Being a mother in the workplace has been an age-old reason for HR Managers, bosses and recruiters, to hold against and question a working mother’s ability to lead teams, work under pressure, and take on multiple tasks! It seems absolutely fine for women at work to be questioned casually and officially during performance appraisals or job interviews on how they intend to take on their careers seriously while raising a family.
Surely, they are looking at the glass half full. Being a mother whether at home or at work, is the greatest testament of women’s super powers! It is synonymous with her ability to change the world, after all someone has rightly said: Women are the stronger race!
Here are skills a working mum brings to the workplace that will make you rethink the next time you question her leadership capabilities:
Motherhood is the hallmark of bona fide leadership. Motherhood has been my best catalyst to fulfill my desires as an aspiring leader. If a woman chooses to raise a family and nurture a career, it means she values her mission and is ready to live in parallel worlds. Mothers work hard at being focused, energetic and motivated. Mothers learn how to delegate while they continue to look after details, they value their energy and use it optimally, they value time and spend it wisely, all of which are true characteristics of a leader.
Mums are prodigious mentors – the role a woman takes on as a mother naturally turns her into a mentor. It becomes second nature for us to continuously offer guidance and advice to those around us. Raising children means acknowledging that every day is an adventure and a new lesson to be learnt. There is plenty a mother has to share, from baking to on-boarding a new vendor; she is always there to provide support.
Developing exceptional planning skills– being in charge of raising children requires you to be prepared for anything that comes your way- good or bad - illness, homework, school projects, birthday parties, unnecessary fundraising events at school and more. With a demanding job, mums become pros at future planning, time management and anticipating future events with the finest little details. We often plan so well, that a whole year’s schedule can be summarized in a minute. Anticipating events means being proactive and not reactive. And in corporate terms, it means forward-thinking and strategic.
Mums harness the skills of negotiation – yes, it takes a long-standing course in diplomacy to get your children to eat their vegetables! And it is universal that women in the workforce are not the best negotiators. But when you are facing the troops and have a city under fire behind you, the mother rolls up her sleeves and re-looks at the terms.
Mothers fall in love with their work and appreciate everything that comes with it –a mum’s career is her personal haven, her secret garden, and she falls in love with her working self every morning after kids are dropped off to school. It’s the one thing that belongs only to her, and I know from many mums, we look forward to being at work, reassuring ourselves that we do have a mission towards our community and the world around us in addition to raising a family successfully. We do it wholeheartedly and with a high sense of responsibility.
Mothers raise their standard and accept nothing but excellence – mothers, whether stay-at-home or working, are very hard on themselves. They frequently feel guilty and underachieved, so they create a minefield of dreams and keep at it. They are eager to get better; they ask more questions and aim to become highly knowledgeable and efficient. Just like we accept nothing but the best for our kids, we reflect the same in our careers. We understand excellence and we embrace it.
Mothers accept failures openly – Motherhood is life’s best lesson on failure, from the early days of a child’s life, mothers learn not to get disheartened at failure but to always rise above it.
Mothers are visionary – I recall my life before having kids, the furthest I would have contemplated is my career in the next five or ten years’ time. As a mother today it’s different, you want to leave a legacy behind and therefore, you become determined to think of the future many years down the road.
A mother is a true loyalist – mothers get attached to their employer and nestle! What more can an organization ask for? Mums will be your loyal employees and will ride the wave of good and bad times by your side.
I have often been asked, ‘How will you take on a senior role with your hands full?’ To everyone who questions a mother’s capabilities to find a place in the corporate world, my answer is simple: They already do!
My role as a working mother is the best example of my ability to achieve something every day! My children witness it and see how I am living my life with purpose and ambition and an example of how they should too.
The little hands keep us on our toes and put us to test all the time, trust me we won’t fail ourselves, you and your organization.
I am a working mum and I love it!
Marwa Kaabour
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