The Paula Principle

Month: June 2019

Career shapes, and leadership

I've been involved in several conversations recently about the shape of careers, and how there is still a lot of work to be done to move beyond the traditional male model of a continuously ascending line, peaking probably around 50 and then sliding downwards.  Of course this doesn't accurately represent millions of men's working lives, but it's still the model that dominates our thinking, consciously or not.  It sidelines all those whose careers might be moving up a grade or three later in life. The most recent conversation was at ShareAction, which does excellent applied work influencing corporate behaviour across a range of issues - most prominently on environmental issues,…
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Nancy Pelosi and later life career trajectories

An excellent piece by Anne-Marie Slaughter in the FT highlights how we need to change the way we visualise career trajectories.  I was greatly impressed by Slaughter's book Unfinished Business, in which she explores the reactions to her decision to leave a very high profile political job, as director of policy planning in Hilary Clinton's State Department, in order to return to a more 'normal' family life in New Jersey.  This was prompted by the difficulties in reconciling parenting of teenage children with an all-consuming job - in spite of having a husband who took major responsibility for the children. Slaughter's decision triggered a huge reaction, much of it bitterly critical.  I…
Read More

Career shapes, and leadership

I've been involved in several conversations recently about the shape of careers, and how there is still a lot of work to be done to move beyond the traditional male model of a continuously ascending line, peaking probably around 50 and then sliding downwards.  Of course this doesn't accurately represent millions of men's working lives, but it's still the model that dominates our thinking, consciously or not.  It sidelines all those whose careers might be moving up a grade or three later in life. The most recent conversation was at ShareAction, which does excellent applied work influencing corporate behaviour across a range of issues - most prominently on environmental issues,…
Read More

Nancy Pelosi and later life career trajectories

An excellent piece by Anne-Marie Slaughter in the FT highlights how we need to change the way we visualise career trajectories.  I was greatly impressed by Slaughter's book Unfinished Business, in which she explores the reactions to her decision to leave a very high profile political job, as director of policy planning in Hilary Clinton's State Department, in order to return to a more 'normal' family life in New Jersey.  This was prompted by the difficulties in reconciling parenting of teenage children with an all-consuming job - in spite of having a husband who took major responsibility for the children. Slaughter's decision triggered a huge reaction, much of it bitterly critical.  I…
Read More