I see in my clients and in a recent survey that women value the most having a fulfilling job, that they love. But they value work-life balance ahead of getting promoted or managing people. I’m going to call out what I believe is happening…feel free to argue with me. Many women think it’s not possible to get promoted to high positions and still have a good life. So they refuse to look at senior opportunities and a lot of us plateau collectively, with our talents underused. Meanwhile guess who is having a royal fast-lane access to promotions? Those who dare…men, most of the time.
Granted, they are some bad examples around us. We can see senior female leaders who are power-hungry, workaholic, and rather unsupportive. They sit in their masculine leadership style because that’s how they got there. No wonder when we look at those role models we prefer to stay in our mid-management positions, with a comfy salary and reasonable working hours. But it does not have to be like this. Many of those women didn’t get the luxury of all the knowledge and tools you have available to you around leadership and work-life balance.
Another route that I see many women take is starting their own business. And what’s the number one reason they choose to? Because they believe it will give them that golden flexibility between work and life. Many realise later on that they work a lot more than they ever expected. There are plenty of workaholic female entrepreneurs who just hustle to pay their bills. You can design work that fits with your lifestyle, but running your own show brings a lot of challenges an employer can provide for you: holiday pay, sick leave, regular income, social interactions, training and so on.
So why are we avoiding promotions and seeking the elicit perfect job somewhere else? What if it was possible in our organisation or another? How will we know if we never give it a go? I completely believe it is possible to have a fulfilling job in an organisation whilst having the lifestyle we desire. This is the cornerstone of my business, and I think I will still be thinking this after I’m dead. But the critical piece to this is knowing what is meaningful to us. Once we align a role with our purpose and step fully into it, no matter what challenges we meet, we will 1- be successful and 2 – enjoy it.
Now is the time to step up and go for our dreams inside our businesses. As organisations value capability, if we can demonstrate it we will be in the seat. And we can more and more make it work with our lifestyle. People are now understanding that flexibility is required and that being on 60 hours a week isn’t a model of performance. Many companies are prepared to support their female staff so they get into leadership positions. There are many ways to make higher roles work for us, provided we are clear on our boundaries and we have support (both in and outside of work).
So let me give you the gentle push, if this is you. You can do this. You are so incredibly smart, given where you got to today. If you have been juggling work with parenthood, you are also a wonder of efficiency and organisation. And finally, you have to grow. You cannot stay forever where you are, wasting your talents away because of fears. Of course you can manage whatever will get thrown at you. So start embracing higher roles, getting promoted and say thanks for the opportunity. You will at the same time inspire other women beneath you to do the same.
