I had so much fun being interviewed by Halimeh, aka Lulu over at Crying Toddlers! She’s a fantastic mom with a great blog that you should definitely check out! Here is part of my interview, but if you’d like to read the whole thing, you can read it on her blog here: https://www.cryingtoddlers.com/transferable-mom-skills/
Being a mom is the most difficult yet rewarding role I’ve ever had. Motherhood came with so many learning curves: some are steep ones, others are less daunting, but also what I fondly refer to as superpowers—otherwise known as skills-you-developed-by-the-virtue-of-being-an- awesome-mom, like you are! Most of those skills are readily transferable to the workplace so working moms, and parents, don’t hesitate to talk up your working moms strengths during your 1:1, career change, elevator pitch, or whenever and wherever you have to tell someone else how invaluable you are or make the magic happen. Here are my top skills that, with real examples to boot, can help you change the game in the workplace. Here are the 7 transferable mom skills you can use at work!
1. Problem-solving with applied creativity:
This is one of the major transferable mom skills! When you become a parent – especially during the recent pandemic – you are constantly problem-solving, and if you have more than one child, you become the de facto referee. And you learn to solve problems that you didn’t know were problems at all with a touch of creativity! Comforting a child that lost a staring contest with his siblings for example, or transforming a very badly drawn plate into a brightly colored sun! And now you have some breathing space till the next drama! If you perfected the skill of when to step in to help your child problem-solve and/
or how to provide him/her with the tools to do it themselves, that’s at the core of being a people leader, right there.
2. Strategic Thinking:
I call it the thinking ahead power aka plan A, B, and even C. It can involve bringing that extra pair of clothes in case your little one pours water/paint or whatever sticky and messy mixture they encounter during a mere walk in the park, planning everyone’s schedules, and having a solution for potential problems that may arise. Think about how you can apply this one to your current job or career in general and be the extra pair of eyes/ears on projects for example.
3. People + team management:
Do you remember how uncooperative your toddler once was /is? Being charming one minute and super moody or even angry the next. And you managed those phases; don’t start me on the terrible twos or troublesome threes, so
now when you think of the worst colleague you ever worked with, does it even come close to that You smoothed out crises, extinguished fires, settled conflicts, and still had some room for growth and lessons learned. Another familiar example was more prevalent during the pandemic. Managing your work, homeschooling that may have included a pre-schooler and older siblings, and keeping everyone focused and in relative harmony. With all of my experiences, I am fairly certain that there is no one at work with whom you cannot collaborate or reach an agreement.
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