You CAN have it all!

My co-founder and COO of Evol8tion, Gina Waldhorn, just had a baby.

How selfish of her, right?

How on earth could she neglect her startup duties of growing this business in favor of starting a family?

Even worse is that she intends to take off until the end of the year? The Donald is rolling in his grave...and HE'S STILL ALIVE!

My message to her was simple: take the time you need...come back on your terms...you CAN have it all.

When it comes to diversity in the workplace and specifically the conversation about women in the workplace, anyone who tells you this isn't a problem (anymore) is deluded and/or detached. And if they are in a position of authority/power, this kind of attitude is a one-way ticket out of the organization (the larger the organization, the quicker the exit). Just ask Kevin Roberts.

Worse still, you'll get Cindy Gallop on your tail and you do NOT want to make her mad. You wouldn't like her when she's mad.

Don't get me wrong, I miss Gina (already) terribly and it hasn't been a full week. I'll get over it. I have to.

She doesn't need to be physically in this office to lead and maximize her contribution to the company. Not any more. Not in today's times with software solutions like Join.Me, Slack, Dropbox, Google Drive, Skype etc.

If you are a woman, you CAN be a full time mom AND a full time executive without sacrificing one for the other and without spending more time in the process. They are not (or should not be) mutually exclusive; nor are they zero-sum. Work-life balance is inextricably intertwined and interconnected.

Ultimately, quality time should trump quantity time 10 times out of 10, especially with the collateral damage is the opportunity cost of a shorter commute and/or less endless meetings, where the only outcome is to set up another meeting.

Of course, I hope Gina will get bored sooner rather than later. After all, she is a serial entrepreneur and this is her company. Of course, I hope she will ease her way back and pick and choose moments to keep her professionally engaged and stimulated. At the same time, I also need to walk my talk and put my own vision and passion into practice and as that relates to the new way to work...you CAN have it all and she CAN (and WILL) have it all.

Corporations will just need to accept (it's easier and less painful if this is done willingly) that the only way to attract and retain Millennials (I'm not giving away Gina's age) will be to feed their life force (emphasize the word, LIFE) and not micromanage, control and/or smother the ability to dream big, reach higher and maximize potential.

So take your time, Gina...but not too much time, ok?