I’m a mother and C-suite exec. Here’s how I let go of guilt

When my boys were young, a neighbor’s grandson asked them: “Is your mommy dead?” Every Wednesday, this little boy would visit his grandparents across the street. He would see my husband and my sons, but he never saw me. I was at work. Thankfully, my boys came home that night laughing—they thought it was hilarious. My immediate response was incredible guilt. My soul was crushed.I know I’m not alone in that reaction. A KPMG survey found 43% of working parents struggle with guilt about not spending enough time either at home or at work, and women reported feeling guilt more often than men (50% versus 38%). It would have been easy to let the guilt consume me all those years ago. I chose not to let it, because I understood that I’m a better parent when I’m fulfilled in my job. I told my sons it must be really nice that their friend’s mom didn’t work as much as I did—and then I told them it was pretty cool they had a mom who was very good at her job. A decade or so later, as the president and CFO of a Fortune 500 company, I’ve tried to maintain that perspective. If juggling it all was challenging years ago, it’s even more so now. Aiming for a position in senior leadership or the C-suite…