"The competencies required to be a great leader are not very different from the competencies a mother must have to raise her children to be the best they can be." - Valerie Cockerell

Throughout her years as a leader and mother, Valerie Cockerell has learned a number of lessons from people, including her own mom. So many that she wrote, "Manage Like a Mother: Leadership Lessons Drawn from the Wisdom of Mom." She wrote the book to help others learn how to incorporate their mom's leadership lessons into their own approach.

This first episode of the Manage Like a Mother podcast is a conversation with Valerie, where she explores a number of topics around leadership lessons from motherhood. Valerie shares her journey of writing a book on this subject, explaining how it was a challenging yet rewarding exercise. She emphasizes the importance of simplifying leadership and making it more accessible to young and struggling leaders.

Valerie's knowledge and stories do a great job demonstrating the parallels between what it takes to be a great leader and what is needed to be a successful mother. She has found that there are many similarities in training, support, feedback, conflict resolution, crisis management, and time management. She believes that everyone can benefit from these insights, regardless of whether they are mothers or have children.

Valerie's book is filled with relatable stories and practical takeaways for aspiring and existing leaders. This is such a unique look into leadership that provides moms and those with many lessons from their mom, clarity and inspiration in the complex world of leadership.

Order the book, Manage Like a Mother, here. 

Episode Highlights

00:00:06 - Introducing "Manage Like a Mother"
00:04:01 - The Importance of Consistency
00:05:35 - Not Just for Mothers
00:07:52 - What to Expect from the Book
00:15:24 - Men as Advocates for Women
00:15:42 - Stay-at-Home Moms and Leadership Skills
00:16:29 - Being an Ally or an Advocate
00:16:44 - Learning from a Mother's Playbook