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So we asked "},{"_key":"ca8bbea14767","_type":"span","marks":["c689ce4fb9db"],"text":"Chief Members"},{"_key":"d24225aea3c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":": What's the first one you'd hand to a collaborator or direct report who's stepping into a more senior role?"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"c689ce4fb9db","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/topic/members"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ea212b88c816","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0fb272cff6260","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"From a Wall Street survival guide, to an FBI veteran’s guide to negotiation, to a reporter's inside look at Silicon Valley power, here's what they recommend for women who are stepping into their next big role — or mentoring the person who will."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"52b8a0a18e3f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"304391177c320","_type":"span","marks":["cdadd5c8b87b","strong"],"text":"Expect to Win"},{"_key":"304391177c321","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":": 10 Proven Strategies for Thriving in the Workplace by Carla Harris"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"cdadd5c8b87b","_type":"link","href":"https://bookshop.org/p/books/expect-to-win-10-proven-strategies-for-thriving-in-the-workplace-carla-a-harris/63554a0b595940ef?ean=9780452295902&bkshp-astro=t"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"113ff40b673a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"bd269cf458610","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Chief Member "},{"_key":"bd269cf458611","_type":"span","marks":["a0a0a0a5dc5b"],"text":"Lola Brown"},{"_key":"bd269cf458612","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", SVP, Strategic Initiatives at Advocate Health, recommends this memoir by Wall Street power player (and past Chief speaker) "},{"_key":"21fddae87c37","_type":"span","marks":["7cd52cad2a1b"],"text":"Carla Harris"},{"_key":"2620b11f7689","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" as a foundational leadership text to any new hire. “When starting my first high-visibility job, I read this book and it was transformational,\" she says. “It gave me a practical, highly actionable roadmap guiding me on how to position myself for success.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"a0a0a0a5dc5b","_type":"link","href":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/brownlola/"},{"_key":"7cd52cad2a1b","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/wall-street-executive-hard-work-will-not-complete-success-equation"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"47a8d56ef85b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a289c0d7ac3f0","_type":"span","marks":["1c9796eea834","strong"],"text":"Fierce Conversations"},{"_key":"a289c0d7ac3f1","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":": Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time by Susan Scott"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"1c9796eea834","_type":"link","href":"https://bookshop.org/p/books/fierce-conversations-revised-and-updated-achieving-success-at-work-and-in-life-one-conversation-at-a-time-susan-scott/a1ccfe658f3fb3bf?ean=9780425193372&bkshp-astro=t"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4735ee880a04","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f6ddaa1774b60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In this book, author Susan Scott offers a practical framework for unlocking positive change by increasing clarity in your everyday conversations, at work and at home. “It offers practical, thought-provoking guidance on having the conversations we often avoid but that ultimately make us better leaders,” says Chief Member "},{"_key":"f6ddaa1774b61","_type":"span","marks":["8445d78d7740"],"text":"Stephanie Young"},{"_key":"f6ddaa1774b62","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", Vice President of Portfolio Operations at isolved."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"8445d78d7740","_type":"link","href":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-cashion-young/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"cf9d2e8a8bff","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a9ea9d82a31a0","_type":"span","marks":["987676b98ff6","strong"],"text":"The First 90 Days"},{"_key":"a9ea9d82a31a1","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":": Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter by Michael D. 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When you’re promoted, you need to prove yourself urgently and strategically or it can cause you larger issues in the long run, she explains. “I have read the book with every new role as a reminder of how to navigate and each time I have read it, something new stands out.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"c88d712d310a","_type":"link","href":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/keri-kratofil/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9cadc236543e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4b1c44743a020","_type":"span","marks":["39dc6a705867","strong"],"text":"How to Rule the World"},{"_key":"4b1c44743a021","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":": An Education in Power at Stanford University by Theo Baker"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"39dc6a705867","_type":"link","href":"https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-rule-the-world-an-education-in-power-at-stanford-university-theo-baker/8606195fc34942fc?ean=9780593832837&bkshp-astro=t"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2cd0f11c7b83","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"74e8726045830","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In his debut memoir, journalist Theo Baker takes readers inside his journey as a student reporter at Stanford whose investigation into research misconduct eventually brought down the university’s president. He also details the excess and access offered to students who have been anointed as the next generation of tech billionaires. Chief Member "},{"_key":"74e8726045831","_type":"span","marks":["157de9f57133"],"text":"Deirdre Latour"},{"_key":"74e8726045832","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", Founder of Rebellis Communications, calls it a “sober view into how Silicon Valley actually operates today.