Changing the Rules of the Game

I spoke with a reporter today who asked me if I thought there was truly a change going on in the workplace when it comes to family friendly work opportunities. She has been writing on the topic for more than 15 years and told me that every few years there seems to be serious change on the horizon, but it then fades away.

What is different now? Am I just another author in a stream of many proposing wild ideas that will never become truly acceptable? Or can a parent really find a fulfilling, successful career and actually spend time with his or her children?

I think they can. Parents (women in particular) are starting to reject the traditional model of career success. Those before us made many sacrifices to allow career opportunities for women. But, they had to make their progress on what is considered the traditional male terms.

Now that we have access to the c-suite, it is time to start rethinking the rules of success. Does it really matter if you work long, self-sacrificing hours? Or can you prove yourself through your creativity, productivity and bottom-line contribution to your company’s success? I think the latter makes sense for both you and your company.

Kimberly Palmer at U.S. News and World Report, along with other writers, call it the “New Mommy Track.” (See article here). I think we need to just call it the "New Rules of the Game."