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Balancing Your Work and Life 49

when we are ready to reach for those prime executive-level jobs. This
often happens at a stage in our lives where we have both teenagers
and older parents needing our attention and care.
I’ve noticed that people who have successful work-life balance
have a formula that works for them. They are good at organizing
and prioritizing the things that are essential for their personal and
professional well-being. Once they make a decision about the right
place to be at any given time, they don’t second-guess themselves.
They know they might not always get it right, but take it on faith that
they make the best decisions they can at any given time and then
move forward to the next decision.

Two Women Who Had a Plan and Lived the Plan!

Nancy Schumann and Sandy Sullivan are leading the pack in job shar-
ing at General Electric (GE). They share the job of Program Manager
for Diversity and Inclusive Leadership. Nancy and Sandy agreed that
by stepping back and taking time to organize and prioritize their
whole life dimensions, and then putting a plan together to manage
those priorities, gave them the opportunity to have full personal lives
while also retaining the opportunity to be very successful in their
leadership roles at GE.
Sandy works Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. Nancy works Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday. “We make it work professionally and per-
sonally together,” says Nancy. Nancy has four children with a husband
who travels extensively for his job. Sandy is a single mother of two.
The two women observe that women sometimes fall short in
attaining a fulfilling career by assuming that their organization
knows what they want. “No one will come to you with a silver plat-
ter,” Sandy said. “You can’t assume that they know what you want.
You have to have the confidence and courage to know what you want
and make the appropriate request.”