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"157de9f57133","_type":"link","href":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/deirdre-latour/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"146180d6116c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3b53fa11dbab0","_type":"span","marks":["44e192a56ce9","strong"],"text":"The Leader Who Had No Title"},{"_key":"3b53fa11dbab1","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" by Robin Sharma"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"44e192a56ce9","_type":"link","href":"https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-leader-who-had-no-title-a-modern-fable-on-real-success-in-business-and-in-robin-sharma/8aa77f147d79179b?ean=9781439109137&bkshp-astro=t"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"451ccc0f5608","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2b37428789b50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Wherever you are in your career or life, you have the opportunity to influence and innovate, argues globally recognized leadership advisor Robin Sharma. His book “reinforced my belief that leadership is about who we choose to be, not the position we hold,” says Chief Member "},{"_key":"2b37428789b51","_type":"span","marks":["5d597ad6eab0"],"text":"Pauline Leung"},{"_key":"2b37428789b52","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", Founder of Flow Grounds. “Real influence comes from taking ownership, continuously growing, and creating the conditions for others to thrive.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"5d597ad6eab0","_type":"link","href":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/leungpauline/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"884a03cbdec2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"339bd84b3eae0","_type":"span","marks":["e77aefda067f","strong"],"text":"Never Split the Difference"},{"_key":"339bd84b3eae1","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" by Chris Voss With Tahl Raz"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"e77aefda067f","_type":"link","href":"https://bookshop.org/p/books/never-split-the-difference-negotiating-as-if-your-life-depended-on-it-chris-voss/4394d53c8446c052?ean=9780062407801&next=t"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"6f2ec5359528","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7738fce035380","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Chief Member "},{"_key":"7738fce035381","_type":"span","marks":["34645982ed9d"],"text":"Kimberly Bedeau"},{"_key":"7738fce035382","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", Director of DE&I at HelloFresh, calls this book “a masterclass in reading people, wrapped in real hostage-negotiation stories that make the tools stick.” For emerging leaders, every conversation, from a comp negotiation to a hallway check-in, is a chance to practice this, she says. “This book gives language for something many of us do instinctively but were never taught to name or wield deliberately.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"34645982ed9d","_type":"link","href":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlybedeau/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"27725b5c98a7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"60723188698d0","_type":"span","marks":["em","0ff01bc04e6c"],"text":"Chief Guides"},{"_key":"a957b82455eb","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":" also recommend this book for leaders who are in career transition."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"0ff01bc04e6c","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/leadership-books-chief-executive-coaches-recommend"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c37f868bbeeb","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e776ecd866bc0","_type":"span","marks":["b849063aa784","strong"],"text":"Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business"},{"_key":"e776ecd866bc1","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" by Danny Meyer"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"b849063aa784","_type":"link","href":"https://bookshop.org/p/books/setting-the-table-the-transforming-power-of-hospitality-in-business-danny-meyer/3501720da1c2b5ab?ean=9780060742768&bkshp-astro=t"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4b613655fc0a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0694773a933f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Chief Member "},{"_key":"0694773a933f1","_type":"span","marks":["ce2305159544"],"text":"Karlyn Gold"},{"_key":"0694773a933f2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", Chief of Staff at Main Street Autonomy, recommends this book by award-winning restaurateur Danny Meyer for its “very simple, very powerful premise.\" “I refer to the book and his core philosophy anytime I'm resetting a team to clarify purpose: ‘Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel.’” His advice applies to interactions with your customers, team members, managers, and more."