Guest Blog: Slaughter vs. Sandberg by Mary Barneby Janet Hanson

June 26 2012

Guest Blog by Mary J. Barneby: 85 Broads Power Circle member and Head of UBS's Stamford PWM Office

I don't see the debate as a "yes" or "no" discussion. Women

(and men for that matter) should be free to pursue the life and career

choices they feel are best for them, as long as they understand the

trade off's of those choices. So if women do "want it all", as Sheryl

Sandberg says, they need a spouse or partner willing to share

responsibilities and they need to work for an organization that

recognizes and promotes talent, regardless of gender or affiliation.

(And there are really fewer of those employers out there than we might

think.)

The woman or man who wants a so-called more "balanced" work-life

experience needs to accept the reality that she or he can't play a major

leadership role in a large, complex organization. They should seek to

work for an organization that recognizes and accommodates talented

people who require more support in balancing their life choices. Again,

not every employer out there embraces this philisophy, but for some more

enlightened employers, supporting this pool of talent can bring great

value to the organization.

So- we don't need to debate whether Anne Marie is right and Sheryl is

wrong. We just need to understand what we want and choose to work for

organizations that support our choices. And maybe educate more

employers as to how they can bring more shareholder value by

understanding the dynamics of the pools of talented women employees at

their disposal.

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