Perry Maddox opens up about why it was important to him to take parental leave and calls on other male CEOs to do the same thing.
I didn’t do it for the cuddles.
Not the coos. Not the family time. Those moments are golden, but that’s not why I took parental leave.
It’s definitely not the poo and spit up. Nor to work as an unpaid, full-time concierge, cleaner and cook, much as I do love to cook.
I took parental leave because of my wife and women leaders like her.
We are Hemorrhaging Leadership Talent.
Can you afford to lose half of your leadership pipeline?
It’s hard to imagine any leader would waste half of their top talent. Yet we risk it daily.
Women are far less likely to progress to senior leadership than men. 2019 recorded an all-time high number of female Fortune 500 CEOs at 33. Six per cent.
We’re not much better in the social change sector. Men are three times more likely to rise to leadership than women. Despite women making up 70% of staff in INGOs, only a third become senior leaders.
That’s simply injustice.
If mainly men progress, we’re wasting loads of talent. Smaller pipelines leave us less talent to choose from, and often weaker leaders are chosen. Ultimately, our mission and impact suffer.
That’s just about quantity, without even exploring the qualities of more diverse leadership. Just remember that you were far more likely to die of coronavirus if you lived in a country run by a “macho” type called Boris, Donald or Jair than one led by Jacinda, Mette or Angela.
The implications are massive.
Why A Different Kind of Masculinity Matters A Lot.
Women face formidable barriers to progress into leadership positions. It’s way worse for women of color, women with disabilities and non-binary leaders.
Simply getting out of the door stops many women. Women do a disproportionate share of domestic work and childcare in most societies. It’s difficult to be a great parent. It’s even harder to be a great parent and a great leader.
When women carry an unfair domestic load, it’s no surprise we lose female leaders in spades.
To be clear, this problem isn’t only about women. People of all genders can be primary carers whose careers suffer, but the phenomenon overwhelmingly hurts women
As male leaders, unless we are actively fighting the problem, we are the problem. There are no bystanders.
Time to man up. Not that old-school, don’t cry, rub some dirt on it, toxic masculinity. We need masculinity that embraces equality. Male leaders who aren’t simply unafraid of women succeeding, but those who know that we only ever succeed if we all succeed together.
Taking some parental leave isn’t going to change the world, but I know it makes Kate’s life easier when I am “all-in” as a dad. It’s obviously great for our boys and family. Though the big benefit will come when she returns to work, when I’ll take the second part of my leave.
That’s when moms often get their knees cut out from under them. Just as she’s gearing up to return to work, babies head into nursery or care and tend to get sick a lot. So there’s mom, trying to regain her career footing in an unequal world for women, and baby is sick. Again.
Hardly a recipe to thrive as a leader, yet so easy to change when we practice equal parenting. Sharing the burden at home to enable equal careers.
Let’s Build Excellent Organisations through Equal Parenting.
Excellent organisations require excellent leaders. If we want excellent leaders, we can’t keep losing women leaders. Equal careers demand equal parenting.
That’s why male leaders should take parental leave.
Our people are watching. When we take visible leave, we send a clear message that equality matters. We encourage others to take parental leave, across all genders. We open the door to far broader discussions on gender.
Don’t tell me you can’t.
Nine months’ notice is plenty of time to prepare. It’s a great growth opportunity to develop successors. If your policies don’t allow it, get to work. If you can’t trust your teams or are afraid of letting go, have a long look in the mirror.
Maybe you just don’t want to clean up poop, cook and clean. Deal with it. We can’t change the world if we won’t change ourselves.
When we make it happen, we signal that even in the most intense jobs, gender equality and work-life balance are no dreams. Quite the opposite, it’s the only way to lead.
We have a responsibility to our people and to making society more equal.
Man up and enjoy those cuddles.
6 Comments
This is quite an impressive write-up and it really requires the courage to write on such topics soooo openly. Thank you so much for sharing this. I hope to get read more often like this.
Well a lot of the courage comes from the supportive response like this. Thank you for your message! Do just pop your email into the subscribe box on the site, and you’ll get all the new posts into your inbox. Thanks again!
This is so powerful a message @ Perry! How I wish many men get to read and internalize it.
Thank you. It’s one of those messages that shouldn’t be powerful, but as long as it is, we’ve got a ways to go! Thanks for your kinds words and encouragement 🙂
This is real and powerful! A combination of leadership and parenting is complex for women especially in patriarchy societies. Hope this message can influence positive actions towards creating an enabling environment for women to thrive as leaders.
Thanks Jules! Nobody would know better than a brilliant leader like you juggling kids just how important this issue is. I’m glad you found this a useful piece and hope that you’re most well friend!