Leanna Kruk, Group Director
The team at Brookline consists of a group of strong, amazing, talented individuals – who wear many hats inside and outside the workplace. Outside of the office some of our team members go to school part-time, volunteer or serve as professional booboo kissers. Professional booboo kissers you ask? That’s right…if you are a working mom, you take on many roles outside of the workplace, including kissing scraped knees and little fingers.
As one of Brookline’s working moms, I decided to outline a few tips for current and future working moms on how to balance a rewarding and successful career in public relations while also managing your growing family.
- Flexibility…baby!
Managing a successful career while raising kids is a delicate balancing act. It takes planning, organization and LOTS of coffee. I find that no matter how hard I try to schedule and plan my day, sometimes I just need to be flexible and allow my schedule to bend based on current priorities. I find the adage rings true when it comes to working and parenting at the same time, “don’t sweat the small stuff…and it really is all small stuff.” Oh, did I mention that coffee helps too?!
- It takes a village
As a working professional, you know how to plan and prepare for the perfect presentation…but what happens when your son has the flu and needs to get picked up from school during the presentation?! Trust me, it HAS happened before. When these little hiccups occur, you need to quickly change gears and look to your fellow colleagues for support to get the job done. Thankfully, when you are part of a strong team, these small bumps feel like minor glitches in the grand scheme of things.
- Set attainable daily goals – both at work and at home
I find that by setting realistic, attainable goals of what I am going to accomplish versus what I want to accomplish in a day helps to guide my pace and ensure that I am staying on track. Sometimes I miss the mark and overstretch what I am capable of both at home and work. But the at the end of the day, I know I can push the reset button and celebrate what I have accomplished instead of focusing on what I didn’t.
- If it’s important…write it down
Like almost every mom I know, I find myself at work wondering about my kids and how their day is going. Did I remember to pack a snack in their lunch? Did I sign off on that field trip form? Did I RSVP for that birthday party this weekend? I find it best to write down important information and make lists so I can check off items as I move throughout the course of my busy day. Creating lists also helps to keep my mind present and on task because I know I can go back to my list later and start to check things off when I have time.
- Have Fun
I find a lot of synergies between being a good mom and a good colleague – and that includes the ability to have some fun along the way. Whether at work or at home, when you can laugh at yourself and enjoy laughing with others, you will be a good mom to your kids and a great colleague to your workmates.
Leanna Kruk is Group Director at Brookline Public Relations and brings a vast amount of experience in planning and executing successful integrated communications plans, including work with bloggers and influencers. Leanna brings value to her clients by always providing out-of-the-box, dynamic, thoughtful, strategic campaign ideas. Her ability to motivate her team comes from her passion for communications and the clients she represents.