Let the search begin...

 Some thoughts from fellow MACC member and guest blogger, Sarah Scott.

Usually when I've stumbled on a topic I want to write about, it is happening in the quiet of the night, keeping me from the few precious hours of sleep and I don't have the energy to get out of bed and type it up for a blog...and now this past week it was 'my turn' to write for the MACC initiative blog and I couldn't collect my thoughts until now...

I'm inspired by the ladies who have signed up to lead the MACC initiative, and love the goals we are setting for our group. We define ourselves as career moms who want to support ourselves in the walk to be the best we can be to our employers and to our families at the same time.

Now, I'm the odd ball in our group of 5. I am self-employed and currently single. When we are preparing a 'lunch & learn' for the companies we want to offer our services and support to, I am both the very company and the very mom who craves a company which brings out the best in me...

So, as a career-mom, when I feel that my “job” needs to be more *insert word* in order to accommodate a moving target of a schedule with two little boys, I have a chat with my “boss” nearly completely inside my head. But what helps much of the time is being able to reach out to the MACC ladies casually thanks to my close relationship with them.

But, if I was not a member of MACC, what could they offer me as an employer? as the career mom that I am?

After our last visit (a too short but powerful coffee infusion), I realized how much I crave to bounce my concerns and thoughts off brilliant minds and feel that without my own “boss” that a mentor might just fill that role for me specifically.

So, let this be the beginning of my search for a MACC mentor.

Starting today, I will seek the guidance of MACC's team and indirectly, our board of directors and see what reveals itself...stay tuned for the voice of Small (hear Tiny) Business and their needs.

I feel fine.

Our babysitter called me at work a couple of weeks ago to tell me that Marin is sick with a fever and can’t keep any food down. “Just GREAT!”, I thought. I left work and took her to the clinic to find out that she has a UTI. For those of you (guys) who don’t know this acronym as well as us ladies, UTI stands for urinary tract infection. My first thought was that it was no big deal. Girls get these all the time, and while they are uncomfortable, they are very normal. Well, apparently they aren’t normal in an otherwise healthy six month old. So, five hours and way too many tests later, we drove to the pharmacy to grab some antibiotics and dose her up for the night. Our follow-up instructions were to take Marin in for some deeper screening at the hospital, just to make sure there was no reason for the infection other than it just happens sometimes.

The follow up tests seemed to be fine but not very telling. At least Marin was feeling better and that infection was just a blip in the radar, but they wanted to watch her kidneys closely. Since then, Marin has been back to her healthy and happy self. Friday, however, she got sick again. Same symptoms, and because this was only three weeks after the first time, I was a little worried so we went back to the doctor. Yep…sick again with the same thing. Of course, the doctors now want to run lots more tests and send us down to Children’s hospital for the whole shebang. Best case scenario, Marin is on medicine for a year or “until she possibly outgrows this”. Worst case is that she will have to have surgery. We find out more at the end of this month, but until that time, I can’t help but look at that sweet face every day and think, “how are you sick?” I reach for her and can’t help but to pick her up a little gentler than I had before. And then I snap out of it and realize that this is just life. I feel fine and Marin is fine. If she is sick, then she is sick. We will deal.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to feeling a bit weary right now. Some might call the episode at home the other night a mental breakdown; I prefer to call it a minor temper tantrum. When the light of day came around, though, I couldn’t believe how comfortable I felt with things even still. Although work is insanely busy, and The MACC Initiative is really finding its way, and Marin is sick, I don’t feel pressure. I feel like I can handle everything. The only people blowing up my phone when we were waiting at the hospital were my team members at work. Not to talk about work, but to make sure I was fine. The ability to disconnect from my work when and how I need to is a great blessing I have and I realize many people don’t. The ability to not worry about work, but worry about Marin is a blessing I have that others don’t. The ability to rely on my husband for everything I need at any given time is a blessing I have that others don’t. It is these people who make me feel like I will be one of the lucky ones to figure out exactly how to have it all, whatever that means.

New mom and SVIer Jordan McCutchen talks about returning to work after baby...