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"ce2305159544","_type":"link","href":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlyn-gold/"}],"style":"normal"}],"supportingContent":null,"_rawEditorialCategory":{"_id":"5c5457ed-ef48-466a-9929-a54e84a00dd2","_type":"category","_rev":"lCyVbldkBR4D0kE0auzYmU","_createdAt":"2025-07-15T18:54:09Z","_updatedAt":"2025-10-26T16:05:26Z","description":"Gain firsthand perspectives from the multihyphenate leaders in Chief's member community.","hideFromNav":false,"seo":{"_type":"seoFields","seoDescription":"Explore firsthand perspectives from the senior women leaders in Chief's member community.","seoMetaTitle":"Chief | Member Voices - Member Perspectives"},"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"member-voices"},"title":"Member Voices","id":"-90bc63f6-21d9-5c9b-934f-de3f911c85eb","children":[],"parent":null},"article_related_series":null},"next":{"title":"You Can't Delegate What You Still Own","article":{"title":"You Can't Delegate What You Still Own","description":"You can outsource the errands, appointments, and childcare logistics, but not the worry. Duckbill Founder & CEO Meghan Joyce breaks down, for women leaders, why your mental load doesn't shrink just because you hire help and what finally makes delegation stick.","slug":{"current":"meghan-joyce-delegate-mental-load-accountability"},"isPodcast":null,"megaphoneLink":null,"articleAuthor":{"name":"Meghan Joyce ","slug":{"current":"meghan-joyce"}},"byline":null,"publishDate":"2026-08-27","episodeImage":{"imageAltTag":null,"asset":null},"heroBackgroundColor":null,"heroImage":{"caption":null,"attribution":null,"altText":"Illustration of cascading desk and home equipment representing tasks to delegate","asset":{"id":"image-709bc62d5b5f884da57dfea6ed78dd015e843549-1200x628-jpg","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/production/709bc62d5b5f884da57dfea6ed78dd015e843549-1200x628.jpg"}},"id":"-db64cbc8-29fd-5e2b-8e59-2c2d5bb8773d","category":null,"editorialCategory":{"id":"-02442d75-c0aa-5aed-af69-e3094609e593","title":"Work-Life Balance","slug":{"current":"work-life-balance"}},"podcastDescription":null,"podcastTranscript":null,"isSponsored":null,"_rawSponsorship":null,"_updatedAt":"2026-08-27T20:27:16Z","content":[{"_key":"e450f2dd7861","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b5873cf337930","_type":"span","marks":["4d496ae07be8","em"],"text":"Meghan Joyce"},{"_key":"b5873cf337931","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":" is the Founder & CEO of Chief partner Duckbill, a virtual executive assistant for personal life. She’s balanced roles as mother, daughter, partner, and friend with nearly two decades of executive leadership at companies like Uber and Oscar Health."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"4d496ae07be8","_type":"link","href":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghanvjoyce/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f459bd455df1","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"af001cbd03640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Every senior woman leader has heard the advice: Delegate more of your personal life. Hire the assistant, get the concierge, outsource the errands."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"46498f9e6de2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"172a55f4cdc70","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Most of us have tried. And here's the truth almost no one says out loud: "},{"_key":"172a55f4cdc71","_type":"span","marks":["b5804d8f02e9"],"text":"Delegation rarely sticks"},{"_key":"172a55f4cdc72","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Help has existed for decades. Yet, the women executives I know — people who can easily afford every form of support — are still the ones rebooking the flight on Sunday night, tracking whether the pediatrician's office ever called back, and holding the entire invisible inventory of their family's life in their heads."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"b5804d8f02e9","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/work-life-balance"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"dda03f177234","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"85f190668fc00","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"If the advice were right, the problem would be solved by now. It isn't. This means we've been misdiagnosing it all along."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ca88b816f51d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1efdc02b1fb40","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"The Mental Load Is Not a Labor Problem"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"0acecd74a286","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f5c4e1088c120","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We talk about the mental load as if it were a volume of tasks — too many things to do, not enough hands. But what’s more difficult is ownership: noticing that something needs to happen, specifying what \"done right\" means, and verifying that it actually happened."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ac8772977b8e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0659a3c540900","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"That last loop is where traditional forms of delegation fail. You can hand someone a task, but you can’t hand them accountability. So you keep the task alive in your head because “completed” and “solved: are not the same thing. Anyone who has asked someone to “handle” an insurance dispute knows the difference. The appointment was marked scheduled,"},{"_key":"0659a3c540901","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":" but"},{"_key":"0659a3c540902","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" was it scheduled around school pickup? The return was initiated, "},{"_key":"0659a3c540903","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"but "},{"_key":"0659a3c540904","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"did the refund ever land?"