Leading professional women share their stories on navigating, balancing and excelling at a "big career" while raising "little kids" in today's world. 

 

Raheela Gill Anwar

CHIEF SALES, CLIENT SERVICE AND MARKETING STRATEGY LEADER
BPI GROUP

 
Raheela Headshot 1-18-18.jpg
“Today we have a lot of exciting opportunities in front of us, and the workplace is more flexible than ever.”
— February 27, 2018

When I think about “Big Career, Little Kids,” I reflect on how I’ve gotten to this point in my career. It wasn’t so easy in the early years, when “flexibility” was a dirty word and part-time was a rotten deal for most women. But I got here by building a support network and asking for what I needed, and for what I wanted. 

The good news is, times have changed. Today we have a lot of exciting opportunities in front of us, and the workplace is more flexible than ever. There has never been a better time for women to attain a senior-ranking executive position or negotiate a better deal within an existing role. 

My best pieces of advice are: 

  1. Build a support network. Even though we work hard to balance work and family life, trust me, your best efforts will break down from time to time. For those times, it’s imperative to have your support network in place to back you up. You can always pay it back or forward when the need arises.

  2. Do the things that are important to you (in my case, I love cooking!) and outsource what’s not (laundry!)

 
 

Lisa Snow

MANAGING DIRECTOR, DISPUTES AND INVESTIGATIONS
DUFF & PHELPS

 

This weekend, my older daughter and I went on our first college tours as part of her search for college. It made me think a lot about success, hers and my own. My daughter knows that beyond family, my career has always been an important component of my definition of success. As she should.  

On September 1, 2001, I returned to Arthur Andersen from my maternity leave. That same day, I became a partner of the firm. I have always been proud of that fact. Not just for myself and my family but also for the firm and my sponsors. That was then.

Now we can and should expect that and more because organizations have grown and can continue to grow to support equality.

One of the things I love about Big Careers Little Kids is that it encourages each of us to make our own definition of success. By making our own definitions, we are embracing leadership and the potential for change.

I tend not to dwell on my own success and I don’t really allow myself to think that way for very long. I suppose that is a shortcoming. I am proud of the work I have done over my career, of the people I have collaborated with and helped.

Pieces of advice:

  1. Be your most authentic self in a way that maximizes your opportunities. You work just as hard as anyone else and likely harder than many. Seek advice from those of us who are ahead of you by a few years, including people outside your organization. We want to see you succeed.

  2. Go for it every step of the way. You can do that even when you are maxed out in every direction. You may just need to find a different definition of what "going for it" means.

  3. Play the long game.

“Seek advice from those of us who are ahead of you by a few years. We want to see you succeed.”
— April 22, 2018