life on a tightrope: women redefining career success

At their Summit last fall, the brilliant Jennifer Stewart and Catherine Clark released data from the What Women Want survey which was conducted in October 2024 in partnership with She, Her, Hers and Abacus Data. Since then, they have been using their platform, The Honest Talk, to highlight the impact of these results on the daily lives of women.

Last week, they released a particularly timely article: "The work-life tightrope: Women are redefining career success." The article focuses on how the pandemic reshaped what women want from work. The key insights from the survey data include:

• The top two career goals for women: financial stability and work-life balance

• 60% of mothers of young children prefer a hybrid/remote work model

• Women are twice as likely as men to prioritize flexibility when choosing jobs 

The Art of Leaving: Workshop Reflections

On Friday, I hosted my first workshop on The Art of Leaving, a program designed to help participants navigate significant transitions in their lives using an evidence-based framework. My first cohort comprised amazing individuals interested in applying these principles primarily to workplace departures.

Beyond that, I was taken by how many people were interested in looking at a thoughtful way of exiting their current career. The conversations revealed a profound shift in how people view the purpose of work in their lives. Many participants expressed feeling a disconnect between their daily tasks and their deeper values, a misalignment that had become increasingly difficult to ignore. They weren't just seeking better balance; they were searching for meaning and purpose that aligned with their authentic selves. This quest for purposeful work represents a significant evolution in how we conceptualize careers: not just as sources of income or status, but as expressions of our core values and contributions to the world.

It was striking to see how closely their experiences aligned with the survey results. For participants further from retirement, their desire to leave current positions was fueled by a search for balance but hindered by concerns about financial stability for their families. 

Personal Experience: Values Misalignment in the Workplace

I have spoken numerous times about how my departure from Government stemmed partly from values misalignment. One significant area of conflict involved return-to-office policies.

While I acknowledged the employer's right to determine how and where work is performed, the nature of discussions around return-to-office requirements revealed a troubling disconnect. Leaders conducted extensive consultations without meaningful follow-through. Many characterized employees' desire for remote work as entitlement rather than addressing legitimate needs. 

This approach created a significant chasm between senior leadership and staff. As an executive, I was expected to toe the line. Yet as a parent of young children, including one with special needs, I understood intimately the necessity of workplace flexibility.

For me, and I think for many working parents, the pandemic didn't just change our work methods, it gave us a glimpse of how life could be different. For my household, hybrid work reduced the pressure significantly. Working from home two days weekly meant:

• Eliminating a 45-minute commute

• Creating less chaotic mornings

• Avoiding the daily rush from office to daycare pickup

• Being available for unexpected school calls

• Taking short breaks to walk the dog or manage household tasks

• Focusing on concentrated work with fewer interruptions

• Finding space to breathe

Research Confirms the Shift

Research validates these experiences. In "Quitting: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away," Annie Duke examines The Great Resignation, attributing the mass exodus to people having their "mental account opened." The pandemic forced many to pause and explore options they might otherwise have overlooked, while reflecting on what truly brings fulfillment.

My husband and I—both executives—faced tremendous household stress contemplating a return to three days weekly in-office work. As a public service Executive, my husband is now in the office four days a week, which is what I too would be required to do if I was still in my position, or any Executive position for that matter. Considering the logistics of after-school pickups, doctor's appointments, and school meetings gives me heart palpitations even now.

Redefining Success in a Post-Pandemic World

Traditional workplaces structured around outdated models that separate professional and personal life force impossible choices that ultimately diminish both spheres of people's lives. Conventional definitions of success have centered on career achievements, organizational impact, and professional recognition. However, the pandemic prompted a fundamental reconsideration of priorities in a way that was not otherwise possible before as Duke notes.

Many women I speak to know want their success to be about more. They want to be able to accomplish things like: modeling sustainable work-life integration for the future generations; creating workplace cultures that honour wholeness; challenging systems that force impossible choices between career and family; and leading with approaches that embrace flexibility and humanity.

This expanded definition acknowledges that our greatest impact may come not just from professional achievements but from transforming the systems we inhabit. It also encourages consideration of both professional and personal legacy.

Writing a New Narrative

My departure from government represents my attempt to recalibrate according to my values. My workplace wasn't fostering wellness for me or my family.

Now, as I build my business, I do it intentionally. I need to recognize both my needs as a person with a disability as well as those as working mother. What does that mean? Maintaining a flexible schedule, working primarily remotely, and avoiding the executive hours of my previous role.

The combined evidence from data, research, and lived experiences points all indication that we need to fundamentally reimagine career success in ways that integrate rather than fragment our lives.

This isn't about lowering standards or reducing productivity. When people work in ways that honour their whole selves, they bring greater creativity, engagement, and sustainability to their professional roles.

What is evidenced in the What Women Want survey is that women are ready to champion a more humane, sustainable vision of professional fulfillment. Women have long desired more balanced careers, and the pandemic it simply exposed and accelerated existing needs.

As we navigate this transition, we have a rare opportunity to redefine not just how we work but how we measure professional success.

This evolution may be the most important professional legacy any of us can leave.