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f31e78cfae5d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"711ab84746190","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"When you delegate a task but retain the verification loop, your mental load stays the same, you’ve just added a management layer to it. This is why the assistant economy has never solved this problem. It moved the labor and left the load exactly where it was."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"609b44ac654f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7323929b87c30","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"At work, we solved this long ago by delegating outcomes with accountability attached, rather than tasks. At home, we never built the machinery because coordinating idiosyncratic personal tasks to a consistent standard is genuinely hard. And, for a hundred years, the market's answer was to shrug and match you with whoever was available."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e234f650ecd4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6e4261b8f67f0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"AI Solved the Wrong Half of Your Life First"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"7741da93dbdb","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3a3c86bdeb740","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Here’s what the standard “AI will fix this” story gets backward."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b59952eaa5db","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ae7f8ebdc48c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The past few years of AI have been extraordinary for the "},{"_key":"ae7f8ebdc48c1","_type":"span","marks":["7871e8d2bc06"],"text":"digital half of our lives"},{"_key":"ae7f8ebdc48c2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Drafting, summarizing, researching, and planning are largely solved. But look at what actually populates a senior woman leader's personal load. The call to the medical office that only answers between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. The airline agent with discretion to waive the fee (if a human asks the right way)."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"7871e8d2bc06","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/ai-the-future-of-work"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"cccb1ec6392e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b2a947d7b1330","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The load that "},{"_key":"b2a947d7b1331","_type":"span","marks":["8584086fdc34"],"text":"grinds leaders down"},{"_key":"b2a947d7b1332","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" is overwhelmingly analog. It lives in phone trees, waiting rooms, and conversations with other humans who have judgment and moods. We are still learning how AI interacts with the internet. We have barely begun solving how it interacts with the world. The chatbot drafts the email. Only a human sits on hold for 40 minutes and persuades the rep."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"8584086fdc34","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/senior-women-leaders-burnout-emotional-labor"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9799195e3d79","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"41c6c4097c660","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"More importantly, what AI "},{"_key":"41c6c4097c661","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"has"},{"_key":"41c6c4097c662","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" changed is the coordination layer. Software can now track every open loop, remember every preference, sequence every dependency, and verify every completion without a human carrying it in their head. What made ownership untransferable for a century is what machines turn out to be great at — the impossibility of coordinating quality across a thousand idiosyncratic tasks."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8377da1c4181","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6487729314ad0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"That's the real division of labor emerging: AI owns the remembering, routing, and verifying; "},{"_key":"6487729314ad1","_type":"span","marks":["a640d7a22449"],"text":"skilled humans own the judgment"},{"_key":"6487729314ad2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", persistence, and real-world navigation. Rather than replacing it, AI is finally making human help "},{"_key":"6487729314ad3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"accountable"},{"_key":"6487729314ad4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Regardless of what system you use, the question to ask of any support in your life is now \"Who closes the loop?\""}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"a640d7a22449","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/women-leaders-agentic-ai-study-2026"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ef3054c38ddd","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"93354c69f76d0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"The Last Barrier Isn't Logistics"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"88c6ec2a2e16","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"887b1e5ebb220","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Even with the machinery in place, I watch accomplished leaders hesitate and I recognize it, "},{"_key":"887b1e5ebb221","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"because I've done it."},{"_key":"887b1e5ebb222","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" The tasks we hold onto hardest are the ones where a dropped ball has a face attached: a child, a parent, a spouse."