BLUF
Parenting skills acquired by working mothers are readily transferred to the workplace.Summary
Women and Leadership Australia notes that most effective leaders possess leadership traits such as agility, resilience, empathy, problem-solving, time management and prioritisation. These are all areas that many parents acquire when raising children. During the child rearing years, the primary unpaid carer in a family (70% of whom are women) don't tend to acknowledge or exploit skills developed and acquired while raising children. Recent research from McKinsey indicates that there is a positive association between skills acquired when raising children and the skills required in the wider workplace. Parents frequently have to think on their feet, change plans at the last minute, and juggle numerous tasks and demands. Perfectionism is not an option, and speed and flexibility are essential with priorities being regularly reviewed. Parenting brings additional skills to the workplace, which an astute leader can exploit to make for more effective delivery of capability.
