Stepping Off the Conveyor Belt – My 10 week Sabbatical

I often get asked by my mentees, how do I “do it all” -how do I balance my personal life with career advancement and overall personal happiness. They worry and believe that once they have kids they can never compete at the same level again. A-type personalities tend to seek approval more than other people and consider status/ratings/roles a type of approval.  So if you put a lot of A-type people together, there is bound to be worrying and teeth-grinding about who is and isn’t getting ahead and when.

The response to my mentees is usually to ask what is important to them – is it a quick promotion?  is it to be the best-rated among their peer set? Is it to grow and develop?  All of them usually answer growth and development- they want to grow into better professionals and continue to expand their skill set.  In order to focus on that very positive and constructive goal, one has to focus less on where we are on the conveyor belt and more on the type of role and responsibility.
Even as I tell them this, I acknowledge that I fight these demons constantly. Sometimes I feel like I’m on the top of my career and a great Mom but more often than not I feel like I am not doing anything right and that I’m not a good employee, or worse, a bad Mom or wife. It wasn’t until recently that I had a chance to practice what I preach–and truly get off the conveyor belt.

A couple of months back I received notice that my role was getting displaced.  While I wasn’t losing my job, I had to get another role starting in June, after my current role wrapped up.  As soon as I heard, an idea popped in my head: what if I went on sabbatical?  Doing a sabbatical in marketing are almost unheard of, given the “up or out” mentality.  I consulted some of my mentors and received mixed recommendations.  One told me that I would be a fool to take a leave when I was displaced.  Displaced employees get “first pick” at new roles that come up, qualifying me for roles that would normally be out of reach. In his mind, giving up “the advantage” to get a “bigger seat” (or critical role) was stupid.
I would like to say it was a clear choice for me but it did take many nights conferring with Dennis, to get me to finally decide. Once I decided and submitted my paperwork, I felt butterflies in my stomach. I was super excited and nervous at the same time.
I am incredibly lucky to have an understanding and supportive manager who has been behind me 100%. He immediately approved the leave and started looking for great roles for me. I was within days of accepting one when our management changed their mind and reinstated my role. The role I almost took was a global role that included a lot of international travel, which made Dennis and I nervous. Being able to stay in my current role, with my people and my current manager is my ideal scenario.

God knows how and when he does things – if my role had not been displaced right before the summer, it wouldn’t have occurred to me to take a sabbatical. He put this opportunity before me and it was up to me to decide if I wanted to live a full life and if I wanted to step off the conveyor belt to be with my boys for the summer. He wanted to remind me that I need to seek my approval only from him. He has a plan for me and wants me to live a full and meaningful life. In order to do so, I have to walk without fear, without tentativeness, always trusting that he will provide. It is a lesson I’m still working on but taking this time, no, snatching this time up was a sure first step.