Preparing to be out

Family is by far the most important aspect of my life. My career is also a big part of who I am, and its a part of my life that I fully intend to continue developing. I truly believe that my current role as a Sales Manager is an ideal position for me. Truth be told, it definitely has its challenging days, but at the end of the day (even the difficult ones), I really believe this position suits me. On many days I'm more of a coach than anything else. Working to develop sales talent is something that I'm very passionate about. My competitive nature gets a continuous workout as I strive to beat the comps of my own team month after month and year after year.



I'm quite glad that I have 2 1/2 years of management under my belt (which coincidentally, I'm not wearing anymore as the belly starts to do quite a good job of holding my pants up :). I work in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment and most of the time, I absolutely thrive under it. There are times when the job kicks my butt, but I thoroughly enjoy coming back the next day and returning the favor.



Being on leave when I have 10 sellers on my team, 3 of them being very new, and a multi-million dollar budget to hit is a bit daunting. I sincerely care about the livelihood of the people I work with and feel a bit responsible for their successes (and yes, their hiccups too). Realizing that its my right to take 12 weeks of leave and how important this bonding time with Little B will be is a given. In many ways I'm very eager for the opportunity to really get to help Little B adjust to this new world (and me adjust to Little B). I want to be the best parent I can be....and will make every effort to do this.



At the same time, I'm a bit nervous about the team that I leave. I want them to be as successful and productive as possible. Not just so that we hit our station's goals, but so that my AEs make the income they want to. I guess it will be a real litmus test--- and I truly hope to see the results I know they can achieve. I'll do everything that I can to prepare for being out--- and set them up for as many wins as possible---but when it comes down to it, what they are able to accomplish will really be up to them.



12 weeks just seems like a lot of time. On one hand, I know I'll be cherishing the time with our new baby. But I will also be rooting for my work team to show me all they've got and help me return to a highly producing team.



Time will tell. I guess all working mothers start to think about balancing work and home lives. I'm sure this will be the first of many posts on such a topic.