What to Do If Your Parents Are Causing You Career Angst

When people talk about work-family conflict, the mental image we see is often one of a harried mom or dad trying to get to day-care pickup on time, or a professional couple arguing about whose travel schedule should take priority. But in my role as a consultant and teacher, I often hear about another kind of work-family conflict: the tension emanating from parental needs or expectations that are incongruent with their children’s own values and plans. Lately I’ve been hearing business professionals at various stages in life, from college students to mid-career executives, talk more about their mothers and fathers than their spouses and children as sources of career conflict.