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f6484d52fcc6","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d8e699cfcdab0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We tell ourselves this is diligence. Mostly, it's fear wearing diligence as a costume; the belief that vigilance is love, and that "},{"_key":"d8e699cfcdab1","_type":"span","marks":["ee9fd0886422"],"text":"releasing ownership means releasing care"},{"_key":"d8e699cfcdab2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". But at work, we'd call that behavior a bottleneck, not caring, and measure the cost to the organization."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"ee9fd0886422","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/erin-coupe-energy-intelligence-leadership"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e54680755e5b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5588b8485bcb0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The same is true of life."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"0e3a569c1a27","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"081d1f5339700","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The answer to that fear isn't lowering your standards. It's the same as at work: demand accountability structures strong enough to "},{"_key":"081d1f5339701","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"earn"},{"_key":"081d1f5339702","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" your release, insist on closed loops, then actually "},{"_key":"081d1f5339703","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"let go"},{"_key":"081d1f5339704","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9bd7ee647d56","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2c140832d2510","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Start With an Audit of Ownership"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"b4c678ab9733","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9ccac85a6eef0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"If you want to know your real mental load, don't count your tasks. For two weeks, track every item where you are the only one who would notice if it failed. Those are your open loops. That number, not your to-do list, is what's taxing you."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"90ccc295a70f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"896664e8e4340","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Then, for each open loop, ask: Does this close without me? Today, increasingly, the answer can be an honest “yes.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"fd811e8e7b74","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0c7f814a8b5e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Reclaim your capacity by owning less, and discover how much of yourself you get back."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1d30978bb5fa","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"35e56ec082400","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Chief Members: Redeem your exclusive perk from Duckbill via "},{"_key":"35e56ec082401","_type":"span","marks":["511550b14829","em"],"text":"the Chief app"},{"_key":"35e56ec082402","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"511550b14829","_type":"link","href":"https://members.chief.com/"}],"style":"normal"}],"supportingContent":null,"_rawEditorialCategory":{"_id":"2b197649-61de-47c2-b218-57ebaf0fabfb","_type":"category","_rev":"kuh6IZ2IntHupgeCdkG5dF","_createdAt":"2023-01-23T20:55:48Z","_updatedAt":"2025-10-26T14:46:10Z","description":"Discover how multihyphenate women leaders are changing what work-life balance looks like today. Here's how to make work AND life work for you.","seo":{"_type":"seoFields","seoDescription":"Learn how women leaders who juggle multiple roles are redefining work-life balance in the modern world. Read Chief to find out how to make both your career and personal life thrive.","seoMetaTitle":"Chief | Work Life Balance for Women - Women & Work Life Balance"},"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"work-life-balance"},"title":"Work-Life Balance","id":"-02442d75-c0aa-5aed-af69-e3094609e593","children":[],"parent":null},"article_related_series":null},"slug":"meghan-joyce-delegate-mental-load-accountability","heroImage":{"caption":null,"attribution":null,"altText":"Illustration of cascading desk and home equipment representing tasks to delegate","asset":{"id":"image-709bc62d5b5f884da57dfea6ed78dd015e843549-1200x628-jpg","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/production/709bc62d5b5f884da57dfea6ed78dd015e843549-1200x628.jpg"}},"content":[{"_key":"e450f2dd7861","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b5873cf337930","_type":"span","marks":["4d496ae07be8","em"],"text":"Meghan Joyce"},{"_key":"b5873cf337931","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":" is the Founder & CEO of Chief partner Duckbill, a virtual executive assistant for personal life. She’s balanced roles as mother, daughter, partner, and friend with nearly two decades of executive leadership at companies like Uber and Oscar Health."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"4d496ae07be8","_type":"link","href":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghanvjoyce/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f459bd455df1","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"af001cbd03640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Every senior woman leader has heard the advice: Delegate more of your personal life. Hire the assistant, get the concierge, outsource the errands."