I just finished the book, I don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson.  The story of  how a high powered investment manager in London with two young children juggles home and work life is both funny and sad.  It is funny because of the duality of Kate Reddy's work and family life which tug at her emotionally and physically.  The social expectations drive the challenges she faces- at work, she must act like a man to succeed, even though she can't quite do it because she's a woman, and therefore not in the elite chauvinist network of investment bankers.  At home she must act like a mother to be accepted by others, even though she doesn't have the time to bake brownies and make jelly. Kate copes with this schizophrenia by making notes to her self about what she” must remember.”  

On Friday Sept. 15  Babson hosted the 9^th Annual Women's Leadership Conference here on campus, sponsored by the Center for Women's Leadership.  The keynoters this year are Addie Schwartz, Principal of B*etween Products, and Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett Packard.  I hosted a panel of women executives all of whom are involved in international leadership positions.  How do they manage work and family?

Maura Regan who travels 60% of the time for Sesame Street Workshop says that “I think whatever your choice is, to work internationally, or to stay domestic, to work full time or not, you need to be happy about it.  If you are not, your children will pick up on your anxiety and discomfort”. 

Marcy Reed, a senior VP of Finance from National Grid panelist who has two children says “whatever you do, involve your children in the work experience.  Be excited about what they can learn from your work. If you complain about it, they will be unhappy too.  Make it an adventure.” Deborah DiSanzo, Sr. VP of Patient Monitoring for Phillips agrees, “having a passion for your job carries over to your family”. 

If we compare the fictional life of Kate Reddy to our real life female executives, we can see that success is grounded in acceptance of choice.  Making a choice to follow a particular career pathway does have compromises, but you figure it out as you go.  If you worry about your choice, it's probably not the right one.