і
ight about now, juiced up on all of that power you didn’t know you had, you probably feel like grabbing your bayonet and heading for the boardroom. Some of you may want to seize— finally— that CEO’s chair, or grab other ruling positions. Most of us, though, are after something even more elusive—freedom, time, control. A sane work life.
It’s something we’ve long been afraid to demand. Afraid because we didn’t know we could demand it—we didn’t know all that stuff about our market power. But also afraid because even discussing the subject seemed risky—we’d look like slackers for raising it. And afraid because of what the lack of discussion implies—that women of our sentiment must be few and far between.
Well—guess what? You are not alone. The X chromosome natives, in really really big numbers, are restless. All across America women are making radical decisions about their ca — reers—rattling the traditional workforce structure, which just
doesn’t fit with our enlightened mind-set. Some are emboldened by an understanding of their increased power. Others don’t even feel that power but have reached a breaking point and are forging ahead on their own. We are forcing our work to suit our lives, not our lives to suit our work. We’re determined to craft a New All for a new era, a formula that relies on sanity and control over struggling and juggling.
Robin Ehlers was happily on the fast track, eager to work hard and move up. The thirty-eight-year-old sales representative traveled the country for thirteen years building client relationships and winning stellar reviews. She was on her way to the challenging management position she’d always wanted. But she had two young children, and it wasn’t always easy to meet the demands of both her job and her children—day care drop-off was often at 5:30 a. m. She and her husband even decided to move the family from California to Kansas City at one point so they would be closer to the nurturing help of in-laws. Even then, the stress was a killer. “You’ve got so much work to do, and you feel like you’re neglecting your family, and especially your child. I remember most days picking up the kids and being too exhausted to be a mom.” But her life worked, she told herself. On paper anyway. Until she was home on maternity leave after the birth of her third child and had time to really examine her priorities.
It just kind of hit me. I couldn’t do this anymore. I could already imagine the daily struggle once I got back. So I did something I’d literally never imagined: I saw some opportunities that were at a much more manageable career level—but they were lower. I basically asked to take a step down. And today? I’m so blessed. I love what I do, and when I want to ramp back up, I think I can.