Can Women Have It All?

Can women have it all?  A family, happy marriage, and career?  BELAY Solutions Co-Founder and CEO Shannon Miles thinks so.  As part of the promotion of her new book The Third Option: Why a Woman Doesn’t Have to Choose between a Career and Family, but Can Actually Have Both and Succeed, Shannon appeared on this week’s edition of Building A Story Brand podcast with Donald Miller.

You can pick up Shannon’s new book by clicking HERE.  I highly recommend it.  You can also listen their conversation HERE.

The following are 30 leadership quotes I captured from Shannon during their interview:

1. I largely underestimated the impact a baby would have.
2. The plan was always for me to go back to work.
3. What I didn’t estimate was is the impact she (Rainey) would have on my heart and I think a lot of women are taken off guard by that impact.
4. Somebody else can take care of her but she’s mine.
5. If you miss a little you miss a lot.
6. I wanted it all.  I couldn’t have all of everything.  I had to give in some areas.
7. We assume you’re either climbing the ladder or staying home with the kids.
8. We need to dream bigger.
9. You choose a third option but you have to choose it again every day.
10. We have to ask ourselves ‘Is this working anymore?’
11. You fill the space you have.  You spend the money you earn.
12. Redefining success is not about how much you make.  It’s about how you value your time.
13. The younger generation is so involved in their children’s lives.
14. When we started BELAY, I was working more hours for half the pay and loving every minute of it.
15. Over-commitment can be external or self-imposed but it is a struggle everyone can identify with.
16. Last year was the year of “No” for me… It was so liberating.
17. All of those little commitments add up to a lack of freedom.
18. I don’t do all my housework anymore.
19. You have to be honest about the value of your time.
20. We all live there.  We all contribute to the laundry and dirty dishes.
21. We never put parameters around work and family because it’s all integrated.
22. There are things in your life you are the only one who can do them.
23. When I put my needs last I’ve found I can’t give my best to my family or employees.
24. I can talk myself out of working out.  No problem.
25. Multi-tasking you trying to be all-things to all people all at once.
26. You don’t have to be the one who does all the things.
27. If you’ve got to be the one to do it all your company is not going to grow at the pace it needs to.
28. Imagine if your life didn’t look like it does now.
29. You cannot trade your health, well-being, and enjoyment of your family for any financial well-being.
30. 90% of the women who leave the workforce want to come back at some point.

Once again, you need to get a copy of The Third Option: Why a Woman Doesn’t Have to Choose between a Career and Family, but Can Actually Have Both and Succeed.

Establishing and maintaining a robust workplace culture isn’t easy.  But, there are many things that leaders can do (and not do) to help make the process easier.  As more and more people begin to work in remote, virtual, and mixed settings, the more leaders will need to understand the unique complexities of virtual culture.

Shannon and my friends at BELAY Solutions have produced the incredible FREE resource The Culture Cure: The What, Why, And How Of Making Your Remote Company’s Culture Work Better.  Click HERE or on the image provided to receive your complimentary copy.