Mothers & Other Caregivers: Courageous Leadership

Leading with Courage: Real Stories

I have caregiving on my mind as I prepare for two presentations on this topic this fall. Most of our workplaces weren't designed with working mothers and other involved parents in mind. 

Professional paths were intended as full-time straight lines; office spaces were designed for people who took care only of themselves, and for able-bodied people at that.

But today's workers who have caregiving responsibilities, whether for small children, elders, or communities under stress, are redesigning work and finding their footing, while expanding the space for others.

One of the courageous leaders I interviewed for my book, Gina, shared how she came to be a leader who supports people as full, complicated humans with family and personal needs. 

Gina was inspired by a professor when she attended college with a baby in tow. That professor was endlessly flexible, even offering to hold the baby during an exam when Gina didn't have child care for test day.

Now a people leader herself, Gina shared: "I tell everybody that has ever worked for me or that ever will in the future, family comes first. There's nothing that is worth missing significant pieces of the lives of the people that you love. So whether it's a birthday or a first haircut or whatever, whatever is important to you--that's why we all come to work, right?"

"I really like my job," she added. "But also, we come to work to earn a living, to be able to provide for the people that we love. So let's not shortchange them with the most valuable thing we have, and that's our time and attention."

We often talk about the policies we need to support working mothers and other caregivers. And we should: paid leave, nursing space, flexible schedules, child care support, and more help nurture and retain talented people and contribute to more women in leadership. But it's managers like Gina who create the conditions that allow parents and caregivers to feel seen, to take a breath, to normalize having a life and a job.

Policy sets the floor. Leaders like Gina raise the ceiling, creating the kinds of spaces that allow parents and other caregivers to feel seen, to take a breath, and to normalize having a life and a job.

Who does this in your workplace? Whom can you thank for what is best in your workplace culture when it comes to friendliness for families and caregivers?