Ravleen Beeston aims to reach her potential in everything she does. Championing a work-life balance, Ravleen Beeston is the UK Head of Sales for Bing and a happy wife and mother. She is an active member and leader of the Women’s Group for Microsoft Advertising in Europe. By example, Beeston shows how a modern woman can realise herself in both a family and professional level.
Childhood.
Born in Gravesend, Kent, Ravleen Beeston’s background has Iranian origins. Both of her parents were born in the Punjabi community in Iran, but moved to England in the 1970s. Her father was in the Royal Air Force, then her parents settled in Kent to work in manufacturing.
One of her brightest childhood memories was of being surrounded by family and friends. She never felt lonely as there were often weddings, birthdays and other family celebrations. These were filled with delicious food and dancing; - the atmosphere was filled with love.
Turning point of her life.
At the age of 11, Beeston lost her father. Although she was terrified by the news, and went through a tough period, she learned how to be strong and fearless no matter what. She says: “It was a turning point in my life for many reasons; it taught me to expect the unexpected and not fear big challenges, it made me resilient, gave me the fire to ensure I could be independent and self-sufficient and above all to appreciate life and live every minute of it to the full.”
Learning through challenges.
One of the biggest challenges Ravleen had to face was deciding to marry a man of a different cultural background. For Beeston it was the right choice, although it was an unusual practice in her community.
After marriage, there was another challenge awaiting Ravleen. She gave birth to her son and was in a position to choose whether to return to work or stay at home with him. Despite the sometimes critical comments of others, she decided to return to work. settling into family/career life hasn’t always been easy but she wanted the fulfillment of a flourishing career as well as taking care of her family She shares the importance of this experience: “I wanted to set an example for my son that mummy and/or daddy could work – there are no rules here; I wanted to be enriched so I could continue to enrich him and I felt my work enabled me to do that.”
Ravleen says that the key to success here was in communicating with her husband and sharing all responsibilities with him. When the other half does his half, it makes everything easier and more manageable. During this period the couple became even closer and there was a lot of support for each other. Beeston recalls: “Not only did he support me in returning to work, but he became a champion of Dads doing their half in every aspect of family life.” She also mentions that he was the one to give up his job for a year to spend time with their son so that Ravleen could focus more on her career. “What an amazing partner right?” says Ravleen.
How to achieve work-life balance.
What helps Beeston to find harmony between her family life and her career is a flexible timetable. Ravleen works four days a week and doesn’t feel guilty about it. She mentions: “I proudly and openly make work fit around my life and life fit around work when needed.” By doing this, Beeston feels satisfied.
Even though Ravleen has Friday as a day off, she is still responsible for everything happening in the office. She arranges her timetable so that she manages the expectations of her stakeholders Staying organised is a key to success here. Making to-do lists for work and for home helps.
As a hard working person, Ravleen Beeston sometimes finds it hard to leave a task to the next day. In order not to feel overloaded with projects, Ravleen learned to say “no” to some of them. Being realistic is a key.
As the weekdays are full, Ravleen focuses her Fridays around her son and weekends with yet more family and friends. During this time she doesn’t check her emails and only responds to calls in an emergency. It is the time to speak to her loved ones and have fun with them. Ravleen appreciates such times as she says: “After all, these are the people who give me the encouragement and energy to keep striving for more.”
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