Some CEOs planning to take parental leave must have felt anxious about their jobs at times. Taking a step back at work is like losing a part of their body, especially if there are more tasks to finish in a week or month.
Planning ahead of this excuse is always important so the other executives won't feel overwhelmed about your next move.
You need to learn some tips while taking a leave for your baby or husband/wife. Here are the three things you need to consider before proceeding to the next step.
Inform Everyone that You Need More Time
Here are some of the best advices for CEOs who are planning to take paternal or maternal leave.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Base Operations CEO Cory Siskind said that her friend Jules Miller advised her to be mindful of everyone who will be left with some unfinished work.
"Tell everyone you are going to take 12 weeks, and if you want to come back earlier, great. But you never know what this experience will throw at you," Miller, an investor from Mindset Ventures, said.
It turns out that what Miller told her was true. There came a time when she and her husband needed to move thrice in three weeks because of an unexpected flood.
Jules was right this time. If it wasn't for her advice, Cindy might not have seen the disaster that might affect her family.
Because of the incident, she has not yet regained her energy, which gave her some breathing space to think about what they should do next.
Indeed, we never know what life will throw at us. It's either we experience luck or mishap. At those times, we only need to be ready to assess the situation carefully before returning to work.
Prepare and Step Back
Siskind shared that planning and preparing for the next phase of her life as a CEO and mother should take a longer time.
It took her weeks to validate their milestones as they moved forward toward another series of investments. As a CEO, she outlined the company's goals to see if it's aligned with the mission and vision.
Since she's currently handling an "early-stage" firm, she feels like a newbie in planning. However, her parental leave has opened doors for other employees to step up and redirect their purpose to the organization's objectives.
It shows that hiring and planning well for the company's welfare is always better. After thorough planning, then it's time to step back for the next step.
Make a Detailed Communication Structure Ahead
The key to ensuring that the company will function even without the CEO is communicating with your officials before your absence.
Establishing a "detailed" communication structure in case you take parental leave is very important. If the team has urgent needs to ask, you should make ends meet by establishing an online connection with them.
By simply giving your email or site where they can contact you, you can respond to them without any problem on your behalf.
What Cindy did is to communicate with other employees via phone. She finds it helpful and effective after some time.
Moreover, she said that every CEO should take time off, but this is just a matter of personal decision. It's needed for the leader to recover and regain some strength after a stressful situation in his/her life.
For more CEO Tips, you can check Team Building's hacks to help aspiring executives develop their skills in 2023.
