Our Story
Our founder, Kelly Watson, was inspired by the multitude of "opt-out" moms and dads she met at the playground, the hockey arena, and the Moms' Club; smart, qualified, and talented leaders who simply were not willing to sacrifice the development of their children to the 60+ hours per week their executive track careers demanded. Almost unanimously, these people missed the challenge of their work and wanted some opportunity for further self-actualization.
The goal of Career Partners is to address the growing leadership shortage and the increasing need for flexible work options for executives trying to achieve life-work balance. Unlike well-meaning social programs, which aim to reduce work hours or promote unrealistic alternative work options, Job Sharing gives employees the flexibility they need and employers get full coverage for the role. Career Partners recognizes that productivity and competitiveness are mainstays of successful businesses. Our work teams provide employers with a competitive advantage: the power of two brains for the price of one.
Current studies predict a massive shortage of middle-level managers and executives by 2010. Due in part to demographic shifts, this shortage also results from a lack of succession-planning and a deficit of developmental leadership in the corporate world today. Many of the so called "21st Century Leadership Skills" have been developed by executives who have subsequently "opted-out" of their high-performance careers due to the demands of family, children, and their communities.
"You see, full-time work with part-time parenting can be a humiliating trap. We all think everyone else is succeeding at it and there is something wrong with us when we inevitably fail. It's the glass ceiling. Our work colleagues treat us like we're not serious about our careers. We are made to feel like the realities of a competitive workplace cannot accommodate the realities of sick children, homework, school plays, and parent-teacher nights. And there are just some things hired help cannot do for us. On the other hand, part-time executive work simply hasn't existed. You end up working full time for less money, sacrificing your career path and your staff. 'Well, if you are not here full time, then obviously you can't manage people." So, many of us opt-ed out, leaving fulfilling careers and regretful companies behind," says our Founder, Kelly Watson. Yet, the skills and experience they have enhanced by taking active non-corporate roles: maturity and perspective, people development, and balance, as well as the values they embody, are exactly the ones companies desperately need.
In her book, Mother Leads Best (Dearborn, 2005), Moe Grzelakowski illustrates that "Children transform ultra high-achieving women, leavening their highly focused, intensely driven, tough-minded traits with character and compassion." She studied 50 of America's top corporate women, finding how raising children impacted their leadership for the better. Are these really the leaders we want "opted-out"?
Tapping the opt-out workforce is not easy. It is more successful for companies to identify their at-risk leaders before they leave and offer real solutions to accommodate their needs. Once lost, talent is difficult and expensive to replace…and getting more so. Many opted-out leaders choose to fill the work void in their lives with alternate careers, philanthropic work, or entrepreneurial endeavors. Luring them back requires more than just lip service or "workplace flexibility programs"; it requires a win-win partnership. Career Partners can help both employers and individuals create a mutually-beneficial and lasting relationship.
HOME | ABOUT US | CANDIDATES | EMPLOYERS | SERVICE PROVIDERS | FIND A JOB | POST A JOB | EVENTS | CONTACT US