Your strength and your ability to solve problems are a part of who you are, both as a mother and a leader…
There used to be a time where being a leader and a mother at the same time was virtually unheard of. Thankfully, we’re well past that time. The world is full of powerful executives with well adjusted kids. It’s undoubtedly a balancing act, but it’s highly possible. If you want to be both the best mom and the best leader simultaneously, start blending some things together.
1. Set Yourself up For Success
You’re busy with work. Your kids need a lot. How can you handle both at once? If you have household responsibilities, automate them. Get a Roomba and let it do your vacuuming. Prepare and store a few meals ahead of time and let dinner cook slowly in the crockpot while you’re away at work all day. Simplifying and automating will allow you to get more done without making sacrifices.
2. Teach Your Kids Career Lessons from a Young Age
You’re the biggest role model in your child’s life. When you’re a successful leader, you’re in an amazing position to model the skills, ethic, and work value that you have while your children are still impressionable. Teach them how to approach and solve complicated problems. Train them to think like leaders, and they’ll grow up to be leaders.
3. Use Your Motherly Compassion in the Workplace
Moms have a tendency to know what’s wrong, even when their kids don’t. This is an immensely valuable skill to bring to the workplace. Your motherly compassion can help you sense when an employee is on the verge of burnout, or when social tensions are going to lead to difficult workplace situations. Take people aside and talk to them. Give them pep talks or advice to prevent bumps in the road, just like you’d do with your kids.
4. Find the Perfect Work-Life Balance
You need time for both work and your kids. It’s hard to feel like you’re enjoying or progressing with anything when you feel like you’re being pulled in two different directions. Ask the person you report to if you can work remotely on special occasions. See if flexible scheduling is an option for you. Move the things that you can move so you’re present for both the important parts of your career and the important parts of your children’s lives.
5. Let Your Kids See You as a Leader
If your company holds family friendly events, bring your children with you. If they’re old enough to interact with your coworkers, they’ll be able to learn a little more about the side of you they don’t see. They might come to appreciate how hard you work and dream up some aspirations of being a leader themselves some day. Plus, bringing your family to a work function shows that you value family. Since many of your coworkers likely do, it will help bring people of the workplace closer together.
6. Use Your Leadership Skills to Run Your Home
Great leaders delegate to get things accomplished. You might have to hire people for complicated household chores like trimming the trees, but everything else is fair game. Learn how to delegate at home. Create schedules and regimens for responsibilities, and assign your children age appropriate chores. Your home life will be just as productive as your work life. You’ll also be instilling the importance of schedules and responsibilities in your children’s lives. This sets them up to be successful young adults.
7. Don’t Forget to Take Care of Yourself
Work moms have a tendency to put themselves last. If you don’t take care of yourself, who else will? Never feel guilty about booking a massage to ease your sore muscles or sleeping in for a few hours when you’ve been pulling all-nighters. Engage in the occasional vice, like a glass or wine or a huge burrito. Make sure you’re happy, or you won’t be able to give anything your all.
Your strength and your ability to solve problems are a part of who you are, both as a mother and a leader. You got your career based on your skills, and they just so happen to be the same skills you need to be an amazing mom. Do what comes naturally.
Tips for Being a Great Mom and a Successful Leader appeared first on Momprenur Media
AUTHOR BIO: Anna Ashmore is a woman of many talents. She is passionate about literature, sports, travel and education among many other things. She is also an amateur writer who hopes to make it big in the blog world. Professionally, Anna is a market research analyst at http://businesscheck.co.nz/ and loves her job.
