In my last blog, I shared the importance of grit in developing great leaders. I used my mother as an example of modeling grit, which includes continuously learning and not letting obstacles or setbacks hold you back from achieving your dreams.
My mom, who has long been an editor of my writing, didn’t get a chance to read the blog before it was released. She has always given me honest feedback, even when it wasn’t easy to hear. She said something missing in the blog was I didn’t share any of my character-building lessons that helped develop my grit. In the blog, I mentioned that it is equally important for successful leaders to share their hard lessons on the path to success. Most did not have smooth sailing as they worked toward their goals.
I, too, have had setbacks that made me question if I really wanted to lead or if I could overcome the barriers in my way. I could write a book on them. One that comes to mind is for women leaders who aspire to lead while still knocking it out of the park as a mother.
I took my first shot at my dream job being a CEO of an economic development organization when I was six weeks postpartum. My boss at the time was leaving for another role one day after I had my third son. By the time I would come back to my job after my 12-week maternity leave, the new CEO search would be well underway.
My former boss encouraged me to apply for his role, but this would mean I would have to make my interest known well before I was ready to come back to work. After just four weeks on maternity leave, I had a meeting with our board chairman, who was heading the CEO search.
At that point, I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in four weeks. Let’s just say I was a bit of an emotional wreck. The meeting was a disaster; I ended up crying during the meeting when he told me I should focus on my baby and that my current job would be there when I got back. He said I could apply for the CEO job, but it would be a national search.
I took that as a challenge and went all in on securing the CEO role. I came back from maternity leave after six weeks. I almost killed myself trying to juggle a new baby, my other two kids, and being in a work environment where everyone was on edge due to the CEO search. No surprise, I didn’t get the job.
As I look back, one of my regrets as a full-time working mom is taking those precious weeks away from my newborn son. I knew I wasn’t going to get the role after that first meeting, but my pride and determination wouldn’t allow me to take ‘no’ for an answer.
This setback pushed me to leave that organization, which eventually led to my dream job today as CEO of Lakeshore Advantage. For all you moms of young children: work can wait. Take the time, enjoy the smell of your newborn baby, and stay in your mom bubble as long as possible. No job or work experience will ever be able to replace those moments. You can have it all—just not all at the same time. Remember, true grit is not just about persevering through challenges; it’s about knowing when to pause, reflect, and prioritize what truly matters in life.
Jennifer Owens is the president of Lakeshore Advantage, the leading economic development organization for West Michigan’s Ottawa and Allegan counties.
