Mark Robinson, if you are not aware, is currently North Carolina’s lieutenant governor. He is someone who made himself a success, despite coming from a background of extreme hardship. He was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, the 9^th of 10 children. His upbringing, amidst alcoholism and domestic violence, was nowhere near what you would want for a growing child.

Onward and Upward

Robinson’s mother imbued in her children a sense of responsibility, and let them know in actions and words that perseverance, hard work, and devotion to God would be their best ticket to a rewarding life. Robinson absorbed the message at an early age.

Among the many stops in his personal journey, he served as a medical specialist in the Army reserves. He also worked in manufacturing, and then ran a small business with his wife. When the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA) was passed his small business and career endeavors dissolved.

At one point, nearly 20 years ago, he had to declare bankruptcy. Despite his financial hardships he soldiered on. Eventually, he became North Carolina’s first Black lieutenant governor. As such, he has traveled extensively throughout the state, talking to people of every race, profession, trade, income level, education level, and inclination.

Now is the Time

Robinson knows the people of North Carolina perhaps as well as anyone could. Once he decided to run for governor a wellspring of voters emerged eager to see him succeed, because they know the man. Married for now 30+ years, with two children and two grandchildren, Robinson has vowed to be the education governor and the business enterprise governor that North Carolina wants and needs.

In the coming weeks and months, however, much of what you read about Robinson in the mainstream press will ignore his accomplishments, his vision, and the fundamental reasons that so many North Carolinians of all races want him to be the next governor.

The Left is so pathetically predictable that I can tell you with complete accuracy how they respond to Black conservatives. On cue, without missing a beat, the day after Mark Robinson won the Republican primary for governor in North Carolina, the vicious press, putting in overtime, went to work. Nine of 10 articles that you would encounter on Mark Robinson were complete hit jobs, taking his words and phrases out of context.

The same was true on the internet. Google, among the most evil companies that has ever appeared on Earth, with their oh-so-mysterious algorithms, made sure that nothing good was said about Mark Robinson until about the 12^th listing. Even then, Google followed with more hit pieces.

We All Know Exactly Why

Why does the Left so thoroughly despise Black conservatives? Why does the Left disparage them at every turn, such as Jason Whitlock, Star Parker, Condoleezza Rice, Alan Keyes, Larry Elder, Candace Owens, Allen West, and Senator Tim Scott? Because the mere existence of a Black conservative upsets everything that the Left stands for, such as “keeping Blacks in their place,” ensuring they never dare to leave the liberal plantation, and hoping that they don’t have an original political thought.

Traditionally, Democrats retained many Black voters at the national, state, and local level through campaign promises, while never consistently delivering on them. And now, as we approach November 2024, they are losing their grip. Survey after survey reveals that Donald Trump is gaining major ground among Black voters, other minorities, young people, and suburban women.

The press will nitpick about statements Robinson made years and decades ago. They’ll claim he’s an anti-Semite. They’ll say he is ‘against his own people.’ They will attempt to demonize him. Don’t fall for any of it.

Making His Mark

Robinson spoke at CPAC 2024 and, while he only had 12 minutes, he brought down the house. At another gathering, he spoke for less than 90 seconds about why reparations are a bad idea. He laid out in the most logical manner why people today who claim they deserve reparations are the ones who owe others, mainly the Black pioneers who came before them. It is a brilliant piece of rhetoric that everyone, everywhere should hear.

Mark Robinson is the candidate whose time is now. He will win the governorship of North Carolina, be an excellent governor, and have a greater political future ahead of him. Donald Trump strongly endorsed him and one can foresee a time in which Robinson will have important business to do in Washington, DC.

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Thank goodness that organizations today increasingly recognize the importance of supporting employees’ well-being while maintaining productivity. As such, the corporate quest for work-life balance, harmony, and integration has gained great prominence.

Key Aspects

Here are 12 key aspects of this pursuit gleaned from a variety of programs:

1. Offer Flexible Work Arrangements: Offering flexible work schedules, remote work options, and part-time opportunities allows employees to better balance their professional and personal lives.

2. Have Clear Policies: Establishing clear policies and guidelines regarding work hours, overtime, and expectations helps employees manage their time effectively.

