?? The Office Advantage: Your Career's Make-or-Break Decision

As an exec & mom of 3 little ones, AND as a native who never intends to leave the flyovers where my ancestors lived, this was a tough pill! I appreciate your candor. I know it will get you no thanks at times to be the person who tells executives (like me) the cold hard truth but it is refreshing and what makes you a great coach. I know you know better than anyone it doesn’t benefit minorities OR those of low socioeconomic status to coach them for a world you wish they worked in. It benefits to hear it straight, learn the rules of the game, and learn to play it better than anyone else ?? Fwiw, It wasn’t easy raising little ones alone, finishing my degree, building my career in office, and leading a company isn’t easy. Cybercriminals accept no excuses and have no ethical qualms about attacking my company while I am at a recital. In many ways learning to figure it out and find ways to balance two things that CANT fail (your home and work) simultaneously, prepared me to balance the impossible & urgent choices I see every day. My early years helped me create systems that supported the needs of my children AND the needs of the thousands of families that depend on the jobs my company provides, without letting either slip.

The mindset that women are still the primary caregivers to the family is the problem here. That the responsibility of family affairs falls on the shoulders of women.?Powerhouse executives should have more in-person face time. That's a given. Unequivocally, yes.?If you want to be a million-dollar earner, you have to make sacrifices. This is true of every choice you make. Gender shouldn't enter into the equation. These are limiting beliefs that have people fall into roles without thinking about their actions.?Yes, women are put at a disadvantage in many ways. But going into the office is only a gender issue if women are still viewed within their own household as the primary on all things family oriented.?And being a single parent slices both ways too.There are plenty of single dads out there who need to have a baby changing station in public restrooms. But for some odd reason, we as a society continue to put all these responsibilities on women.?The responsibility of raising a child is not a female only responsibility.?Honestly, we should, as a society be more willing to help raise our children together, but that's a different discussion.?TLDR: if you want to make north of 6 figures, go into the office and consciously understand you need to make life adjustments that reflect your decisions. It's more about setting the right expectations both at work and at home.?

Jacob Warwick - You are absolutely correct. There are certain undeniable truths. Human contact is better for collaboration and communication. Focus is best obtained when free of personal distractions. Great leaders typically personally and frequently interact with their teams -- direct line, peers, dotted line, and managers. Over the long term of their career, a rising executive ought to be prepared for in-person work.

You may well be right that the unfortunate truth in today’s system is that you won’t succeed or even get hired at the JP Morgans of the world as a remote-first executive, or if you need to bounce a baby on your knee during a zoom call, as you say. Or…you can, but only if you’re a 6’5” middle aged white man like Marc Benioff. And what a shame that is. Because I’d bet on the fact that the world would be a better place if more Fortune 500 companies were run by people who looked less like Marc and were (gasp!) parents without their “home management” figured out. (By the way, does anyone really have it figured out? Did you know that CEOs and the wealthiest couples have higher than average divorce rates? Love how many women are liking your post, by the way ??) My problem with your article is not that it points out this ugly truth, but that by doing so in such a way it accepts, condones, and perpetuates it, whether that’s your intention or not. I am tired of just accepting things the way they are and would rather see you use your platform to push back against the status quo, as I know you are in favor of based on our conversations.

As always, your humor is a much-needed shot in the arm for me on a Thursday. You had me running to Dall-E to request the image of "a militia with a collared shirt and PJ bottoms." Just a small request to consider the non-white guy with full-time home support POV (not talking about you specifically, as you indicate). We do need to figure out a way to grow access to the C-suite for single parents, for those for whom it is physically painful to be full-time in an office, and more. Otherwise, we're perpetuating exclusion and we all lose from the lack of diversity. In the meantime, stay saucy my friend!!