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"46498f9e6de2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"172a55f4cdc70","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Most of us have tried. And here's the truth almost no one says out loud: "},{"_key":"172a55f4cdc71","_type":"span","marks":["b5804d8f02e9"],"text":"Delegation rarely sticks"},{"_key":"172a55f4cdc72","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Help has existed for decades. Yet, the women executives I know — people who can easily afford every form of support — are still the ones rebooking the flight on Sunday night, tracking whether the pediatrician's office ever called back, and holding the entire invisible inventory of their family's life in their heads."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"b5804d8f02e9","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/work-life-balance"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"dda03f177234","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"85f190668fc00","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"If the advice were right, the problem would be solved by now. It isn't. This means we've been misdiagnosing it all along."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ca88b816f51d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1efdc02b1fb40","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"The Mental Load Is Not a Labor Problem"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"0acecd74a286","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f5c4e1088c120","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We talk about the mental load as if it were a volume of tasks — too many things to do, not enough hands. But what’s more difficult is ownership: noticing that something needs to happen, specifying what \"done right\" means, and verifying that it actually happened."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ac8772977b8e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0659a3c540900","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"That last loop is where traditional forms of delegation fail. You can hand someone a task, but you can’t hand them accountability. So you keep the task alive in your head because “completed” and “solved: are not the same thing. Anyone who has asked someone to “handle” an insurance dispute knows the difference. The appointment was marked scheduled,"},{"_key":"0659a3c540901","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":" but"},{"_key":"0659a3c540902","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" was it scheduled around school pickup? The return was initiated, "},{"_key":"0659a3c540903","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"but "},{"_key":"0659a3c540904","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"did the refund ever land?"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f31e78cfae5d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"711ab84746190","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"When you delegate a task but retain the verification loop, your mental load stays the same, you’ve just added a management layer to it. This is why the assistant economy has never solved this problem. It moved the labor and left the load exactly where it was."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"609b44ac654f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7323929b87c30","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"At work, we solved this long ago by delegating outcomes with accountability attached, rather than tasks. At home, we never built the machinery because coordinating idiosyncratic personal tasks to a consistent standard is genuinely hard. And, for a hundred years, the market's answer was to shrug and match you with whoever was available."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e234f650ecd4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6e4261b8f67f0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"AI Solved the Wrong Half of Your Life First"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"7741da93dbdb","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3a3c86bdeb740","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Here’s what the standard “AI will fix this” story gets backward."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b59952eaa5db","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ae7f8ebdc48c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The past few years of AI have been extraordinary for the "},{"_key":"ae7f8ebdc48c1","_type":"span","marks":["7871e8d2bc06"],"text":"digital half of our lives"},{"_key":"ae7f8ebdc48c2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Drafting, summarizing, researching, and planning are largely solved. But look at what actually populates a senior woman leader's personal load. The call to the medical office that only answers between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. The airline agent with discretion to waive the fee (if a human asks the right way)."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"7871e8d2bc06","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/ai-the-future-of-work"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"cccb1ec6392e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b2a947d7b1330","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The load that "},{"_key":"b2a947d7b1331","_type":"span","marks":["8584086fdc34"],"text":"grinds leaders down"},{"_key":"b2a947d7b1332","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" is overwhelmingly analog. It lives in phone trees, waiting rooms, and conversations with other humans who have judgment and moods. We are still learning how AI interacts with the internet. We have barely begun solving how it interacts with the world. The chatbot drafts the email. Only a human sits on hold for 40 minutes and persuades the rep."