PanamaTimes

Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Fortune 500 CEO: 'Work-life balance is a lie'

Fortune 500 CEO: 'Work-life balance is a lie'

As any working mother will attest, trying to fulfill all work and family obligations every single day can seem impossible.
"Work-life balance is a lie," said TIAA president and CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett at Fortune's Most Powerful Women's Summit on Tuesday.

When she tried achieving a more balanced lifestyle, Duckett said, "It never reconciled. ... That 'S' on the chest wasn't for 'Superwoman.' It was for 'Spent.'

So instead, Duckett, who oversees more than $1 trillion of assets under management at TIAA, tried to live her life more like a well-diversified portfolio.

Here's what she meant: Take account of all the roles you play that matter most (e.g., employee, spouse, parent, sister, daughter, friend, etc.) and then divvy up your time across each, she suggested.

She reminded her fellow high-powered colleagues in attendance that no one has more than 100% of themselves to give, so allocations will vary according to need at different times in your life.

"Just like the stock market, it will have its volatility. So you give yourself permission to recalibrate. ... As a mom, my children don't get 100%, they get maybe 30%," Duckett said. But, she added, when her kids need it, that percentage goes up.

And as with a diversified portfolio, don't expect to outperform in every one of your investments every day. The goal is to "outperform this thing called life" over time, she said.

"In any given minute, I may not be the best mom. But over time, I'm a really good mother. On any given day, I may not feel like I am operating at my best as a CEO. But over time, I think I'm a pretty good leader."

Duckett took the helm at TIAA this past spring. Currently, she is just one of two Black women running a Fortune 500 company and the fourth ever to do so. She also is ranked 10th on Fortune's 2021 Most Powerful Women list.

During her session at Tuesday's summit, she stressed that she and others with influential platforms need to keep pressing for better representation of women and minorities both on boards and in the C-suite.
Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Global Law Enforcement Dismantles Lockbit Ransomware Operation
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
The President of Argentina Javier Mile does not fly private, he flies commercial, with the citizens he represents. And they LOVE him for it.
Bitcoin Reaches $50,000 for First Time in Over Two Years
Belo Horizonte: Brazil's Rising Carnival Hotspot for 2024
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Tucker’s interview with Putin is over 50M views on X within the first 5 hours.
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
President Nayib Bukele has proudly announced El Salvador's remarkable achievement of becoming the safest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Former Chilean President Sebastian Piñera Dies in Helicopter Crash
This farmer seems to understand science a bit more than the event organizer, Klaus Schwab.
Facebook turns 20: From Mark Zuckerberg's dormitory to a $1trn company
The Coolest Dictator in the World" on the Path to Victory in El Salvador
Macron, France and fake news
Indian-Origin Man 'King' Arrested For Smuggling $16 Million Drugs Into US
Can someone teach Americans that not every person with slanted eyes is Chinese?
Europe's Farmers Feeding the People, Protesting Against Politicians Who Do Nothing for Their Country and Serve Only Themselves at Taxpayers' Expense
Paris Restaurant That Inspired 'Ratatouille' Loses $1.6 Million Worth Of Wine
Brazilian Police Investigate Bolsonaro's Son for Alleged Illegal Spying
Police in Brazil Raid Residence of Bolsonaro Associate Over Allegations of Illegal Spying
Border Dispute Escalates as Texas Governor Vows Increased Razor Wire
OpenAI Enhances ChatGPT-4 Model, Potentially Addressing AI "Laziness" Issue
The NSA finally acknowledges spying on Americans by acquiring sensitive data
Report Reveals Toxic Telegram Group Generating X-Rated AI-Generated Fake Images of Taylor Swift
US Border Patrol States 'No Plans' to Remove Razor Wire Installed in Texas
Bitcoin Experiences Approximately 20% Decline in Value
Klaus Schwab recently appointed himself as the Earth's "trustee of the future."
DeSantis Drops Out, Endorses Trump.
Nikki Haley said former President Trump is "just not at the same level" of mental fitness as he was while president in 2016.
Residents of a southern Mexican town set the government palace on fire in response to the police killing of a young man
Samsung Launches AI-Driven Galaxy S24, Ushering in New Smartphone Era
Judge Questions SEC's Regulatory Overreach in Coinbase Lawsuit
The Ecuador prosecutor who was investigating the television studio attack, has been assassinated.
Is artificial intelligence the solution to cyber security threats?
Vivek Ramaswamy suspends his US election campaign and endorses Trump.
Viral Satire: A Staged Satirical Clip Mistaken as Real Footage from the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos
The AI Revolution in the Workforce: CEOs at Davos Predict Major Job Cuts in 2024
Ecuador Reports 178 Hostages in Prison Gang Standoff
The Startling Cuban Espionage Case That Has Rattled the US Government
Two Armed Men in Ecuador, Dressed as Batman and The Joker Storm the Streets.
Armed Gang Raids Ecuadorian TV Station Following State of Emergency Declaration
Anti-Democratic Canada: Journalist Arrested for Questioning Canadian Finance Minister on Support of Terrorist Group
Ecuador's 'Most-Wanted' Criminal Vanishes from Prison
Mexican Cartel Supplied Wi-Fi to Locals Under Threat of Fatal Consequences for Non-Compliance
Border Surge Leads to Over 11,000 Migrants Waiting in Northern Mexico
Outsider Candidates Triumph in Latin American Elections
As Argentina Goes to the Polls, Will the Proposal to Replace the Peso with the Dollar Secure Votes?
Fatal Shark Attack Claims Life of Boston Woman Paddleboarding Near Bahamas Resort, According to Police
×