Working Parents, Let Go of the Idea of Balance

Working Parents, Let Go of the Idea of Balance

Author: Harvard Business Review April 1, 2020 Duration: 26:04
Stewart Friedman, organizational psychologist at The Wharton School, and Alyssa Westring, associate professor at DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business, say it’s a mistake for a working parent to think of career and home life as competing interests that have to be balanced. Their research shows how many leadership skills apply to parenting, and vice versa. The professors explain how individuals can stop making tradeoffs and instead find sustainable ways to advance their careers and also parent more effectively. Friedman and Westring are the authors of the book "Parents Who Lead: The Leadership Approach You Need to Parent with Purpose, Fuel Your Career, and Create a Richer Life."

Each week, the HBR IdeaCast from Harvard Business Review sits down with experts whose ideas are shaping the world of work. This isn't about abstract theory; it's a conversation focused on practical insights for leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs navigating real challenges. You'll hear from scholars, CEOs, and innovators dissecting topics across management, marketing, and organizational strategy, translating complex research into actionable advice. The discussions get into the nuances of building effective teams, driving growth, making strategic decisions, and understanding the forces transforming industries. By tuning into this podcast, you gain access to the forefront of business thinking, a resource for anyone looking to sharpen their skills and lead more effectively. The consistent, in-depth dialogue provides a valuable perspective that goes beyond headlines, offering a deeper understanding of how to succeed in a competitive landscape. It's a direct line to the ideas that matter, presented through thoughtful conversation designed to provoke reflection and inspire change in your own professional approach.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

HBR IdeaCast
Podcast Episodes
The Art of Asking for (and Getting) Help [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:16
Wayne Baker, professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, has spent much of his career researching the best way to effectively ask for help at work. Whether you're soliciting support on a trick…
The Tipping Point Between Failure and Success [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:11
Dashun Wang, associate professor at Kellogg School of Management, crunched big datasets of entrepreneurs, scientists, and even terrorist organizations to better understand the fine line between failure and success. One s…
Why Cybersecurity Isn’t Only a Tech Problem [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:29
Thomas Parenty and Jack Domet, cofounders of the cybersecurity firm Archefact Group, say that most organizations are approaching cybersecurity all wrong. Whether they're running small companies or working in multinationa…
A Nobel Prize Winner on Rethinking Poverty (and Business) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:32
Esther Duflo, an MIT economist, won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for her experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. Duflo’s early life working at a non-governmental organization in Madagascar and v…
To Truly Delight Customers, You Need Aesthetic Intelligence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:55
Pauline Brown, former chairman of North America for the luxury goods company LVMH, argues that in additional to traditional and emotional intelligence, great leaders also need to develop what she calls aesthetic intellig…
Why “Connector” Managers Build Better Talent [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:59
Sari Wilde, a managing vice president at Gartner, studied 5,000 managers and identified four different types of leaders. The surprising result is that the “always on” manager is less effective at developing employees, ev…
Why Meetings Go Wrong (And How to Fix Them) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:15
Steven Rogelberg, a professor at UNC Charlotte, has spent decades researching workplace meetings and reports that many of them are a waste of time. Why? Because the vast majority of managers aren't trained in or reviewed…
Why Open Offices Aren’t Working — and How to Fix Them [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:09
Ethan Bernstein, associate professor at Harvard Business School, studied how coworkers interacted before and after their company moved to an open office plan. The research shows why open workspaces often fail to foster t…
Accelerate Learning to Boost Your Career [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:02
Scott Young, who gained fame for teaching himself the four-year MIT computer science curriculum in just 12 months, says that the type of fast, focused learning he employed is possible for all of us -- whether we want to…
HBR Presents: The Anxious Achiever with Morra Aarons-Mele [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:07
On The Anxious Achiever, Morra Aarons-Mele explores the way anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues affect people at work – for better or worse. In this episode, she speaks with clinical psychologist Ellen He…