Do Mums Belong on LinkedIn?

Earlier this month, a British Mum published her first post on professional networking platform, LinkedIn. Above a car-selfie, complete with sleeping toddler in a booster seat, she began, “I’m Amy, I’m a parent, and I don’t belong on LinkedIn”.  The now viral post went on to reach over 13 million people in 13 days and attract almost 10,000 comments.  To give this some context, Tony Robbins receives around 100 comments per post Brene Brown between 70 – 200.  

Amy’s post resonated in an unprecedented way and the responses, reposts and opinions were undeniable – mums belong not just on LinkedIn but in the professional world.  There is increasingly wide-spread recognition of the valuable skills obtained and honed during a stint as “CEO of Household Management”, “Manager of Domestic Chaos” (aka maternity leave), with transferable skills including:

·       Time Management and Scheduling

·       Financial Forecasting and Budgeting

·       Negotiation and Dispute Resolution

·       Inventory / Supply Chain Management

·       Event Planning

·       Property Maintenance

·       Managing Contractors

·       Health and Wellbeing Management /First Aid

Founder and CEO of multi-million dollar global workplace wellness company FitPros Lindsay Johnson says, “I proudly wear the badge of mom in my LinkedIn title, because being a Mom is the hardest job I’ve ever had.” Johnson explains, “pausing to understand a direct report’s needs is much easier than convincing your toddler why they can’t eat out of the garbage.” Truer words were never spoken.

In addition to the increasing respect for and recognition of the soft skills acquired as a parent, Dani D’Amico, partner and global consulting firm McKinsey & Company argues for authenticity in leadership.  “I find nothing more powerful than being unapologetic about who you are, and what you do,” said D’Amico via email, “which in my case is Partner at a strategy firm and a Mom of two kids.”

Based on the powerful response to Amy’s post, and advice from mothers successfully navigating careers as mothers, the best advice is to stand in your power as a mother.  Have respect for the enormous range of skills you use on a daily basis, and find success in your second act because of these skills, not in spite of them.

You can read Amy’s Post here: You can read her post here.