It’s been a year since I’ve sat at my desk, trying to figure out what to write about or how to construct a new campaign. It’s been a year since I’ve paid close attention to trends in marketing, the Microsoft Partner Channel or the use of social media for business instead of pleasure. It’s been a year since I’ve really worked, at least in the traditional sense.
Having been afforded the luxury of an ENTIRE years worth of maternity leave (a Canada wide perk, of which I took full advantage), I have spent the last 12 (well technically 13) months living the life of a stay at home mom. Raising my beautiful little girl, I traded in conference calls for late night feedings, and I have to say, I’m feeling a little lost.
A year ago, my only job was to make sure that this little face was well cared for:
And now? It’s back to the realities of my job. Colour me confused.
It’s to be expected I suppose. How could I possibly keep up with my job, when the whole new world of being a mother was upon me? I couldn’t. So I let it all go. Only now, I am sitting at my desk thinking, what was it that makes marketing effective again?
- Messaging. Repetition. Follow-up.
It’s starting to come back to me. Slowly but surely I am learning what it means to work in the corporate world again. Only this time, it’s different. I’m not just a person who works in an office. I am a mother who works in an office, and who is still required to care for that little face, whether I am with her or not.
I spend my days trying to balance the overwhelming urge to call my daughters care providers every 32 minutes with the need to catch up on all the things I’ve missed in the office this last year. New staff I don’t really know, new clients I haven’t heard of, and new projects I am not involved in. It’s all new. Before I left I knew everything that was happening around here. I could jump into a client call on a moment’s notice, and not only know what was going on but also contribute to the conversation. I had ideas, I made plans, people wanted to know my opinion on things. And now? Most people are just trying to figure out who I am, and what I am supposed to be doing here.
I Can Join Them On The Latter Of Those Questions – What AM I Supposed To Be Doing Here?
To be honest, I am still figuring that out. In my absence people were obviously hired to take over the work I did, and they are still here. That work belongs to them now, and I wouldn’t even know where to begin with it. We are all trying to figure out how my experience best benefits the team now. The team has expanded by 6 people since I left, and is highly functioning. With nothing the same, I can’t be expected to settle back into an old role that no longer exists. So what does my new role look like?
I don’t think anyone really knows right now, at least, not today. As I work on getting my brain switched back from play dates and diaper blow-outs to supporting client’s businesses, I’m facing this strange dichotomy. While I am back at a company I have worked at for several years, everything here is new. While I used to be the go to person for almost anything, I am now the person who doesn’t even know where we keep the paper clips (in my defense on this one, the office HAS moved). The economy has changed, as have our client’s means and needs. Settling back into the old routines wouldn’t work, even if it were possible.
So I sit here, and think about how best to move forward into this strange new part of my life – my life as a working mother. The only thing I know for certain is that she makes everything worth it:
About the author
Brandee has worked in various management roles such as Marketing Communications and Business Development and used her skills to help drive revenue for the organizations she has worked with. At SALESWORKS she is a Consultant who specializes in marketing coaching, copy writing, website strategies, and event execution.
