Turn yourself into CEO material and be a great parent
I recently read an article in Bloomberg Businessweek around leadership development. It indicates 10 things you can do to increase your chances of rising to the top, so I thought it would be interesting to see whether any of these tips could be equally applicable to those of us managing a career as well as a family. Here’s my version of the top 5:
- Engage yourself in the good kind of ambition. Accept that it’s perfectly OK to still have ambition as well as a family life. Anyone can be ‘ambitious’ but do it with integrity and optimism.
- Make a huge investment in yourself. Make an extra effort to keep on top of your skills. Even if you are away from the business for a while, set time aside to read the latest thinking, take a training course and see what the competitors are up to. You will learn more about yourself as a person when you are on maternity leave than you ever knew at work so build on these skills after any period of absence.
- Show self-confidence. Your confidence can take a knock if you’ve been out of the business for a while. It’s an incredibly precious commodity so nurture it. When spending time with your family or when you’re at work, look for all the things you are doing really well and remind yourself of these. Do something that pushes you out of your comfort zone every day to increase your confidence.
- Be an active communicator. Get a good balance of asking questions and volunteering information; be attentive to how people react to you and get feedback. Anyone can do this every day of the week whether at home or at work.
- Stand out, yet still fit in. It’s easy to lose your visibility when you have been away from the business for a while or if you are part-time. Make an extra effort to be visible to the right people for the right reasons. Announce your return from any leave with confidence and let others know you are back and ready to make an impact.
Click here to see the full article in businessweek.
http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/mar2010/ca20100326_550092.htm
We cover a range of career management issues in our Maternity Coaching Programme
Helen Letchfield
Director, Parenting for Professionals