Family Friendly
Choose a Life, Not a Job: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Milk on Sunday
Danielle’s best advice to her son and daughter? Choose a life, not a job. This is precisely what Danielle* and her husband have done. They recently moved from Boston, MA to Basel, Switzerland. They’ve chosen a life for themselves and their children. Danielle isn’t an expat, she is a local employee at her Swiss company. […]
Aligning Vision and Values – 3 strategies for growth and 1 test for success
Mika (a pseudonym) is loving her new place. She has just moved in and on the scale of change, this year has been a biggee. In addition to her move with her nearly-five-year-old daughter, she has also left her job as a senior executive at her firm. It’s scary but she’s owning it, driving through […]
Detergent for Dignity
Recently, we donated holiday gift baskets. These were laundry baskets filled with mundane suppliers like detergent, dryer sheets, and dish liquid. It turns out they were also rife with dignity. Here’s the thank you note I received from the agency (Good Samaritan Center) where we donated them: “Thank you again for the laundry baskets! They […]
The Alchemy of Abundance – 7 Lessons for Growth
Margot (not her real name) is someone whose journey is both inspiring and instructive. Margot is a senior associate for her firm. In addition, she is a part-time instructor with a university. She is based in Canada and despite the record cold and snow on the day we met over lunch, she was warm and […]
My Mom Loves WWF and Other Surprising Truths
My 70-something mom loves WWF and I can’t blame her. It’s exciting, it’s engaging, and she can participate whenever she wants. I have to admit, every time she mentions WWF, I think of the World Wrestling Federation, but of course my mom could only be referring to her app, Words With Friends. It’s technology at […]
The Importance of Lasts
I’m struck by how we generally don’t know when something is happening for the last time: the last time I carried my toddler daughter up the stairs, or the last time I held my young son in my lap on a Saturday morning. We frequently pay attention to ‘firsts’. We diligently record them in baby […]
Demanding Family-Friendly Work Practices: Rewriting the Script – A Response
In this idyllic example (see Gilmor’s full article), Gilmor, quits her job in order to spend more time with her family and in the process lands an ideal role that allows her to perfectly balance work and life. How would I rewrite this script? Infuse reality. Most men and women can’t quit their jobs. They […]