Celebrating Corporate Moms – The Masters Of Multitasking — Part 2
Stephenie Lugg-LawrenceSenior Corporate Manager, Marketing, JMMB GroupChildren: Joshua Lawrence (eight years) & Isabel Lawrence (three years)
Lugg-Lawrence is responsible for leading and coordinating the marketing initiatives for selected business lines and segments namely: JMMB Investments, JMMB Fund Managers, JMMB Corporate Solutions, JMMB Capital Markets and the JMMB Group (Jamaica) digital services. This role sees her leading a team which has direct oversight for campaign development, sponsorship, events planning and execution, corporate communications and digital media management and content development in her capacity as a key brand champion, who also supports revenue generation for JMMB Group entities in Jamaica.
“Since March 2020 when COVID-19 hit Jamaica’s shores, I can describe the juggling act as mother and professional in two words — interesting and challenging,” she said in explaining how she has had to change the way she carries out her roles as a mother and a professional this year.
“I have had to learn to be more resilient on both fronts — I have had to upskill as a marketer in an increasingly fast-paced, digital environment, as well as a mother, which means making the most out of every minute, planning ahead and quickly finding solutions that work for me in my home so that I can manage my environment; recognising everyone’s environment is different. Admittedly, there are many occasions when my children go to bed past the prescribed bedtime, and at first I struggled with this and the loss of structure. I have since come to realise that I need to embrace change and be more adaptable, because strangely enough these late bed times actually worked well for my household, so now I am more, fluid and ‘roll with it’.
“Having two children, a full-time job and no additional external help, in a bid to limit my family to persons outside of our ‘bubble’, has been a steep hill that I have learnt to climb. The silver lining is that my children have learnt to be more independent and adaptable, because I cannot do everything and they understand that mommy has to balance between work and home. They also watch more YouTube to keep them entertained and even learn new things.”
What is her motivation for giving her best both at home and at work?
“I am intrinsically motivated as naturally, I am a high achiever and set high targets for myself,” she said. “Additionally, I have always been a busy bee, I really don’t know how to relax… I guess following in my parents’ footsteps. My parents are very hard workers so I really don’t know anything else. My mother had five children and worked six days per week, 12 hours per day. Similarly, my father worked seven days per week, and so as children we too learnt to be independent and responsible very quickly.”
Regarding the attributes she wants her children to emulate, she said, “This is a difficult question, as I want them to be the best they can be and, of course, be better than me. If I had to pick one attribute, I would say resilient. This life and the world can be a challenging place at times, and to overcome obstacles, you cannot give up, you have to keep pushing forward. To truly achieve what you want and to maximise your potential, you have to be resilient. So, with that said, I want them to be resilient.”
Maia WilsonDirector Legal Counsel & Assistant Company Secretary, Scotia GroupChildren: Three boys — Campbell (aged 11), Nathan (aged seven), Quinten (aged five)
Wilson is the in-house legal counsel for Scotia Group including the bank, insurance, and investment companies — providing legal advice for all the business lines and subsidiaries of Scotia Group as well as corporate secretarial support for all the companies within Scotia Group.
AW: How have you had to change the way you carry out your roles as a mother and a professional this year?
MW: The changes have been dramatic. Pre-COVID-19, I tried not to work much at home, I preferred to put in the extra hours at the office so that when I am home, I am fully present with my family. Work from home has thrown that ideal out the door. I now have to be much more strategic with how I use my time and how I prioritise my work.
Since my working hours are now much more flexible, early mornings and late nights have become a regular feature and this allows me to help the boys with schoolwork or with resolving any technical issues during their online classes. My husband Gregory and I take turns helping them out and when I have conference calls or board meetings, they know that it is “Don’t Trouble Mummy” time .
AW: What is your motivation for giving your best both at home and at work?
MW: My children are my ultimate motivation, but I also love my work and I love my family. The way I see it, doing well at work can only mean better things for me and my family. I am happy where I work and with what I do, it’s never a dull day and I am constantly learning — this translates to me being a better parent and partner. I have a very supportive husband and extended family and they give me not only the help I need, but the room I need to continue to grow as a professional. When I do need a break, the grandparents come to the rescue every single time.
AW: What is your number one attribute that you want your child/children to emulate?
MW: Empathy is the number one attribute I want my children to adopt from me. I want my children to try to see things from different perspectives and to be sensitive to the fact that not everyone is in the same position and therefore to appreciate what God has blessed them with. I also find that empathy helps me at work, if I try to understand the other party’s position it is easier to resolve issues and move forward.
