To: Marissa Mayer, Yahoo! CEO
From: The editors of Working Mother
Re: How to Thrive as a New Working Mom
Baby boy Bogue has arrived! Congrats! Along with our heartiest congratulations on the birth of your son, the editors of Working Mother have crafted this cheat sheet of important strategies you'll need to help you transition from Yahoo! CEO to Yahoo! CEO Mom.
Here's what you need to know:
1. Define your parenting style. Marissa, you're setting the course for Yahoo! Now, before you entrust your baby to his caregivers, set up your parenting principles. We know you have the great luxury of hiring the most experienced, recommended, wonderful nannies available. Still, you and your husband need to be in sync about issues like swaddling, sleep schedules and screen time so you can pass along your values to your support staff.
2. Beware of Twitter TMI. You're in the business of e-talking (hey, so are we). And the Internet is a treasure trove of information for new moms, rife with personal "How I survived the newborn phase" war stories. But sharing isn't always caring, so save the really private stuff for your personal FB page or simply email close friends and family quick little updates. You know how quickly e-tidbits go viral, and you don't want to broadcast info about your baby that might embarrass him down the line.
3. Find time to bond. Most moms feel that the weeks following their baby's birth fly by in a joyous but hazy blur of holding, burping and bathing. While you've said you plan to staying home only about two weeks before heading back to the office (your choice, and that's fine), you still want to make sure to find quiet moments to connect and bond with your infant in the weeks to come -- for your sake as well as his.
4. Rethink your workflow. Before baby, you could sleep at the office overnight after a late meeting if you wanted to. Dinner was just a dial away. After baby, well, it's time to delegate, delegate, delegate. Structure your workload to attend to crucial projects first so you can make it home in time for your tot's evening feeding.
5. Walk the talk. Being the CEO of a Fortune 500 company requires that you're always the consummate pro. But mommy talk -- chatting with colleagues about your kiddo and your work-life strategies -- is not only healthy for you, it also supports your mom-baby connection while you're on the job. What's more, you'll set a strong family-friendly example for other Yahoo! moms and for working moms everywhere.
6. Set up work life flex. Whether it's going home for lunch, multitasking during meetings or grabbing extra computer time during your commute, make sure you're as fully present when with your baby as you are when you're at work. And try to flex: It's what every working mom wants. Work at home a day a week if you can swing it, and ensure that your staffers can do the same.
7. But expect snafus. You're making sure your baby will always be in loving, capable hands. But an unexpected emergency or illness might mean ditching your morning meeting without hesitation. You've got the brains and resources to do whatever you need to do to be an exemplary working mom. Still, balancing it all will be a day-to-day dance that you--like all working moms -- are trying to figure out as you go.