"A real-life action plan for protecting executive marriages." --
The New York Post"Dr. Block draws on his extensive expertise and the experiences of real-life couples to put together a comprehensive turnaround plan for the executive marriage. Presented in business plan format, Dr. Block presents his Power Strategies in a way that busy executives can readily understand and apply, both at home and in business." --
Ann Bevans-Selig, President, Bevans Group"Dr. Block is right on. It's all intertwined. Power, respect, love all make for a better executive and a successful marriage." --
Helene Cohen, National Accounts Manager, Fisher-Price"Holy cow! How refreshing it is to finally see someone break it down for us and make us realize how a strong marriage is key to being successful both personally and professionally. My husband and I have been married for 21 years. Things came together for us after we bonded as a team supporting and respecting each other. Now we are both successful business owners. Dr. Block highlights how marriage-strengthening principles have a direct relationship with smart business tactics. Thanks for bringing this book to light for so many people." --
Zee Simmons, CEO/Z Force Consulting Services Group Inc. "THE MARRIAGE-WORK CONNECTION offers valuable insights into transforming today's organizations by addressing both the business and personal relationship needs of executives. Dr. Block illustrates the urgency facing executives and their organizations when personal pressures are combined with today's everyday work issues... If you're looking for a real-life action plan that integrates successful business tactics with strategies for deepening marital love, you won't be disappointed." --
Debra C. Schoenstein, Senior Partner, LeaderAlliance.com
For the 77 million executives in the U.S. and their spouses, these facts are unsurprising:
Execs find marital bliss harder than business
Ego and opportunity ruin Executive marriages
Couple interests and activities fall off as Execs rise to more responsible job levels
Executive divorce comes with enormous costs
Here is a quote from WorkSmart, an online corporate newsletter:
"America needs to be aware of the impact of divorce on their bottom line. Just as abuse has an impact on the bottom line of a corporation, so does divorce. The HR department ought to be providing communication skills and [similar] courses for executives so they can make their marriages better and stronger. Because it really is in the interest of the corporation to keep marriages together. Divorce costs them a lot of money, for many reasons: time, productivity, bad publicity...When people start getting in trouble with their partners, if they don't know there's a place, as part of their perks, that they can to for [counseling and help], it would cut down on the divorce rate, which would obviously cut down on this problem."
Dr. Joel Block formulated THE MARRIAGE -WORK CONNECTION after thirty years of working with devastated executive marriages and meeting with focus groups comprised of nearly one hundred executives and their spouses. The idea for the book came after a breakfast that he had with four top-level executives--three men and one woman--from different corners of the country, three of whom were on the road more than they were at home. In the understated manner of those accustomed to putting out fires, the men spoke of their grueling schedules and the cost their work lives had taken on their home lives. Two out of the three men were on second marriages that were failing. Both of them admitted that the complaints they heard from their wives were echoes of those from their previous marriages. The other male exec, concerned, but not as experienced at picking up the cues of end-stage marital unhappiness, later wrote Dr. Block that his wife had served him with divorce papers when he arrived home.
The lone woman in the group whose travel schedule was minimal, but whose office hours were nearly endless, earned three times what her stay-at-home-dad husband had earned when he was in the workforce. She described her marriage as stable, but unsatisfactory, wryly commenting that it seemed as if her husband's libido plummeted each time her income increased. She had no idea how to overcome her unconventional role reversal.
Her parting comment was the catalyst for this book: "It's not as if I can put together a plan by networking with others that share my circumstance, they're doing as badly or worse in their marriages!" She looked to the men around the table and added, "Your wives sound like they're also clueless--whether they lead fast-track lives or not--we're all struggling at home."
THE MARRIAGE -WORK CONNECTION is a real-life action plan formulated after interviews with nearly one hundred executives and their spouses, men and women from across the country. The volunteers acted as an informal focus group so that the issues addressed in this volume are truly representative of the Exec lifestyle. Each chapter is derived from the expressed concerns of Execs struggling to make their marriages work and, as a review of the table of contents reveals, the issues they raised involve competencies that are also crucial in the world of business. Not only will this assist the Exec spouse to communicate in a language familiar to his or her partner, the principles herein will notch up Exec performance on the job as well as on the home front.
Throughout, commentary and research from the organizational world will highlight how the principles discussed here have a direct relationship with smart business tactics. Do you have a spouse who is resistant to working on the marriage? Use the relationship between savvy business tactics and solid marriages to make your case.
Dr. Joel Block is a psychologist specializing in couple relationships and also an executive; he is the director of a pioneering educational company, Nu-Horizons, dedicated to helping people of all ages live life to the fullest. As a couples therapist, he has successfully treated hundreds of devastated Exec marriages over the years, giving rise to his desire to formulate a plan that addresses the challenges unique to these relationships.
THE BUSINESS PLAN FOR MARRIAGE is focused on the bottom line: ten strategies for maintaining the vitality and energy of love in executive marriages:
Part I. Current Market Conditions
1. Success begins with commitment
2. Unite, don't divide
3. Develop a culture of collaboration
Part II. Marketing Plan and Sales Strategy
4. Create lasting value
5. Become a skillful communicator
6. Build on strengths
7. Grow your children effectively
Part III. Long-term Development Plan
8. Periodically assess progress
9. Protect your investment
10. Maximize resources
The bottom line is that the corporate world is hungry for the healing power that this book will bring to executive marriages.
