--- title: "Lunchtime Links: The Battle Between Career Goals and Personal Relationships" id: "17005" type: "post" slug: "lunchtime-links-the-battle-between-career-goals-and-personal-relationships" published_at: "2013-04-17T18:11:03+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T20:05:22+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/04/17/lunchtime-links-the-battle-between-career-goals-and-personal-relationships/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/04/17/lunchtime-links-the-battle-between-career-goals-and-personal-relationships.md" excerpt: "When it comes to your professional life, do you follow your career goals or let personal relationships sway you? Also: How to give recognition to your volunteers." taxonomy_category: - "Career Development" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Career Path" - "Leadership" - "Professional Development" - "Relationships" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Lunchtime Links: The Battle Between Career Goals and Personal Relationships Your ambition and your personal life can sometimes be at odds when it comes to professional development. How can you come out ahead? That, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links: **Go forward:**Personal relationships can endanger career development. If you’ve ever chosen your family or friends over a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you know what I’m talking about. As a professional, you imagine a path to success, sometimes failing to account for marriage, kids, and unforeseen obstacles that could potentially stand in your way. Emily Esfahani Smith, associate editor of *The New Criterion*, [raises a question most of us would prefer to avoid (opens in a new tab)](http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/04/relationships-are-more-important-than-ambition/275025/) : “Ambition drives people forward; relationships and community, by imposing limits, hold people back. Which is more important?” **Show your support:**Volunteers play a huge role in the successes of many associations. What’s the best way to show your volunteers how much you appreciate their time and effort? Do Good Lab, an international development organization in San Francisco that relies on a huge all-volunteer staff, [focuses on building personal relationships and expressing the value of volunteer contributions at every turn. (opens in a new tab)](http://blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/2013/04/15/more-than-just-thank-yous-volunteer-recognition-strategies-from-an-all-volunteer-organization/) “The organization makes a big effort to show ‘outward appreciation’ through regular team meet-ups, parties, and annual events. This creates momentum and makes volunteering fun, engaging, and rewarding,” according to a post on Volunteer Match. **Calm your nerves:**How do you confront stressful situations? Do you share with the people around you or do you keep to yourself? Ever try singing? [That’s what longtime association consultant Steve Drake of SCD Group recommends. (opens in a new tab)](http://www.scdgroup.net/2013/04/association-executives-our-words.html) Really. Drake sings Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is”to himself when he needs to improve his mood. If singing’s not your style, Drake also recommends eliminating interruptions, scheduling your day, and prioritizing so that you can deal with the challenges at hand. What’s on your reading list today? Let us know in the comments. (ThinkStock/iStockPhoto) [Anita Ferrer](https://associationsnow.com/author/anita-ferrer/) Anita Ferrer is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/anita-ferrer/) Tags: [#Career Path](https://associationsnow.com/tag/career-path/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Professional Development](https://associationsnow.com/tag/professional-development/) [#Relationships](https://associationsnow.com/tag/relationships/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [Video🚀 The Agile Association Professional: How to Pivot Your Career Path When the Strategic Plan ShiftsJuly 28, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/28/the-agile-association-professional-how-to-pivot-your-career-path-when-the-strategic-plan-shifts/) - [VideoDJ Johnson Shares His Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/dj-johnson-shares-his-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoLakisha Woods, CAE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/lakisha-woods-cae-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoLeveraging Local and Regional Component Relations During COVID-19: A CEO DialogueJuly 24, 2020](https://associationsnow.com/2020/07/24/leveraging-local-and-regional-component-relations-during-covid-19-a-ceo-dialogue/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F04%2F17%2Flunchtime-links-the-battle-between-career-goals-and-personal-relationships%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !