When was the last time you read an interview in which a male leader was asked how he juggles his family with his professional obligations? Or how he achieves work/life balance? Chances are you can’t recall because it’s rarely asked.
It’s an issue which has attracted considerable attention recently because it is often one of the first questions levelled at female chief executives. In one of her first television interviews GM’s female CEO Mary Barra was asked whether it’s possible to be a good mum and run the automotive giant. It is unfathomable to consider a male CEO being asked that same question during a prime time television appearance.
This inconsistency is illuminating; it demonstrates very clearly the different expectations imposed on female leaders. It illustrates why the debate around ‘having it all’ rages incessantly not merely as a theoretical matter of public discourse, but as a relevant and practical matter of fact in the minds of many women.
That there are countless column inches dedicated to the issue of women having it all and barely a word in the reverse is as telling as anything in this realm. For women ‘having it all’, shorthand for having a career and a family, is something of a mythical work in progress that relies on having a mixture of the right partner, an enlightened employer and the right support network. For men, having a family and a career is simply life.
In that light questions to female leaders along these lines are frustrating. Earlier this year Tracey Spicer wrote a fantastic piece pleading with journalists to stop asking women how they do it. Last week, speaking at a My Agenda event in Sydney, Microsoft Australia’s managing director Pip Marlow was frank that always being asked how she juggled her career and her family was frustrating considering her male peers were never asked that question. But she said she came to recognise another factor at play. That is, because there are still so few women in senior roles, it is incumbent upon those females who are there to be honest with younger women about how they got there.
As part of the throwing down ropes to those behind you (as opposed to lifting up the ladder as you scale the ranks) females in senior roles have to shed light on the things that have made it possible. To give future female leaders tips, hope and moral support. As the number of women in senior roles grows this will obviously become less important but for the time being it’s critical.
In that regard Telstra’s head of strategic finance Cynthia Whelan made a salient point. She said it’s important to remember that at every stage in your career you serve as a potential role model, and even as a potential mentor, for others. Even if you’re only two years into your career, you have two years’ worth of experience on the next wave of graduates. If you’ve had a baby and returned to work, you can offer tips and support to other women seeking to follow that path. You don’t need to be a chief executive before you can offer somebody some valuable career advice.
Having said that, last week’s mentoring event proved that the combined wisdom of three female chief executives is an experience to behold. The more we hear from women like Maria Halasz, Pip Marlow and Cynthia Whelan, the better. By sharing their personal career stories – of their successes, their disappointments, their challenges, their turning points – they paint a realistic picture for another generation of female leaders of what is possible and why it’s worth pursuing. Part of that does include the way they manage the different elements of their lives.
Getting the balance right between agitating for workplace change, educating women about the potential obstacles at work and encouraging them to pursue their professional ambitions regardless can be tricky. Each element is vitally important. At the moment, many Australian women exit the workplace as a result of one of those elements failing them. I walked away from last week’s event absolutely certain of one thing; support has the power to make all the difference.
Whether that support comes from a mentor, a sponsor, a peer or a family member, it is invaluable, particularly during a career transition. No one’s career is static and what support you might need will change throughout your career. My advice to anyone who wasn’t at the event but who wants to explore the power of mentoring is this; be on the look out for who might be able to support you, now and in the future, and, equally look at who you can support back.