Who says babies can’t be in the boardroom? When parents, and mothers specifically, are in leadership positions, things evolve for the better. Here’s a peek at a normal c-suite (or b-suite as we call it) meeting happening where 5 moms lead our company through the highs, the challenges, and the bottle feeds. When our CEO and co-founder Laura Modi showed up with her 3 month old, Etta, for a session not only did we celebrate that sweet baby—we fed her, bounced her, and cuddled her while sallying forth with Bobbie business decisions at hand. There are 13 babies—ages 3 months to 29 years old—between our c-suite and we are so proud to lead as a parent-first company. When we say this is for our babies too…we mean it! 💚
As a mother, none of this is inspiring. Instead, channel this energy into advocating for a maternal leave policy that prioritizes individuals over businesses. For inspiration, look to Sweden, where the parental insurance policy offers parents 480 days of paid leave (yes, you read that right) upon the birth or adoption of a child. In Sweden, it's even frowned upon not to take this time off to be with your child. That’s true work-life balance; anything less is just a marketing tool that benefits businesses, not individual mothers.
This is so inspiring! One of my worst moments at work was when my boss questioned why I let my daughter stay with me for a few hours because she got loose and went to talk to my boss's boss. Despite my boss's boss saying how delightful she was, the boss made a point of making me feel like I'd done something unprofessional. To this day, I regret that, and honestly, I stayed because I had meetings and was being responsible. I had no idea that a curious 5 year old could be such a stressor to others! I hope we all can learn from this. Note that the person who "complained" was a Dad. I always wondered because the boss she spoke to always asked about my daughter thereafter, so I wondered why it was such a big deal.
The example every company needs to see.
C-suite full of moms! Love it 💙🥳
I brought my youngest (5 months at the time) to a volunteer board (for an engineering group) earlier this year. The board ranges from retirees to recent college graduates. While many were surprised at first, all were supportive and impressed with how it was handled by the end. I hope doing little things like this show all my fellow engineering women (and men) that you can be a mom, a volunteer, a leader, and an engineer too!
I worked for a political party - and had a newborn. Every single board and leadership meeting was moved to accommodate having me breastfeed and be present. That sort of leadership matters. How you execute the policy on a day to day basis.
I love this! But I also wish that mothers got better paid parental leave and didn’t have to come back to work when the baby is still this little if they didn’t want to!
Can we see more of this?! Bringing babies to work should be a norm. We all know how well mamas can multitask while others are also willing to help. As long as the work is getting done. 🙌
Obsessed. We need more of this.
Just a mom with a LinkedIn account
2moAnyone else feel the urge to compulsively rock while watching this too?? 😂