Open Letter to Working Moms and Dads
Dear Working Mom or Dad,
If you care about raising great kids while also being great at your
job, welcome! If a typical week has you trying to be your best at work,
then running home to help your children with their spelling words, or
science projects – and your calendar is so crazy that it would
frighten any sane human being, you’re in the right place.
Crazy busy. Do you occasionally feel stressed? Exhausted?
Maybe even a bit guilty? But you wouldn’t trade your great family
or your great job for anything? Yep, you’re one of us. We love
our families and really like our work, or at least we really like what
our work provides – income, benefits, prestige, identity, satisfaction
and even camaraderie. And sometimes a free polo-shirt or a shiny plaque.
For six years, I was the sales columnist for BusinessWeek.com. Writing,
speaking, podcasting on my favorite subject – sales – was
a great gig. I’d had various sales jobs and companies over the
prior 20 years. But I left it all behind to start Hug Your Kids Today.
Our message is: Forget work-life balance. It’s the wrong goal.
Rather, we suggest prioritizing, which is a basic business skill. We
recommend putting “family first, and work a close second.”
That is, hug your kids, spouse/partner, and loved ones, and then get
to work.
Tough teachers. I wish I’d learned this important
message while skipping down a country road on a sunny day, but like
most lessons, I learned it the hard way. In 1998, when my son, Mark,
was 8 ½ years old, the doctors thought he just had the flu. Eleven
days later, he died of brain cancer. Mark was smart, funny and kind
– and he didn’t live to start the fourth grade. What an
emotional wipe-out for our family, as you can imagine.
So in 2008, I walked from the bright lights of BusinessWeek to the business
of hugs. I wrote the handbook for the project: Hug Your Kids Today!
5 Key Lessons for Every Working Parent, started National Hug Your Kids
Day and now I speak and write full time to groups of people just like
you.
When Apple Computer was just starting, Guy Kawasaki’s job title
was Evangelist. I’m the Evangelist for Hug Your Kids Today, but
I don’t work alone. Dozens of people have stepped up and helped.
Some helped me with YouTube videos, made signs, wrote me a song, choreographed
a dance – or just told me their stories. Maybe you would like
to help too.
I would welcome your help for:
1. Invitations to speak and / or bring books to large
groups of working parents. This is a brilliant move if you’re
in leadership in HR (Human Resources), Sales, or Marketing. I also speak
to business, civic, religious and community groups. This message crosses
all ethnicities, nationalities, ages, faiths, abilities, and lifestyles.
Hugging your kids is a universal desire of all parents – and their
children!
2. Introductions to visionary leaders in HR (Human
Resources), Sales, or Marketing. Maybe it’s your boss, or your
spouse or a friend-of-a-friend. Call them up or email them (and cc me)
and tell them about Hug Your Kids Today.
3. Sponsors for the national holiday – either in-kind
or cash sponsorships. It’s Monday, July 20, 2009 this year. In future
years, it’s the third Monday in July, which is near Mark’s
anniversary. Call me and let’s talk about what would work best for
you.
4. ? What does your heart or gut tell you? Contact me and let's talk.
Global goal. My BHG (Big, Hairy Goal) is that someday, there will be a day when every child on this planet will be hugged by a parent or a guardian. And when that day comes, you’ll know you had a part in it.
So check out the site. Watch some of the videos. Dream a bit. Then call me up or email me. Let's talk.
You matter. Your kids matter. Your family matters. Your work matters. This work matters.
And don’t forget – to hug your kids today!
Your fellow working parent,
Michelle Nichols
Founder, Hug Your Kids Today
Author, Hug Your Kids Today! 5 Key Lessons for Every Working Parent
Creator, National Hug Your Kids Day
Contact. Call direct (775) 303-8201 or toll-free (877) 352-9684 or email: hugs@hugyourkidstoday.com