Self-Made Mom

Today at work, during a team meeting, my boss told our group that we should “bring our ‘A’ game” to a client project some of us are working on.  Being a consultant, I have heard this term a gazillion times, and usually I always nod in eager agreement. In theory, this concept makes a ton of sense: strive for greatness and be a high achiever.

Until I became a mom.

Now, deep in the throes of working motherhood I’m finding hard to consistently be in the “A” game range both at work and at home. I do try often, but most of the time I score a little bit lower.  But the more I thought about it, the more I wonder, what’s wrong with a B+?

I got good grades growing up, but never had an all-A average. I was always successful, but never the smartest. No Greek letters at the end of my name in graduation brochures, no special tassles. But yet, here I am working at a great company with my ideal-flexible- working-mom schedule managing some tough assignments.

Admittedly, though, some days are better than others. For instance, if my son decides to sleep a little later, I can usually pull off an A-.  An extra half-hour of sleep can go a long way when it comes to conference calls.  Plus, it gives me a little more time to get my son out of his PJ’s before the nanny arrives.  If my mom’s in town (as she is currently), I’m good for a solid A. I can leave as early and stay as late as I need to and not worry about rushing home.  I can walk in the door and relax while putting my son to bed.

But there are days where I’m so tired and brain-dead that crafting coherent sentences reminds me of pre-Calculus.  And I end up saying things like “cool,” on a client conference call when really, the story my client just told wasn’t all that.  Or I give my son jarred baby food because I’m just too tired to deal with crafting a toddler meal.  Those days I’m lucky to squeak by with a B. (Ok, B-.)

Overall, though, if I had to grade myself on average, I’d say I’m hovering in the B+ range.  I’m just a few points away from greatness, but at least I’m at the top of the heap of my group.  And, I just read that even Einstein was expelled from school when he was young.  I guess making the good grade really is all relative.

Tags: Einstein, working mom, work-life balance, ‘A’ Game, consulting speak

Follow the RSS Feed, leave a response, or trackback from your own site.