The document discusses how skills developed from parenting can make one a better leader professionally. Being a parent requires multitasking, juggling priorities, problem-solving, communicating changes, and mentoring like a leader at work. It provides examples of how parenting lessons like preparing for changes, patiently answering questions, role modeling positive behavior, embracing change, prioritizing tasks, building networks, empowering others, remaining calm under pressure, and being fully present can also help one succeed as a professional. The document advocates that parenting skills are valuable for leadership roles at work.

1. Parenting = Leadership
…or how being a mom has made me a better professional
(and vice versa)
Katy Weidenfeller
SWE National Conference
October 2013

2. Parenting = Leadership
“Because I’m a mom I know how to multitask, and I
have all these other skills I didn’t have before like
juggling, mentoring, educating, problem-solving,
managing,” she said. “And I’m so much more productive
now during the hours when I am working. Motherhood
should be a feather in my cap, not a drawback.”
- Sara Uttech, quoted in “Coveting Not a Corner Office, but Time at Home” by
Catherine Rampell in the New York Times, July 7, 2013

3. Prepare People for Change
PARENTING:
It’s time to leave the playground in 5 minutes.
WORK:
Communicate what is going to happen before it
happens, while it is happening, after it has
happened…

4. Patiently Answer Questions
PARENTING :
“Why?” “Why?” “Why?”
WORK:
People work harder and smarter when they
know what is going on and why.

5. Seek and Be a Role Model
PARENTING:
Swear words do get repeated!
WORK:
Lead by example. Be a positive influence in
word and deed. Find inspirational role models.

6. Don’t Forget Quiet Time
PARENTING:
Time for your nap!
WORK:
Creativity and new ideas need a relaxed and
open mind. Some problems solve themselves
after a good rest.

7. Embrace Change
PARENTING:
Everything is a “phase.”
WORK:
Change is certain. Make sure you are preparing
your organization to move in the right direction.

8. Ruthlessly Prioritize
PARENTING:
You don’t want to be the first one to drop off
and the last one to pick up at day care.
WORK:
You can’t ever get everything done. Embrace
this! Then make sure the top of the list gets
done every week.

9. Sleep is for the Weak
PARENTING:
“Sleeping through the night” feels like some
kind of magical, mythical idea.
WORK:
Jet lag? What’s that??

10. Build your Network
PARENTING:
Where did you get that baby carrier? How do
you manage child care?
WORK:
What should I do really well to nail this job?
How do I get the job I really want?

11. Delegate and Empower
PARENTING:
Avoid the helicopter!
WORK:
Don’t micro-manage!

12. You Can’t Fight a Tantrum
PARENTING:
Screaming “STOP CRYING!!!!” never works.
WORK:
Remain calm in the face of emotion;
acknowledge concerns, probe issues, wait for
another time.

13. Be Where You Are
PARENTING:
There is almost nothing better than a hug
around the knees at the end of the day.
WORK:
Tell your kids why you like to go to work every
day, and then go do that really well.

14. Parenting = Leadership
…or how being a mom has made me a better professional
(and vice versa)
Katy Weidenfeller
SWE National Conference
October 2013

15. Useful References
• Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine
• Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandburg
• Coveting not the corner office, but time at home
– “Because I’m a mom I know how to multitask, and I have all these
other skills I didn’t have before like juggling, mentoring, educating,
problem-solving, managing,” she said. “And I’m so much more
productive now during the hours when I am working. Motherhood
should be a feather in my cap, not a drawback.”
• Sell your kid for $100M?
– Do most of us really act as if each of our kids are worth $100 million to
us?
– It takes nine months and change to create a kid. It takes a lifetime, if
you're lucky, to earn even a small fraction of $100 million.
– Why don't we spend more time working on how we can be better
parents and not just better employees and managers?
– The best present you can give your kids is your presence. Your full and
undivided presence.