Based on a 2008 survey of Los Angeles-based emerging leaders, work/life balance is important and I assume that this priority is shared nation-wide. According to a recent report by the Center for Creative Leadership called “The Leadership GAP: What you need, and don’t have, when it comes to leadership,” a key future gap in leadership qualities will be balancing personal life and work.
The report urges today’s senior managers to practice a healthy work/life balance as an example for the future generation of leaders. Many of us have watched our role models work long, seemingly inhuman hours, repainting the black box, writing that NEA grant or serving their population after business hours with little distinction between work and personal life. Conversely, a number of us have been exposed to supervisors who seem to effortlessly glide from family to work life such that neither is compromised, in fact where, both dimensions thrive.
Over the past year, I’ve witnessed some of my most highly motivated emerging leader colleagues get knocked up (myself among them). Emerging leaders (many of them women) are starting, nurturing and financially supporting families. I am proud. Proud of them for carrying a fetus and being a mom, of course!, but also proud of the Emerging Arts Leader/Los Angeles (EAL/LA) network for being a support system that I sincerely believe, enabled these 20 and 30 somethings to feel comfortable with their decision to give the “life” part of the equation some love.
My pregnant colleagues all participated in a pilot emerging leader mentorship program and I would venture to say that their advisor relationships and/or this tight-knit group’s peer-to-peer counsel (consciously or subconsciously) offered clarity about the reciprocal benefits of having a prosperous professional and personal life.
I’ll admit that while I have no regrets about having a baby in the earlier part of my career, there are questions that even now lurk in my career-driven self. Is baby slowing me down? Will colleagues interpret this decision as a compromise? Will I be able to produce the same level of quality in my daily work even if I have to leave to pick up my kid at 6 p.m.? Can I be the bread-winner and the perfect mother?
Fortunately, because I have this EL network and because all of my supervisors have demonstrated a healthy work/life balance, I am fairly sure that the answers to my questions above are: maybe, but I think that I can catch up, I don’t think so, yes, and yes…well, maybe not “perfect.”
In sum, I would argue that the next generation of leader are in need of an EL support network (sometimes the more intimate the better) and positive work/life balance role models in upper management.
I’m curious how other emerging leaders (both women and men) are striking a balance between life and profession? Are we workaholics or are we mentally poised to be better than our predecessors at work/life balance. What is the dynamic in your workplace? How can we be better at setting boundaries for the sake of harmony and happiness while producing outstanding work?
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This is refreshing to hear. I often find difficulty balancing my professional and personal lives which eventually just get muddled. Between my day job, my night job, then steering committee this, board member that, I get worried that when the time comes to start a family (though I’m thirty now and that seems far off…) I will have to make a decision and choose between those lives. But perhaps with the right support system I won’t have to…
Cool post Letitia, and great response/concerns Katherine. The literature on generational differences across sectors suggests that Gen Xers, who group as the first latch key kids, respond to having experienced their baby boomer parents invent the 60 hour work week by placing a greater priority on their families and personal time. Following the Xers, Millennials have found new ways to blend their professional and personal lives, and are just as likely to be updating their Facebook profiles in their cubicles as they are to be working on that Xcel spreadsheet due tomorrow from the comfort of their own homes, while watching the Daily Show late at night.
In my experience I’ve sadly heard many of my colleagues say “I told myself I’d give my twenties to trying to make it in the arts,” and then somewhere around 32 they decide that, not only is a career in the arts not what they expected, it doesn’t provide a livable wage, especially as young arts professionals who have postponed important life goals (getting married, buying a home, having children) long enough and are now ready to participate in the adult world like their peers in other industries.
How will the field attend to all of this? How will we keep our next generation of leaders, our highest talent, amongst our ranks as they feel the pull to do many of the things that a career in the arts makes incredibly challenging?
Hats off to Letitia and her colleagues. I hope we can learn some lessons from them about striking work/life balance, and especially, how to retain our best talent as they ease into parenthood and homeownership… or at the very least, the desire to pursue such life goals.
A wise woman once said to me during a discussion of the work/family dilemna: Of course you can have it all, maybe just not all at once. As a boomer who came of age with one foot in each of two very different generations–graduating from high school when stay-at-home moms were the norm but graduating from college into the height of the women’s movement–my balance came by realizing there would be times in my life when family took precedence, and others when career moved to the forefront. I was fortunate to be able to work part-time when my children were young even though I admit to pangs of regret as I watched colleagues who had not made that same decision advance in their careers. But when my children got older, I found a new career which has been demanding but very rewarding. I found my own way to “have it all.” Hope you do, too.
This is a great post and thank you so much for bringing this topic to the forefront. In the last year I had my second child and I do continue working as a marketer for a performing arts venue. Work-life balance is often a struggle, but you don’t want to mention it at work because you don’t want anyone to think your slacking off. Those mornings I come in bleary eyed from a full night of being up with a teething baby, I grab a cup of coffee and get to it because I don’t want anyone to think I’m not pulling my weight. The day-to-day office work is usually fine, but I’m missing out on every performance, because I feel a responsiblity to be at home with my boys at night and on weekends. That’s the toughest part for me as I consider attending the performances my “reward” for my hard work. Eventually my boys will start attending performances with me and I consider that one of the greatest gifts I’ll ever be able to give them. The arts are a great field to be a part of and I’m grateful that I’m still at it after 10 years.
Starting a family and supporting the arts community are definitely entwined. In a sense, those who we consider to be “Emerging Leaders” are infiltrating into new arenas to advocate for the arts. As the daughter of public school administrators, I know from experience that what keeps arts education in schools are parents who DEMAND it.
