Photo: Via Bloomberg
The Lean In debate is getting even more crowded, and the latest expert to weigh in is Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry. While Sheryl Sandberg preaches that women need to give more of themselves at work and find partners who can help out more at home, Ahrendts disagrees. As the mother of three said in an exclusive interview with The Sunday Times, it's impossible for women to have it all — but, that's okay. "I don’t want to be a great executive without being a great mum and a great wife," she said. "I don’t want to look back and say I wish I had done things differently. Balance is a really big word for me. It's one of the most important parts of my job, showing that you can't do it all."
Of course, just because Ahrendts believes we can't do it all, doesn't mean she's slacking on any part of her life. Her days start before the sun comes up, and she keeps after-hours work to one day a week in order to spend time with her children. In fact, the CEO has even turned down invites to the Oscars in order to be with her family. Now that's commitment. Her attitude has even trickled down to the other staffers at Burberry, as Ahrendts encourages them to be mothers first and employees second.
While we get that this outlook isn't for everybody, we have to give her props for being pragmatic. Trying to have it all can add unneeded stressors to a woman's already frazzled life, so it may work for some women to pick her battles. As Ahrendts said, "I’m here to run Burberry and I’m here to be a really great wife to my husband. And we have three amazing teens so that’s three really big jobs." Amen, sister. (The Telegraph)