平衡工作與家庭導師幫得上忙嗎？
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????親愛的安妮：您有一篇文章闡述了導師與擔保人的重要性，這讓我對我、甚至許多女性同胞們在職場上的遭遇感到疑惑。我在華爾街一家大型公司工作了三年，2008年失業后，我決定利用這個機會攻讀MBA學位。學習即將結束時，我生了一個寶寶，現在又懷上了第二個寶寶。過去六個月里，我在一家全球金融服務公司有一份不錯的工作，還有兩位導師（都是女性）經常給我提供寶貴的建議和指導。 ????可問題是，雖然這兩位導師都可能成為出色的擔保人，但她們是通過不知疲倦地工作才走到今天的位置（包括大量出差）。所以，一旦有人無法或不愿像她們一樣，她們就會表示質疑。由于我很快就要有兩個小寶寶，所以我很擔心最終也會走“媽咪路線”。我希望自己能繼續做一名優秀員工，但我也需要一些靈活性，首先就是一個短期的產假，這樣的要求是否會讓我被淘汰？你有什么好建議嗎？——JL ????親愛的JL：這是一個很復雜的問題！據花旗集團（Citi）和商務社交網站LinkedIn最近的一份調查顯示，27%的女性高管對成功的定義中不包括孩子。她們可能認為，一個人兼顧輝煌事業和家庭是不現實的。你的兩位導師似乎恰好屬于這一類人。 ????卡洛琳?休斯目前在加州森尼維爾市求職網站Simply Hired擔任人力資源副總裁。她說得更加直白：“在職場上，大部分女性面臨的最大阻力便是對靈活性的需求。不論我們喜歡與否，許多公司仍將‘出勤時間’作為提拔員工的主要標準之一。而女性管理人員也很少會對此提出質疑。因為這么做只會強調，她們在辦公室之外需要更多時間。” ????休斯也有兩個寶寶。她指出，如今，科技發展使許多人可以隨時隨地保持高效的工作狀態。她說：“不論身處何地，都可以實現思維領導力與創意。”但她認為，要說服你的兩位導師，可能要費些周章。下面是保持職業向前發展的三條建議： ????1. 拿出令人滿意的結果。休斯認為，你可以通過突出的工作表現，將一位（可能持懷疑態度的）導師轉變成自己的擔保人。她說：“我認為，擔保人就是支持者，他們需要做的一件事就是為你提供支持，證明你有能力承擔多個責任。但前提是，你要拿出令人滿意的結果。只要你能做到這一點，證明靈活性確實可行，抵觸情緒就會隨之消失。” ????2. 接觸更多導師。從公司里另找一位成功撫養過子女、并且從基層做到高層的女性導師，這樣或許能為你提供幫助。但不論這樣的人是否存在，都不要忽略男性。曼哈頓職業網站和獵頭公司Ivy Exec的CEO埃琳娜?巴季奇說：“大公司里，大部分高層決策者仍是男性，向他們征求意見與建議是一個明智的選擇。” ????你也可能會考慮從公司外尋找一位導師。Ivy Exec近期啟動了一個導師網絡，對接不同行業的資深高管與在其他地方工作的受指導者。巴季奇稱：“人們有時候會有一些話題不想與自己公司的上司討論。比如求職策略或轉行等等。而在你的情況中，為自己的靈活性需求進行辯護的最佳方法，尤其是采用何種方式才能讓男性高管設身處地為你考慮，可能也屬于這種敏感話題的范疇。” ????3. 家中有可靠的后盾。而且一定要讓你的老板、導師和擔保人知道。卡洛琳?休斯發現，資深高管，比如雅虎（初為人母的）首席執行官瑪麗莎?梅耶爾，她們家中都有人提供全天候支持——保姆、女管家等等，這些幫助讓她們可以放心離開家門。雖然這么做代價昂貴，而且非常麻煩，但當你準備在職場大展身手的時候，必須在家里建立起最有力的支持。 |
????Dear Annie: Your article about the importance of mentors and sponsors made me wonder about something that's happening in my own career, and probably lots of other women's, too. After three years at a large Wall Street firm, I got laid off in 2008 and decided to take the opportunity to get an MBA. Toward the end of my studies, I also had a child, and am now expecting a second one. For the past six months, I've been working in a great job at a global financial services company, where I have two mentors (both female) who have given me some invaluable advice and guidance. ????But here's the thing. Either mentor would make a great sponsor, but I have gotten the impression that, because they both got where they are by putting in nonstop hours (including a lot of travel), they're skeptical about anyone's chances who can't or won't do the same. Since I'll soon have two very young children, I'm worried about ending up on the "mommy track" here. I intend to keep being a top performer, but will the need for a bit of flexibility in my schedule -- starting with a short maternity leave -- put me on the sidelines? Any thoughts? — Just Lisa ????Dear JL: Complicated question! It sounds as if both your current mentors belong to the 27% of executive women who, according to a new poll by Citi and LinkedIn, don't include kids in their definition of success -- and hence may indeed see combining a high-powered career with having a family as impractical. ????Carolyn Hughes, whose title is vice president of people at Sunnyvale, Calif., job site Simply Hired, puts it bluntly: "The No. 1 thing holding most women back in the workforce is the need for flexibility. Like it or not, 'face time' is still one of the main criteria for advancement in many companies. Women managers rarely challenge that, because talking about it just highlights their need to be out of the office more." ????Hughes, who has two small children herself, points out that technology now makes it possible for many people to work effectively from anywhere. "Thought leadership and creativity can happen no matter where you're located at any given moment," she notes. Still, to executives like your two mentors, proving that may take some doing. Here are three suggestions for keeping your career moving forward: ????1. Deliver great results. Hughes says you can turn a (possibly skeptical) mentor into a sponsor by doing outstanding work. "I refer to sponsors as champions, and one of the things they do is champion you by defending your ability to handle multiple responsibilities," she says. "You earn that by showing you can produce terrific results. Once you've done that, proving that flexibility can work, resistance to it usually dies down." ????2. Reach out to more mentors. It might help if you could find another female mentor at your company who has succeeded at both raising children and rising through the ranks. But whether or not there is such a person, don't overlook men. "Most senior decision-makers in big companies are still men, so asking for their point of view and advice is smart," says Elena Bajic, CEO of Ivy Exec, a Manhattan-based career site and job board for high achievers. ????You might even think about finding a mentor outside your own company. Ivy Exec recently launched a mentor network that matches senior executives across a range of industries with high-potential mentees working elsewhere. "Sometimes people need advice on topics they're just not comfortable discussing with higher-ups at their own companies," Bajic notes. "Job search strategies, or possible career changes, fall into this category. The best way to make your case for flexibility -- and especially how to argue for it in a way that male executives will relate to -- might be one of those sensitive subjects, too." ????3. Have a reliable support system in place at home. And make sure your bosses, mentors, and potential sponsors know you have it. Carolyn Hughes observes that senior executive women like Yahoo (YHOO) chief (and new mom) Marissa Mayer have "round-the-clock backup at home -- nannies, housekeepers, a whole lot of help they can rely on when they just can't be there. It's expensive and complicated, but you need to build that support on the domestic front while you're getting ready to move up in your career." |
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