"When your mother was not setting expectation properly and yet was keeping you accountable, it felt unfair. You remember that. So take those learnings and apply them in the workforce..." – Valerie Cockerell

The skills and experiences of motherhood translate into essential and effective leadership skills. Valerie Cockerell started to find similarities between the challenges of managing a park to the struggles of parenting. Throughout our conversation, she emphasizes the valuable skills mothers acquire through managing a household, such as time management, conflict resolution, and crisis management. Her own experiences as both a mother and a leader within a global company have shaped her perspective on leadership.

Feedback should be seen as a gift for growth or an opportunity to become better in our roles. Valerie emphasizes the distinction between judging character and changing behavior. She points out that many emerging leaders lack proper training, which can lead to difficulties for both them and their teams. That's where Valerie's book, "Manage Like a Mother", comes in. It offers practical advice on various leadership competencies, all which have are inspired by the amazing qualities of mothers.

Valerie believes that men can learn from the naturally honed leadership skills of mothers. Once that value is recognized it is important to promote more women, especially mothers, into leadership positions. There have been positive changes in the park industry, with more moms and women taking on influential roles as park rangers. Recognizing and valuing the diverse skills of mothers can lead to a more inclusive and nurturing workplace environment.

Mothers have a special way of influencing and teaching people to do something in a way that people then want to do because they see value in it. This is also a strength of great leaders. When employees are guided by that type of leadership it ensures that even when the leader is not present, tasks are still performed. The team understands their importance and contribution to the overall objective.

Make sure to take a listen to this unique perspective on leadership and the parallels with motherhood. Let us know what stood out to you in this conversation and how you see it influencing your park leadership. Join the conversation on this topic using #ManageLikeaMother.

Connect with Valerie:

Order the book - Manage Like a Mother

Email - [email protected].

LinkedIn - Connect with Valerie

Resources

www.parkleaders.com

https://parkleaders.com/about/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theparkleaders/

Episode Highlights

[00:02:20] Childhood memories foraging for mushrooms in France bring appreciation for American national parks.

[00:05:40] "Beautiful parks, crowded with people, but nostalgic."

[00:10:12] Limited leadership training leads to difficult leadership.

[00:15:24] Feedback is a gift for improvement.

[00:18:15] Being a manager is difficult without training, much like parenting.

[00:20:31] Men need to recognize and advocate for leadership skills they see in women.

[00:23:49] Motherhood is like leading a team; influence is key.

[00:27:52] Don't rush, learn and seek guidance.