My alarm went off this morning at 6. Like it usually does.  And I pressed snooze.  Twice.  Like I usually do.  I knew today would be a doozy.  4 kids in 2 schools operating virtually with 2 different start times and 3 different lunch times. 3 meetings today.  And a child’s doctor visit.  And, as 2020 would have it, 2 meetings were at the same time and the doctor’s visit was smack dab in the middle of a meeting. At 6:18, I stumbled out of bed to let the dog out and decide if I was going to work out or just stare into the mid-distance over a second cup of coffee.  Like I usually do.  Given the workload and seeming impossible tasks before me, I opted for yoga, hoping downward facing dog and tree pose would work their magic and make my usual intense-self chill, or, at least, chill-esque.  During my third sun salutation, I decided which meetings I would simply mute and have my camera off and look at the slides later, which I would take on my phone, and which I had to be fully present for and lead conversations. I decided I could do this.  I could be in two places at once. Twice.  All while proctoring school.  It was fine. After all, our work culture dictates that we are superheroes. But I didn’t need magic. I wouldn’t need a time turner or to completely horcrux myself to make it work, but what I would need was grace.  Both from myself and my co-workers. Could our always flying high work culture handle this level of humanity?

The first two meetings went off without a hitch.  Well, except for the fact that my kids kept commenting how one meeting was still happening on my computer when I was focusing more on the meeting on my phone.  Also, at one point, recognizing that I was clearly not paying attention to the school proctoring as much as I normally do, one child wondered off and was later found playing in their room.  I am sorry Mr. M; I tried.

The third meeting was going well and I was on camera for a bit at the beginning but then had to mute and cut off my camera because I had to rally a child to drop them off at their appointment.  Thankfully, that same child who’d wandered off from school did not wander off when it was time to go and didn’t even blink an eye when at first my meeting came blaring through my car’s Bluetooth and not through my earbuds as intended.

All was going well in my meeting.  I’d arrived at the child’s appointment and was unmuted, telling a team member how great of a job they had done.  It was the day she was presenting a deliverable to a client and honestly, our web designer Jack is a gem and so darn talented it is easy to bestow praise upon her work.  But then my kid’s doctor spoke to me and I blurted out to the doctor, “Oh we were touch and go there for a minute, but we righted the ship and are here.”

And then from Jack I heard, “Ummm…Elizabeth?  You aren’t on mute.”

Gulp.  What had the client and my co-workers just heard?

They heard a mom being in two places at once.  I stared at my phone and saw 4 faces smiling and chuckling a bit.  4 women who had clearly all been there and done that.  I didn’t see annoyance or frustration or even a hint that I should’ve been doing anything other than that which I was doing: my best in the midst of chaos.

What a gift.

I wrote to my boss later in the afternoon that I was so grateful to be on the call with women.  That I was embarrassed but I realized that I had nothing to apologize for.  I was being present for my child and present for work. I saw grace and acceptance in their faces.  And I thanked Manic Maple for crafting a work culture in which actual humans living actual lives could flourish. I wrote to her, “In the midst of a pandemic, it is a must for any company to thrive” and that at least from my perspective our company culture did not have to pivot too much to include the fact that we are all now wearing more hats than usual.

Tiffany, our illustrious co-founder and CGO wrote back,

“Thank you.  I really want to make sure that our guiding principles include graciousness.  I want to promote a culture where women are appreciated and understood.  You can rock a career and motherhood.  You don’t need to forsake one for the other.  I am thankful to have you and the rest of the team.  It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a team to create and run a successful business.  With former employers, I experienced sexism, and I experienced discrimination due to my asthma and allergies.  By experiencing toxic work environments, I was able to visualize a work culture that embodied the opposite. I wanted to create a company culture of inclusivity, transparency, and compassion. Where everyone raises each other up for the common good.  I try every day to create that culture.  I want everyone to be heard and appreciated.  I want you to know that you do a great job of raising everyone up, as well.  I couldn’t do this alone.  It takes all of us.  I am grateful that you are kind enough to let me know that you are grateful.”

Ladies and gentlemen, THIS.  This is what we need more of.  More room in every sphere for humanity.  In the midst of 2020, and in the midst of so much unknown, I am grateful to know in my bones that MPWRSource thrives on empowering others.  Not just because that is how growth occurs and we see the most ROI and turn the most leads into sales and all that other business stuff that pays the bills, but also because that is the most fruitful environment for everyone.  We are truly a team, a superhero squad.  And I know that with my team members by my side, the sky is the limit.