinating in-person meetings with them may be more challenging.

That is part of the reason that Colin Kelty, a five-year MDRT member from River Forest, Illinois, brings his wife and two kids (ages 4 and 1½)  with him when he meets with this family of clients. This happens twice each year and is the result of Kelty making a priority of always working with both halves of a couple. In this case, Kelty had handled insurance for the patriarch of the family, whose wife decided that she liked Kelty more than her current advisor. She switched, and now Kelty manages money for the entire family.

“Having them all come to my branch would be impossible; at the least we’d have to get an entire conference room,” he said of the family gatherings, which always involve dinner. “We do financial planning, but it’s a family affair.”

Maintaining balance

This is far from the only way Kelty establishes balance between his work life and personal life. He never books appointments later than 5 or 6 p.m. so he can be home to help cook or give his kids a bath. At least once a month, he blocks off a weekday to stay home with the kids while his wife volunteers with a charity, and then once a month, his wife stays home while he volunteers. Recently the family traveled to Disney World for the kids’ first Disney experience. While in town, Kelty strives not to bring work home with him.

“I’m not effective working from home,” he said with a laugh. “My kids are loud.”

For more Whole Person ideas

Written by Matt Pais, MDRT Content Specialist

Verified by ExactMetrics