Being a working my is comparable to…being a working mum. There really is nothing like it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it…and be happy.
There are some characteristics of successful working mums – if you think a out those you know who seem to be on top of their game, and who seem to be doing extraordinarily well, they will have all or most of the traits below:
Have confidence
Confidence is something that attracts people to you – and this isn’t just in a sexual way. It is I. A general manner. If you cast your mind back to all hose people you have respected in life, or who stood out at school, uni, the workplace etc, they probably have a confident nature about them. They are happy to stand out of the crowd, making people laugh, or setting the pace wherever they are.
Being confident doesn’t have to mean you’re annoying – it is a out having a boldness about you that makes you stand out for the right reasons, and at the right time.
If you’re lacking confidence, the saying “fake it till you make it” should be your mantra until you start to see a change.
Stay informed and connected
These days we all seem to suffer a little from information overload. Thanks to technology and all that comes with it, we are a constant target for information.
That doesn’t have to be a bad thing, however. Once you learn how to dip in and out and take the essentials out of the information you receive, it will help you to stay at the top of your game.
The same applies to networking. Any working mum or business mum worth her salt is on LinkedIn, and connected to all the right people. If you aren’t – start today! Join all the groups you can find that are relevant to your area of interest and join them, so you can stay on top of the relevant happening in your sector.
Keep your personal life private
Having a child is great, and children will do something that every mother is proud of and want to share with the world. But there has to be a line somewhere…
The same way you don’t come home and bore your family with the details of your work, giving them a blow by blow account of every email you opened, and other mundane tasks, your colleagues don’t want to be bombarded with every account of how little Johnny is doing.
That’s not to say that you can never talk about family life, but be selective and observant – if your colleague’s eyes seem to glaze over every time you bring the topic up, stop!
Organisation and structure
Every successful working mum is organised and has structures in place to catch her if things start to crumble. Is this you?
Being organised doesn’t mean you turn into a Stepford Wife figure, with no personality and not flexibility. It just means you know how to plan your time ahead so that you can be prepared for just about anything.
Get yourself a network of support you can call on if your child is unwell, or if you need to work late at an event for work. Set yourself up with broadband at home, so you can work from home if needed, and you can connect to your office infrastructure if you want to get ahead of deadline on a presentation when you have a spare evening at home.
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