It’s come to my attention that many of the working gals I know fear the same thing after they get pregnant: If I take time off for my kids, will I be able to jump back into my career in a few years?
This is a tangible concern, one that I shared when I got pregnant for the first time. Lucky for me, my skill set allowed me to strike out on my own and redefine my career. But what if I wanted to go back? Would I be punished for leaving the editorial industry for three or four years?
Probably, and it’s not fair. In fact, I think stay-at-home moms and dads who are re-entering the workforce should be hired for major leadership positions. Companies should rejoice in their rejoining their respective professions and snatch them right up.
Why, you ask? As parents, we have developed some incredibly desirable skills. Here are just a few.
Time Management – Let’s start with an obvious one. Every parent works 24/7, but still feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day. We develop little shortcuts (hacks, if you will), schedules, and Google spreadsheets to keep us on track. We run our homes like a business, with deadlines, family meetings, and working lunches.
Tough Love – Okay, we can’t fire our kids, but we can discipline them. We can mentor them, recognizing their skills and talents, and nurture them. We are the leaders of our families and the kids look to us for guidance.
Balancing the Books – I actually leave this to my husband. He’s the numbers man. But many stay-at-home parents, including my mom, keep the family budget on track, recognizing when the family needs to cut back or when they can afford to expand or move to new space.
Flexibility – Another obvious one. Every day brings new challenges. Your kid slept through the night for a solid week? It doesn’t mean they will this week. Your plans change on a dime, and so must you, like any good CEO in the business world.
Grace Under Fire – This one kind of goes with flexibility. When your kid has a 105 fever, or a total meltdown in the middle of the grocery store, you can’t cave. You need to clear your head and deal with the problem. You can cry after the crisis is over, but do it privately.
Mad Conflict Resolution Skills – Your kids will fight with each other. They’ll fight with you and your partner, and you need to be able to resolve the problem no matter how silly it may be. Same thing with employees. One worker is invading the space of another and they can’t work it out on their own? Put on your parent hat and figure it out.
Managing the Details, but Seeing the Bigger Picture – From the day your baby is born, you are guiding they little guy through milestones, educating them with a goal in mind. For us, that goal is for two MIT grads who start their own Fortune 500 company and take care of their parents for the rest of their lives.
Just kidding.
What they will become may be entirely different from what we picture, but that’s they way it goes. But as long as they are well-adjusted, independent, and intelligent gentlemen, we’re happy. We break that goal down into smaller benchmarks to hit as they grow.
A company is the same way. A founder or CEO may have one vision for the organization in mind, but as long as the endeavor is successful, it doesn’t really matter how it evolves.
So there you go, my case for hiring all stay-at-home parents as leaders of the business world. Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think.
Mom Beats World 