If there was a job description for the role of mother, “multitasker” would be the first bullet point.
I was fortunate to grow up with a mother who was a skilled multitasker. She had to be because she raised five children — including two sets of twins — all born in a three-year window! Her ability to juggle many responsibilities, her children’s schedules and her own passions was inspiring. She was a rock in our military family, and I still feel her influence today as I work to balance my personal and professional responsibilities and the many important AME projects that are happening concurrently.
On behalf of AME’s staff and volunteers, I wish all the mothers in our ranks a happy Mother’s Day. You continue to be inspiring to me, to your colleagues and to your families.
While steady progress has been made in recent decades to create gender equity in the workforce, statistics reveal that the pandemic has disproportionately affected women’s jobs. As we build back our economies, we cannot lose these valuable voices in our organizations.
Since last spring, the pressures on businesses have caused them to look for new and different ways to survive. Those organizations with more perspectives at the table are destined to have greater success. In fact, companies in the top quartile for executive team gender diversity were 21% more likely to experience above-average profitability according to McKinsey’s analysis of 2017 data.
AME continues to partner with Women in Manufacturing (WIM) to offer joint memberships for women and men. We support WIM’s mission and know that it is imperative that we build workplaces that are diverse, equitable and inclusive. We are committed to looking at AME’s own programming and decision making through the DEI lens.
We also must encourage our organizations to understand the benefits of having women and mothers at every level of the business. Acknowledging their multitasking power on Mother’s Day is a start.
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
P.S. As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up in a military family and worked for a large defense contractor, so I am particularly excited that AME will announce our Defense & Government Lean Summit details next week. Keep an eye out for more information about the program and registration. In the meantime, please save space on your calendar for June 8-9!
