Natalia Seng, Vice Chairman of Tricor Hong Kong and Offshore
Much has been written about the contemporary challenge of being a working mother. Rightly so: it isn’t easy. As a business leader and a mother, I’m often asked how I simultaneously manage both roles. While no two days are alike, I can say that it is a constant balance.
Everyone is different and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but here are five ways that I make it work for me:
1. Take a decision. And then move on.
If you want something done, give it to a busy person. If you want it done quickly, give it to a working mother. Balancing my responsibilities at home with those in the office have helped to me to become a more assertive decision maker. I don’t have the time to linger over any one particular issue. Rather, I take a decision and then move on to the next one. This assertive approach has also enabled me to multi-task across my personal and professional responsibilities, ensuring I stay on top of details, big and small.
2. Trust your team and delegate accordingly
I’m only one person and while I can inform many decisions, I can’t take them all. So I delegate. At home, I’m fortunate to be supported by my helper, husband and extended family. They each make an invaluable contribution to our household, enabling me to relax at home and focus at work. I couldn’t do it without them nor do I pretend otherwise.
In the office, I accept that while I cannot supervise every project, I can choose the people who will. I take great care to select my team members so that I can be fully confident in their capabilities. Once I learn their styles and strengths, I enable them to make decisions accordingly.
3. Embrace flexibility
University entrance exams. Athletic competitions. School plays. These are the milestone moments that define childhood and I know from experience how every parent wants to be present for them. Having benefited from flexible work arrangements as my own child matured, I’m proud to now champion Tricor’s policy of letting parents take time off at short notice to attend their family responsibilities.
Your child only grows up once and if you are fortunate to work in a flexible and empathetic team, take the opportunity to be present for the moments that define family life. Of course, flexibility only works when colleagues support one another and so the next time you have the opportunity to cover for a colleague, take it. You’ll benefit in turn one day.
4. Never stop learning
Everyone has something to learn and something to teach, regardless of their age. My child has taught me about the challenges facing young people today and helped me to better relate to my junior colleagues. I may be advanced in my career, but through my child I see with fresh eyes what it means to make one’s way in the world.
In turn, working with young professionals has made me more sensitive to the pressures that my child must feel. Learning about the ambitions and anxieties of young people today makes me more sympathetic to my child’s own journey into adulthood. By learning from those around me in both my personal and professional lives, I am more effective and empathetic in both.
5. Take each day as it comes
No one is perfect. I’m proud to be both a mother at home and a leader at work but I don’t pretend to always get the balance right. Some days there isn’t a balance: I’ll go straight from one meeting to another without time to check in on what’s going on at home. Business trips, corporate functions and client emergencies can also disrupt family plans. Such is life.
But on the weekends and during holidays, I prioritise my family. We may not have much time together, but it is always quality time.
Balancing one’s personal and professional responsibilities may not be easy, but with the help of supportive colleagues and family, it’s never impossible. Motherhood has made me the leader I am today.