Can a woman be a successful leader in the workplace post pregnancy? It is undoubtedly a highly debated question by both women and men with many probable answers. The discussion is plagued with concerns involving time management and the struggle to balance work and motherhood. Is it possible to be dedicated to both at the same time? A question and answer that holds particular interest to me since my daughter’s birth in October.

Prior to motherhood, I considered myself to be a strong employee who was highly dedicated and organized.  I possessed all the necessary skills to “rise to the top” of success. Have I changed? As I head back into the workplace after months of changing diapers and preparing bottles, I realize not only am I more structured but more dedicated than ever to succeed.  I have discovered my organizational skills have remained stronger than ever. 

When you become a mother for the first time, no one can train you for the challenges of sleepless nights and endless worries that accompany having a newborn. There is no amount of preparation or the number of books you may read that can equip you for all the trials. My organizational skills were immediately put to the test upon arrival home from the hospital. I had to make certain I could become an efficient machine of sorts. I found a strict and self-disciplined schedule was necessary to ensure a smooth-running operation and compensate for all unpredictable scenarios.  Suddenly my strong ability to multi-task took on a whole new meaning.  You are forced to become a strong and effective leader, all on minimal sleep.

In the workplace, women, without doubt, have been able to conquer the corporate world and prove strong leadership skills. From the US government to some of the nation’s top companies, women are guiding this nation into a new decade. The majority of these women are taking on the responsibility of dual role as both executive and mother.  Sometimes these responsibilities are executed without a partner. Either way, women are becoming more and more accomplished in the many roles they acquire. Does this require sacrifice? No one person can be “all” to everything and everyone. Yet, we adapt. Adapt to the new role of motherhood all the while maintaining and refining our skills. When we walk out the door and leave our children for our corporate role, it doesn’t entail leaving motherhood behind. We are required to just add it to our portfolio. Not to diminish the importance of motherhood. We are just required to utilize something we may have acquired in that corporate world…the ability to prioritize. That is one of the most important keys to our success at home, as well as work. Balance…like in all things…is my answer. 

Admiration

Brenda Barnes has been on my mind lately. I first learned a lot about Brenda through a friend and colleague of mine who serves on the MACC board. Brenda has such a great, yet exhausting story. President of PepsiCo North America, then making a controversial decision to leave business for many years to focus on her children, returned as the COO of Sara Lee, and finally,  promoted to the CEO position one year after returning.

Phew. I am out of breath writing about her. Her story is exhausting because it is my story. It is your story. It is her story. While I don't run one of the largest businesses in  the world (although I like to think we are chipping away, day by day), I think Brenda's thoughts. I feel Brenda's success. I relate to Brenda's intensity. Although I don't know her, I can relate to the rush associated with making a difference in the business world, and the rush associated with baking Miles's birthday cake instead of having to order it this year...again. I am a slave to my computer, excited at the "ping" when an email comes in, and I am a slave to Marin, playing peek-a-boo with her as I work and work to get her to laugh at me again. The spectrum along which I live is wearing me down day by day, while at the same time recharging my battery and preparing me for who I am yet to become.

I commend Brenda and any woman who can, at her core, stand up for what she believes, even if what she believes isn't smart or right in the eyes of others. Should I be more of a mom? Should I stay later when everyone else is working? I have no idea where to find balance in my life, but I know Brenda and I will feel whole at the end of every day. We will make the right decision, day by day, for our families, our businesses and ourselves.

http://workingmoms.about.com/od/executiveopportunities/a/BrendaBarnes.htm

A million pounds of guilt

Work is busier than ever, pulling me out of the house by 7:00 am and putting me back home by 6:00 pm. Travel is picking up, and working on weekends makes it so I am physically present on the weekends but distracted from my kids. Our business is growing and I am working on some of the most creative, rewarding projects out there. In between one of the frenzied meetings yesterday, our babysitter called to tell me Marin had her second tooth. How did that happen? How did I get through these past few weeks without feeling her gums like all moms do to see when the first few teeth will poke their little heads out. I made time to send emails, have meetings, travel across the country, but I made no time to feel Marin's gums so I could celebrate this little milestone with her. In the middle of all this success and excitement, I feel like I've failed.