| Lynn is a seasoned wingspouse who decided to share an experience that taught her a valuable lesson. She hopes her insight is helpful to others. Thank you, Lynn. (not her real name) |
Years ago, my husband was interviewing for a position that would be the next “rung” on the career ladder for him. He was very happy in his current position but of course was interested in advancing his career, so he started on this process of interviewing with this new employer.
When I was invited to meet the CEO and the CEO’s spouse at a dinner, we knew that this was an important step and that basically I was being interviewed, too. During this dinner I really got the feeling that this would not be a good fit for any of us, especially for our family. I talked to my husband about my concerns (that this job would be expected to come before his family) and how I felt intuitively (that this CEO would be demanding and not family-friendly), but he wanted to advance his career to the next level and he decided to take the job. I buried my concerns and observations because I didn’t want him to blame me if he passed it up and didn’t get another opportunity to advance his career right away. (more…)
This week I celebrated 19 years with the best partner I can imagine. Although she has been my wife for nearly two decades, she has only been my wingspouse for the last 10 years or so. When we (not I) decided to make the jump from being a practicing physician into the world of administrative medicine, neither of us really knew what to expect. After living the physician executive life for the last decade or so, I have become what most would call “successful”. Using my highly focused retrospectoscope, I can assure you of one thing – I could not have gotten to where I am now without my wingspouse. 