Coradale Butler-StewartNestle Jamaica Merchandising Manager & Market NCE ChampionChildren: Bradley-Jacob Stewart — nine years; Olivia Stewart — five years
“As the merchandising manager I am responsible to ensure availability, visibility and accessibility of Nestlé products at the point of purchase by integrating brand strategy and shopper knowhow into merchandising strategy and execution,” Butler Stewart says of her job responsibilities.
“The Market NCE (Nestle Continuous Excellence) Champion, I am responsible for mobilising and aligning continuous improvement across all levels of the organisation.”
She said currently she is a “professional teachers’ assistant” by choice.
“My children are currently learning from home and my working hours are dynamic and flexible so that I can be available during school hours to accommodate them. Working from home has given my children a first-hand insight of how hardworking I am and this has motivated them to work harder in school. Olivia is familiar with the Nestle jargons and ‘pops up’ in most meetings especially when it’s a video call! Bradley, on the other hand, enjoys getting more frequent home-cooked meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” she added.
Working from home has also improved her planning and time management skills.
“My bosses have allowed me the flexibility of setting my schedule for trade visits based on my availability and I work with a very supportive team.
“To be honest I have gotten overwhelmed and stressed many times; however, what has helped is the fact that I have lots of support from my family and work colleagues. Nestle has lots of programmes in place that has helped me to navigate through these changes and I have good support from HR and my direct managers. My family is very closely knit and I talk to my sister about everything – talking really releases the stress,” she shared.
She said she has also refined some of the skills that she gained from being a certified coach to improve how she interacts with her children and improves her performance at work.
“I have refined what you called a CAN mindset:
Conscious – I try to be aware of what’s happening in the moment. Planning and great time management is key.
Agile – Being flexible is key especially with two children, I work with their energy so most times I am “dancing with the moment”. For work, being flexible is critical as problems randomly just pop up, I am forced to be malleable to have continuous improvement in our executions to ensure that the objectives are achieved.
Neutral – I try to be open-minded and neutral for every situation that I face. Just taking a mental step back and reviewing all aspects of a problem makes it easy to identify the root cause and finding the right solutions. Being mindful and doing meditation has also helped.”
She said for her, life changes are constant, “and I have chosen to embrace change and in doing so I will sometimes need the support of others. I have recognised there is no shame or weakness in asking for help”.
Asked about her motivation for giving her best both at home and at work, she said: “Growing up I was always surrounded by strong women – my mother, my grandmother and my five aunts who always gave their best to the family and successfully managed their thriving careers. These women have motivated me unknowingly. It is a pleasure to take on the baton and apply their values to my everyday life.”
“I am also highly intrinsically motivated as I gain pleasure from seeing my success,” she added. “Being a role model for my children, it thrills me to see them excelling at school both academically and in their extra-curricular activities. At work it is a great sense of accomplishment after successfully achieving all my objectives.
Giving of my best in these aspects of my life is basically engrained in my core values and one of my sources of self-fulfilment and actualisation.”
Asked about the attributes that she wants her children to emulate, she shared: “I actually asked my son Bradley this question and this was his response which I am in total agreement with:
Go-getter – “Mom you are always getting stuff done and never stopping until you have it completed”. I always work hard and never let up until I have achieved my goals
For me if you can think or imagine an idea, then it’s only logical that it is achievable.”
Nayana WilliamsCEO & Co Founder Lifespan Spring WaterChildren: Elizabeth (25) and Milan (17)
Williams is co-founder, CEO and managing director of the Lifespan Spring Water Company. She leads the day to day strategic direction of the company.
AW: How have you had to change the way you carry out your roles as a mother and a professional this year?
NW: There have been no major changes to the way I have had to carry out my roles this year; however, I would have to say I have had to be more proactive than usual as a mother and a professional. I have had to anticipate the effects of certain impacts which may arise and make decisions on how to address if and when they arise. I have had to consider the impacts on the individual lives of my team members, therefore our place of work remained a place where we all wanted to learn and perform at our best. Collectively, I believe we have all had to adapt in many ways, but not necessarily change.
AW: What is your motivation for giving your best both at home and at work?
NW: I have a responsibility to my family, my team, my company and brand, therefore I have had to continue full speed ahead without any regrets. I accept the changes as they come and make the most of them with the knowledge that life is constantly evolving. They are my constant motivation to operate at my best and to give all my efforts 100 per cent.
AW: What is your number one attribute that you want your children to emulate?
NW: I want my children to know that nothing is impossible as whatever our minds can conceive and we put in the necessary action, we can and will achieve.
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