Being a mother can be a great tool for a professional in today's world. Ironically though, Indian moms are more likely to be home than trying to rise up the corporate ladder, because their priorities are different.
But that does not take away from the fact that motherhood is a great training ground for the corporate leaders of tomorrow. Have a look at these instances, and tell me what they remind you of:
* Two kids fighting over whose pen it is or who gets to sit in the chair with armrests and who goes on the regular chair (Clue: Leadership skills in handling two subordinates sulking over who gets the better project)
* Attending a parent-teacher meeting in the first half of the morning, going to another kid's assembly to watch her perform, then rushing back home for breakfast before leaving for work (Clue: Time management during a busy production week when phones ring off the hook)
* Getting up early every morning without fail, no matter how badly you want those extra few minutes in the blanket, else they'll miss the bus (Clue: Punctuality and discipline)
* If they do miss the bus, then calling fellow moms to check who else can take the kid, or else preparing for Plan B: Getting dressed, driving 25 km to school and still getting to work on the other corner of the city on time (Clue: Quick decision-making and execution in times of crisis)
* Remembering to pack the dupatta that goes with the lehenga that she's going to wear in the school play, and if she forgets it, driving down quickly before the play starts and handing it over to the school teacher in time (Clue: Attention to detail and learning from past mistakes)
* Sitting late at night after a long day of work to complete a project on wildlife in North America while battling yawns and closing eyelids (Clue: Dedication and perseverance)
* Turning off the lights and hollering a final order to stop two pre-adolescent voices from continuing their argument in the dark (Clue: Delivering succinct commands and making sure they're followed)
* Admiring the latest painted clay teddy bear with perfectly round eyes and a crooked smile that came home from the pottery class, and giving a sweet kiss and a bubbly hug from time to time (Clue: Rewarding good performance and being genuine in praise)
I could go on and on. But you get the point.
The converse is also true: That, as mothers, we do learn a few tricks from observing incidents and behaviours at the workplace. So perhaps more moms should work outside of home to better their parenting skills, and workplaces should consciously hire more moms for better efficiency!
1 comment:
I completely agree with you, dear soccer mom!
I must thank you for sharing these thoughts on what people like me see around us but don't care to notice or acknowledge.
I think there's another advantage in hiring more moms at offices, especially the ones where efficiency and punctuality are key, because most of them, unlike those without kids at home, have their roles defined in a positive way--they have less time to do more work. They can't probably manage to stay back for a few more hours every day to dawdle through work.
So even if you want to apply Parkinson's Law here, since the time is shorter for mom's to complete work, it doesn't expand, even if the employer is OK with it.
Corporates, please take note!
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