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"8584086fdc34","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/senior-women-leaders-burnout-emotional-labor"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9799195e3d79","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"41c6c4097c660","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"More importantly, what AI "},{"_key":"41c6c4097c661","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"has"},{"_key":"41c6c4097c662","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" changed is the coordination layer. Software can now track every open loop, remember every preference, sequence every dependency, and verify every completion without a human carrying it in their head. What made ownership untransferable for a century is what machines turn out to be great at — the impossibility of coordinating quality across a thousand idiosyncratic tasks."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8377da1c4181","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6487729314ad0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"That's the real division of labor emerging: AI owns the remembering, routing, and verifying; "},{"_key":"6487729314ad1","_type":"span","marks":["a640d7a22449"],"text":"skilled humans own the judgment"},{"_key":"6487729314ad2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", persistence, and real-world navigation. Rather than replacing it, AI is finally making human help "},{"_key":"6487729314ad3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"accountable"},{"_key":"6487729314ad4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Regardless of what system you use, the question to ask of any support in your life is now \"Who closes the loop?\""}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"a640d7a22449","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/women-leaders-agentic-ai-study-2026"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ef3054c38ddd","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"93354c69f76d0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"The Last Barrier Isn't Logistics"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"88c6ec2a2e16","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"887b1e5ebb220","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Even with the machinery in place, I watch accomplished leaders hesitate and I recognize it, "},{"_key":"887b1e5ebb221","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"because I've done it."},{"_key":"887b1e5ebb222","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" The tasks we hold onto hardest are the ones where a dropped ball has a face attached: a child, a parent, a spouse."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f6484d52fcc6","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d8e699cfcdab0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We tell ourselves this is diligence. Mostly, it's fear wearing diligence as a costume; the belief that vigilance is love, and that "},{"_key":"d8e699cfcdab1","_type":"span","marks":["ee9fd0886422"],"text":"releasing ownership means releasing care"},{"_key":"d8e699cfcdab2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". But at work, we'd call that behavior a bottleneck, not caring, and measure the cost to the organization."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"ee9fd0886422","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/erin-coupe-energy-intelligence-leadership"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e54680755e5b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5588b8485bcb0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The same is true of life."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"0e3a569c1a27","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"081d1f5339700","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The answer to that fear isn't lowering your standards. It's the same as at work: demand accountability structures strong enough to "},{"_key":"081d1f5339701","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"earn"},{"_key":"081d1f5339702","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" your release, insist on closed loops, then actually "},{"_key":"081d1f5339703","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"let go"},{"_key":"081d1f5339704","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9bd7ee647d56","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2c140832d2510","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Start With an Audit of Ownership"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"b4c678ab9733","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9ccac85a6eef0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"If you want to know your real mental load, don't count your tasks. For two weeks, track every item where you are the only one who would notice if it failed. Those are your open loops. That number, not your to-do list, is what's taxing you."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"90ccc295a70f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"896664e8e4340","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Then, for each open loop, ask: Does this close without me? Today, increasingly, the answer can be an honest “yes.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"fd811e8e7b74","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0c7f814a8b5e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Reclaim your capacity by owning less, and discover how much of yourself you get back."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1d30978bb5fa","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"35e56ec082400","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Chief Members: Redeem your exclusive perk from Duckbill via "},{"_key":"35e56ec082401","_type":"span","marks":["511550b14829","em"],"text":"the Chief app"},{"_key":"35e56ec082402","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"511550b14829","_type":"link","href":"https://members.chief.com/"}],"style":"normal"}]},"href":"https://chief.com/articles/chief-member-approved-books-women-leaders","relatedArticles":[]}},
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