Being both a mom and an organizational leader requires managing a multitude of responsibilities. For a comprehensive look on what it takes to succeed as an executive and a mom, visit phoenix.edu/blog/C-suite-mom. Some women may feel their career needs to be put on hold to raise a family, while others may not have role models to look up to to make their own career aspirations a reality while being a mom.
How to "mom" from the C-suite
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- You know as a mom it's really tempting sometimes
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to lose your identity, to taking care of kids.
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I have teenagers at four cares in total,
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and as they've become all independent,
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all driving themselves, taking themselves to practices,
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I sort of feel like part of my role
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got relegated to making lunch in the morning.
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And so I realized how little they really need me
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at this point on the physical side,
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emotionally support-wise they need me.
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But therefore it's really important for a mom
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to retain their own sense of identity.
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Which then makes you a more interesting parent.
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- Before I became a mom
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I didn't have a working mom or (indistinct).
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And I think I bought into a lot of the stereotypes
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about working moms,
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being frazzled and not doing anything well,
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because they were trying to do all of the things.
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But I have found that being a mom has enhanced my career.
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I think I'm more grounded.
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I think I'm more empathetic of other colleagues
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and coworkers who may have a lot going on in their lives.
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And I think a lot of the skills that I used as a mom,
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I also use with my own team team.
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- Tip for moms to be successful
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and true for anybody to be successful is be flexible.
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A lot of us like to be in our comfort zone.
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We like to do the same job we've done for years,
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but there is no reward for being safe.
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So go out and look for a change.
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Don't be afraid of that new job
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with a new project that's coming up.
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Everybody understands at the start that you're learning.
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They, you know, if you ask for help,
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they'll give you the help
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and you'll be surprised at how much you're gonna grow
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by seeking that change.
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- I would say you definitely have to consider
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what path you wanna take in terms of a family
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for me personally.
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Once I had chosen what industry
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I wanna be in,
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I tried a few different jobs
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to figure out how I would combine
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my professional aspirations with my family aspirations.
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And this is before I was even married or had children.
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But I would definitely recommend that
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and take a look at the senior ladies around the office
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and how they're able to balance both their career
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and family life.
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And then determine if that's something that you can do
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or can't do.
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- Well having a family drastically changes your life,
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whether you think it does or not.
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So just not be too hard on yourself
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when something has to shift a little
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or your focus has to shift,
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or you're not able to give specific time
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or attention to something as much as you had before.
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I think that's really important.
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The other thing is to set clear expectations
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of the people around you,
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whether it's in your house
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or in the people that you work for,
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it's a partnership.
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And even if you have older children in the home,
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everybody has to step up and have some responsibility.
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- I think, you know, raising a family for me has,
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you know, changed my priorities over the years.
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For me, my kids have always been my motivator.
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They, you know, been the reason why I do this
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I'm a better mom because I work and because I'm fulfilled,
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they've always been, you know,
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their driving force behind it.
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I became more ambitious because they were wanting me.
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