For most women, becoming a mother is a turning point in theircareer. It’s a time in one’s life that’s rife with challenges, frustrations,and uncertainties, but it’s also when many of life’s most rewarding achievementsand miraculous moments occur. What many new moms figure out rather quickly isthat the skills that they use every day while taking care of children are alsovery applicable in succeeding in business. Nurturing a needy newborn isn’t allthat different from managing a high-maintenance client, and trying to jugglechores and kids can be strikingly similar to the multi-tasking required tomanage a large list of prospects. Here are just a few of the skills that arefine-tuned and mastered the minute you take that leap into motherhood.

Patience

Colicky infants, whiny toddlers, defiant teenagers – If youdidn’t have patience before you had children, you quickly developed this virtueas a parent. And, the patience required for childcare definitely helps you increaseyour tolerance threshold in business. Difficult clients and prospects areplentiful, and patience is the key to unlocking their buying potential.

Time Management

As any new mother knows, time can be a scarce commodity andshouldn’t be wasted frivolously. Whether you need to meet a specific deadlineor only have an hour before your child wakes from a nap, time management skillsare essential to getting things done. Parenthood does wonders for enlighteningwomen (and some men) on the need to budget time wisely, and this skillcertainly gives moms a distinct competitive edge over their child-freecolleagues.

Multi-Tasking

If you’ve ever changed a diaper while on the phone making adoctor’s appointment, while reading an email, you understand multi-tasking.Sure, we’d all love to be able to focus on one task at a time, but in this ageof technology and information, the ability to multi-task is a necessity if youwant to be competitive in the market. Motherhood promotes multi-tasking skillstremendously, and these skills remain with mothers long after the diaperchanges cease.

Training Skills

One of the primary jobs of a parent is to teach your child whatis needed to succeed in the world. This requires you to be a dedicated, skilledtrainer. The same skills are required in business. Whether you’re training aclassroom of seminar attendees or guiding a client through the sales process,the training abilities you’ve acquired as a mother will certainly come in handyin the business world.

Flexibility

Children are full of surprises, and staying flexible is anecessity to maintain sanity. Everyday is full of challenges and interruptions,and if there is one thing that is consistent about parenting, it’s the factthat it’s ever-changing. Inflexibility doesn’t work for parents, nor does itwork in business. People can be indecisive, situations can change, and evenyour role can evolve. Having the flexibility to gracefully manage theunexpected is a skill that will always serve you well, whether with the kids orin the office.