3. Support Mental Health: Providing access to mental health resources, counseling, and stress management programs can address employees’ emotional well-being.

4. Give Leave: Offering generous paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and parental leave, allows employees to address personal and family needs without fear of repercussions.

5. Prevent Burnout: Encouraging employees to disconnect from work-related technology after hours helps prevent burnout and supports work-life separation.

6. Support Workload Management: Ensuring that employees have manageable workloads and realistic deadlines prevents excessive stress and long working hours.

7. Provide Wellness Programs: Implementing wellness initiatives, such as fitness facilities, nutrition programs, and health screenings, promotes a healthier work-life balance.

8. Enable Employee Assistance Programs: Such programs provide confidential counseling and support services for employees facing personal challenges.

9. Promote a Culture of Balance: Company culture plays a significant role in work-life balance. Leaders should model a balanced lifestyle, and the organization should celebrate accomplishments beyond work.

10. Maintain Continuous Communication: Engaging in open dialogues with employees about their needs and concerns regarding work-life balance fosters a supportive and responsive corporate culture.

11. Empower Workers with Training and Education: Providing training on time management, stress reduction, and resilience equips employees with the skills to better balance their lives.

12. Leverage Remote Work Policies: Crafting clear remote work policies and expectations ensures that remote employees have a structured work-life balance.

Bringing in the Hired Gun

As the world’s only holder of the title, “The Work-Life Balance Expert®,” as issued by the USPTO,  I am often summoned by organizations to enhance work-life balance for their troops. In all, I’ve delivered programs and spoken to 960 groups. Below depicts an encounter with a company who shall remain nameless for reasons of confidentiality. See if this squares up with your experience in your organization.

The following responses were derived as a result of my sending a questionnaire to the conference meeting planner where I was to be their keynote speaker. I requested the names of 10 people who would be in the audience. I called each of them to discuss their current challenges. Here are their actual replies to three of my questions:

1) If you could magically resolve a work-life balance issue, what would it be?

* Have more breathing room between high-level projects.
* Accomplish more during the workday and leave mentally free.
* Hire more staff!
* Take vacations and time off with no big pile ups when returning.

* Be allowed to take some Fridays off and catch up on much needed appointments.
* Reduce the number of pop-up requests and questions flying at me all day long so that I could ACTUALLY do what I need to do each day.
* Be approved to work from home or adjust my hours. My personal time isn’t respected.

2) What do you seek to derive from attending a session such as mine?

* Manage my time more effectively.
* Gain tools to embrace life while living it
* Develop stronger skills.
* Make work-life balance a reality in our company’s work-first culture.

* Acquire strategies, tips, or ideas to re-think my approach.
* Learn to change my focus, to be more productive, balanced, and focused.
* Be able to balance the few things that I do control during my day.
* Discover tips for keeping my staff in balance.

* Gain a realistic expectation of what we can achieve or experience.
* Develop a more positive outlook for the group.

3) Are there any observations you could offer?

* Work-life balance is a huge topic organization-wide. We are high performers who want to do a good job. We compromise our personal lives to meet work demands. We have to keep pace with the leaders and teams we support. If we don’t, we’ll be deemed unresponsive.

* A frenetic pace seems to be inherent in this company. Our team does a good job of emphasizing work-life balance; the problem lies with the surrounding divisions that thrive on working all the time, for no good reason. Yes, we are in a global space, working in different time zones, but some of these people are beyond the pale.

* What I love about this organization are the people. They are dedicated to the cause and truly want to deliver reliable, affordable, dynamic, and versatile solutions to our customers. However, our frenetic pace isn’t necessary. Not every project is the most vital. Not every problem is an emergency. Not every request has to be filled now.

* If in charge, I’d implement a more efficient, logical pace organization-wide. If we all took a breath and reevaluated how we work, in a more focused environment, we might find that we could produce better results with less stress.

Resonates Strongly

As you can see, the topic of work-life balance resonates strongly among today’s career professionals. Going forward, may more organization recognize and acknowledge the critical role that employee wellness and work-life balance has on the organization’s overall effectiveness.

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