Karla (Rose) Middlebrooks
Keeping to the Middle Lane

Back in 1988, Karla Middlebrooks was on a six-month leave from her position as a financial analyst at Chrysler Corporation in Detroit, caring for her firstborn son, Arthur. Today, a second child-care leave (for son Andrew) and four promotions later, Middlebrooks appears to have struck the family-career balance she set out to achieve after leaving HBS in 1984.

"My biggest priority has always been to ensure that my career and family life function harmoniously together," says Middlebrooks, who is now a controller for Chrysler's MOPAR Parts Division. "I love what I do at Chrysler and feel a very strong loyalty to the company because of the professional and personal opportunities it has given me. I also adore my kids, who are now ten and six; guiding them and watching them grow is important. I'm still committed to making it all work!"

Part of Middlebrooks's strategy has involved starting her family early in her career, when leaves of absence would be least disruptive to her advancement as a financial analyst. As she emphasized in her earlier Bulletin interviews, she has also depended on a family network comprising her and her husband's parents and siblings to "share the responsibilities in a way that makes all of our lives easier." In 1983, Middlebrooks had envisioned that after having children she would "take six months off and then get a nurse or live-in maid." The reality, she reports, was even better. "My sister-in-law was staying at home with her own children and offered to take care of my two as well." That arrangement afforded Middlebrooks precious peace of mind at work, knowing her children were in a safe, loving, and familiar environment. In addition, she credits husband William, who owns a customer service and training firm, with sharing equally in child-rearing obligations. "The responsibility shifts between us, depending on who has the most urgent priorities at work," she says.

Middlebrooks says her return to Chrysler after her first maternity leave was also eased by the advent of the laptop computer. "My boss didn't mind, for example, if I occasionally did my work at home while caring for a sick child," she notes. "Because of the technology and a management focus on the end result, I was given a lot of flexibility I might not otherwise have had." In turn, Middlebrooks passes on the goodwill to her staff. "As a manager who has had opportunities for flexibility throughout my career, I feel compelled to look for ways to help my employees," she says.

If she has any regrets about the course of her life over the last decade, Middlebrooks is hard-pressed to find them. "If working part-time had been available to me, I might have considered that as an option," she allows. "But that's the only thing I would have done differently. When I look back at what I've accomplished, I see I've worked hard to get where I am, and I appreciate the rewards that have come in the form of a loving, healthy family and a satisfying career."

by Nancy O. Perry