3 Mindset Shifts for Mothers Who Want Thriving Careers

ByMoniqueRussellContributor

Imagine that you have been in a work environment for 12 years You started at an entry-level role and worked up to vice president You aspire for the senior vice president role, but despite knocking your performance reviews out of the park, you are constantly told you are not ready You can’t identify where to move because, in this environment, someone would need to leave their position for you to grow Does this sound familiar?

This was the scenario of a mother in leadership role who didn’t know what to do next, and could not figure out her subsequent move As a result, her options were to stay settled or choose to leave

A woman in leadership knows when she is ready to move to the next level Frequently, she is aware that her succeeding move must accompany next-level skills, but she may not know the skills or beliefs needed Here are three beliefs needed for mothers in leadership who want to continue to maximize their full potential

Motherhood is not about biology, it’s about identity

Embrace every role intentionally, and embody a mother in leadership identity that empowers you Have conversations with others experienced in what you are trying to achieve to assess your options from multiple perspectives Identify transferable skills of being a mother and woman in leadership to establish a personal and professional development plan

These skills include:

• Effective Communication

• Delegation

• Project Management

• Emotional Intelligence

Being a mother in leadership is not a handicap, but a superpower Develop continuous learning by listening to related podcasts and joining development communities When joining communities, assess whether the group can help you develop the skills you seek to grow. Only some communities are a great fit for you and your needs Use a decision-making filter to determine how the community environment can help you grow If these characteristics are absent, find another one until you discover the right one Too many times, women give up on community support because they were not a good fit Try again

Develop and nurture your support system Nurturing connections is often an afterthought, but as a mother in leadership, this intentional action is critical to your success Take time to carve out 15% of your week to proactively reach out to someone, make an introduction, share words of encouragement, or say hello It’s easy to take the people closest to you for granted, like family, friends, and life partners, because you know that no matter what, they will have your back However, these people should be high on your nurturing and gratitude list

Develop a quality sleep regimen. No matter how organized and prepared you are, if you do not get good quality sleep over the long term, you will struggle Fatigue will cause you to miss appointments, and feel stressed and overwhelmed That is not a good look for a mother in leadership Start with a good-quality mattress and pillow Empty the worries and concerns in your mind before you go to sleep Take a notepad and write out your concerns to remove them from your mind to the paper, so they will not disrupt your sleep flow You can even write out the questions you seek answers to, because when your body is resting, your subconscious mind will help you solve the problem while sleeping You may wake up the following day with a bright idea and the solution to an existing issue

Develop a good quality skin care system. The skin is the largest organ of your body. It often communicates to us when our internal body systems are experiencing disruption, alerting us to remedy it. For example, anytime one of my sons eats food with dairy, he experiences a rash on his body and has digestive challenges. Pay attention to how your body communicates to you through your skin. Keep this organ healthy with water, fresh fruits and vegetables, protein shakes, and supplements

Develop and optimize productivity

Because you make many decisions daily, identifying ways to reduce decision fatigue by enhancing time management and productivity is part of a winning formula. The way you optimize your life is unique to you. It doesn’t have to be any complex series of steps. It can simply start with using your tools to their full potential. I remember when I learned that a snooze button in the Gmail interface allowed me to snooze emails until a later date. I was over the moon excited about this new feature! I could clean my inbox and rely on technology to bring back the email when I would be more likely to address it. Optimizing your life can include outsourcing tasks, communicating goals with others, and reducing clutter

The dullest pencil is better than the sharpest mind

Develop routines for structure and consistency Years ago, my dentist decided to forgo calling to remind patients about their dentist appointments This was before he had the technology to automate reminders He’d have his administrative staff spend most of their day calling clients to remind them of their appointments When this stopped, he saw an enormous increase in no-shows because people forgot This caused more chaos, so they started reminding people again No matter how sharp you believe your mind to be, systems, structure, and routines are essential for you and your family This can be having a meal together daily or weekly, setting appointments for car maintenance, shopping, travel, or the like As someone who travels globally for work and play, I need to have a routine for when I travel, where I stay, how I keep myself healthy in other environments, and how I make decisions while traveling I would be remiss not to discuss the importance of securing mentors and embarking on coaching to strengthen your self-awareness This allows you to be a mother of integrity and build self-esteem by honoring yourself and being a person of your word