While mothers and fathers may take a hiatus from the workplace, they are sharing their passion and creativity with a brand new generation of arts supporters.
As a newly minted Executive Director in our sector, I am already beginning to see the push/pull of balance in each and every day. (And wonder if balance is the best word for the crazyness of modern life.) Having a partner that is just as dedicated to his career as I am mine has made for some interesting discussions, but I believe strongly that my children will greatly benefit from the experiences we provide for them as a dual working family. These will come both from the financial benefits of two salaries and the experiences of each parent’s artistic and educational visions. There is no doubt that it is and always will be hard, hard work. However, I could not be fullfilled any other way.
I got my first ED job at the age of 27, was married at 36, and my wife and I had our first child when I was 39. I can honestly say that I am a much better administrator at this stage of my life and career than I was before my family. Of course, experience plays a role, but the balance I have as a human being today gives me an important edge – I love my work as passionately as ever before, but love going home equally. It isn’t always easy. I work hard at balancing my schedule, and sometimes it doesn’t turn out as planned. When my career presents “one of those days”, the moment I hold my children in my arms, I can feel my blood pressure go down, my spirit rise, and I can face the next day with a sense of purpose, focus, and renewed energy. My wife is a professional actress, and we have had the luxury of having her at home for the first 18 months or so after the birth of each of our children. We are fully aware of the significance of that gift. We are committed to our careers in the arts, while raising a healthy family. It can be done, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I can’t tell you how timely this post is, or what an immense relief it is to know other women and men in the field are struggling and figuring out how this works. I have a nine month old at home, and my husband and I both commute and work full time….more often that not I feel I’m not doing either job as well as I should be…but am heartened at the idea that eventually my child will go to shows WITH me, will become a part of the community I’m working hard to create and advocate for, and that it CAN be done.
Postings like this and keeping in conversation about balancing families with the arts keep the opportunity and, indeed, the reality very prevalent. We are constantly talking about childcare at our theatre since six out of ten of us have kids. Working around pick-up times, getting home at night, spelling each other at the theatre – all of these are regular points of conversation and action for our staff.
Thank you, all, for being verbal and in touch so that nationally we grow to understand both can serve the other abundantly and gracefully.
Just this morning I attended an insightful women’s panel about change and transformation. The women talked about the experiences that helped them achieve the positions they hold today, and gave tips on developing yourself, owning your own career, and creating visibility to help you succeed in your profession. These women do not work for a nonprofit arts organization – One is a Managing Director at Citigroup Corporate & Investment Bank, while the other is a Director in Deloitte’s Human Capital Practice – nonetheless, they touched upon “work/life balance”, saying there is no such thing. Instead, it’s more like work/life CHOICES, and there are no sacrifices, but COMPROMISES. I think this is very true. As much as we would like to be a super woman/man, we need to make choices and compromises that help us remain true to ourselves.
Great post. The other thing you mentioned that has helped me juggle and balance both – is surrounding myself with people who get it. They are the ones who say “GO” when my daughter has a “talent show” at her pre-school and who say “of course” when I need someone to watch my two when I have a board meeting. I am glad that someone above mentioned that you can have it all – just not all at the same time. My path is so different than where I thought I’d be right now. And honestly, now that I’ve had kids, I’m not sure I really want the Artistic Director job that I wanted so much when I was 25 and right out of grad school. I also know that my husband’s job is very time demanding right now in his career and one of us needs to be available, flexible and taking care of the home. Choices and compromises. And trusting that where we are right now is where we are supposed to be.
Speaking as an arts administrator for a performing arts non-profit, artist, parent to two school-age kids, and spouse of an arts education leader, this is obviously an issue that plays out in our daily lives with grinding frequency. As a former stay-at-home dad and freelancer who entered the sector late (38-ish – I’m 44 now) as a full time staffer, I confess I find pretty demoralizing the lack of support/understanding in the field (not universal, certainly, but quite common) to this plight. I am not a complainer. I work exceptionally hard. But there is a bias across the sector in favor of those whose availability is without limits, and there is to varying degrees the expectation that life and work should fuse into the synonymous. They’re not. My life is what transpires largely outside of my office. Given the sacrifices of income and security we all make to enter and remain in this sector, it strikes me that it might be reasonable to suppose we’d find other forms of compensation – flex time, leeway with sick kids, etc. Sadly, this has seldom been my experience. I say “sadly” because it is precisely these tensions that prime me to become a candidate for burnout that the field can ill afford. Since there is such abundant passion on the part of young people to ENTER the field, however, there exists a kind of “cannon fodder” mentality on the part of too many arts leaders – a sort of pervasive “You can’t hack it? Fine, buddy. There’s a hundred people lined up behind you.” Which creates a wide base of entry level staff, and a narrower peak of seasoned leaders, and the entire middle of the pyramid – people like me with skill and experience and insight – poised to leave. Everybody makes valid points about making choices and compromises, but if we cannot do so within the context of a culture that permits us to make these choices, then there can be only so much influence we can wield.
I happened across this blog just as I am considering grad school for either public art or school counseling. As a recently laid-off (budget, budget, budget…) administrator of a so Cal public art program and new mother of a nine month old, I struggle with choosing the next step in my career path. While I am passionate about public and community-based art, I believe that my son’s best interests are served by having myself or my partner present… It’s tough to be present when your work day ends and there’s maybe an hour or two to spend nurturing my son or my relationship. I’d like to believe there are opportunities to make a decent living doing something about which I am excited that lends the flexibility to be the kind of mother and partner I’d like to be. Perhaps it is up to us to create a culture in which that kind of flexibility becomes the norm.