3 ways working moms can capitalize on the pandemic and use it to surge higher in their careers

• Erin Hatzikostas is a former corporate CEO turned career coach, speaker and podcast host. She is the founder and CEO of b Authentic inc.
• The pandemic has put innumerable challenges on the shoulders of working mothers.
• But as work norms have had to adapt, there may also be some opportunities for working mothers to get ahead.
• Being able to network virtually, and incorporate your authentic self and life into work, can be new advantages from this time.

At any given time, I'm one "Mommy, can you help me with something real quick?" away from losing it.

And I know I'm not alone. Most of us are probably one small step away from losing it at any given moment. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown its share of curveballs at every human on the planet.

But recently "working moms" have been placed on the top of that curveball list. There have been no shortage of articles and discussions about the disproportionate, negative impact COVID has had on working moms.

Unfortunately, we still live in a world where, on average, women make less money and also shoulder more of the parenting burden. Add "teacher" to that list, and some might call that the straw that breaks a momma's back.

In fact, McKinsey & Company, in partnership with Lean In, recently released their annual "Women in the Workplace" study. It showed that, for the first time since the study began, women are leaving the workplace more than men. It's the "first female recession."

Yes, we absolutely have an issue with women not being able to progress (or even sustain) their position in the workplace. But this is not a new problem. This is simply a symptom of an ongoing issue.

A 2015 Harvard Business School study found that women actually believe they can attain high-level positions as much as men do. However, they found that women are far more likely to expect negative outcomes as a result of pursuing these high-level positions.

That is, many women believe there is an anti-correlation between their success at work and their ability to manage the rest of their life — their marriage, family, health ... or even who they are.

COVID has simply shone a huge spotlight on an issue we've been dealing with for decades — ones that can be solved, if we start to think differently.

Here's the good news: While COVID absolutely has thrown even more on many working moms' shoulders, it has also shaken up many of the workplace "rules" and dynamics that have previously held women back.

It's imperative we recognize this window of opportunity and enable women to take action and advantage of this moment.

There are three areas of opportunity that I believe can help women surge and stand out in this time of COVID.

Network virtually

When I was the CEO of a mid-size company, I distinctly recall the anxiety I felt regarding my (at least perceived) shortcoming as it related to networking. When you lead an organization, a big part of your role is to continually develop external relationships and partnerships. You're the "deal maker."

Being a deal maker usually meant you had to travel to tens of conferences each year, leaving your family for three to five days. Or you might have to hop on a plane at a moment's notice to fly halfway across the country to have a steak dinner and wine to seal the deal with a potential customer.

That is hard to do as a mom.

It's not that I never traveled, but I always said, "I'm picky with my travel." I often had to pick one trip over another, so as not to cause too many disturbances in our home-life routine.

All of that has changed with COVID. And it has likely changed forever.

What once was considered lame and quite awkward — the video conference call — has now become a commonplace, daily routine for most of the workforce. I have met (and bonded) with more people over the last six months than I did in my last three years working in the corporate world. Certainly nothing can quite replace a coffee and a handshake, but I think we've all learned you can come darn close with a video call. Not to mention, video conferences have massive, other benefits. For example, you can hang up and immediately go for a run or take your kids to soccer practice!

But this, like anything else, isn't something you can just let happen to you; you have to take action and make it happen. There are a few simple ways to get started:

• Reconnect one-on-one with former colleagues or bosses. Find something that will create a mutually-beneficial meet-up. For example, you just met someone that you think could help an old boss out with their latest venture. Use that as a catalyst to meet with your former boss. The more you can ensure the networking is two-sided, the more powerful (and natural) it will be!
• Set up mini-tribes of people that can help you maintain or raise your energy. It's ok to have several iterations of these. Take the initiative to gather a group of friends that are in similar work situations as you and meet monthly to help each other out.
• If you're not sure who to network with, or maybe you just want to be sure to expand your circle, there are services out there that can help you.

Include your children in your work

I know this may seem like your classic "circular reference" error, but stick with me here. Well before the times of COVID, there has been a lot of support for moving beyond the concept of work-life balance to work-life integration.

What I'm talking about here is a richer definition of that. That is, make a conscious effort to include your children in your work. Essentially take the blurred lines that come with work-life integration and decorate those lines with markers, glitter, and little googly eyes (all brought together with some very messy glue!).

Including your children in your work can have tremendous benefits in both directions. Your children start to see your work less as a competitor to their attention and more as something they can be included in, learn from, and have input into. Conversely, your children (well, if they're over five) can provide shockingly helpful input and direction into the work you're doing.

For example, earlier this year I had to submit a video application for a TEDx Talk I was applying to. Instead of simply finding a time I could kick my 11 and nine-year-old out of our shared office/homework room to film the video, I asked them to help me put it together. They ended up influencing and changing much of what I initially thought would be the script.

In the end, I was selected! I truly believe that without their input and guidance, I wouldn't have put together the authentic video the talk deserved. And they of course learned so much and now feel much more a part of the final talk.

Here are a few ways to begin integrating your children into your work:

• Get their input on a project you're working on. Give them the background and ask them some pointed questions. You'll be amazed at the ideas they'll spark and impact that their fresh perspective can make.
• Use their everyday stories as metaphors and inspiration to others around you. Children are story-making factories. For example, I often tell others the story about a bike ride I took with my son, and the different lessons that our adventure taught me that can apply to work and life. Start a meeting with a story like this. Or include it in a presentation you're doing for a group.
• If you have to travel, consider taking them with you. I know that this is a challenge during COVID, but this is something I want you to put into your playbook. If you're speaking at a conference, consider taking at least one of them along. I had a friend tell me that one time she wanted to meet a colleague for dinner. She brought her daughter and her daughter's friend with her, and she got them a table adjacent to where she and her colleague were sitting. The girls had a "grown-up" dinner (homework, coloring books, etc. on hand) while she had her networking meeting. Win-win!

Purposefully use your authenticity

If there is a big, positive trend that came with COVID, it is authenticity in the workplace. Our desperate need to "survive" a new world has busted down the old walls. When you have celebrities forced to film their shows while kids run throughout their house, it becomes instant permission and inspiration to allow others to be more authentic in their work too.

And authenticity does not simply mean to "be yourself." It's a much more nuanced and powerful concept. The Greek origin of the word is "Authentikos," which means to be genuine, original, and authoritative.

When you learn to not only embrace the concept of authenticity but also start to use it strategically and consciously, it's like a fast-pass to gaining people's trust. It also helps you stand out from all the other boring, by-the-book people out there.

So how can you proactively start to use authenticity to not just survive, but thrive, in this new world? Here are a few starter plays for your authenticity playbook:

• Reinvent how you introduce yourself — on your resume, in your LinkedIn profile, or when introducing yourself to others. Replace the traditional business buzzword bingo with stories. Talk like a human or even make fun of yourself a bit (humility is a key component to authenticity.) Watch how people get pulled in, become curious, and connect with you almost immediately.
• Change your out of office (OOO) message when you take time off. Replace the boring, "I will be out of the office. I will get back to you when blah, blah, blah" to something more engaging like, "Feeling pretty burnt out, so we are taking a long weekend in Vermont. I'll get back to you when I'm much less grumpy." Just a simple change like this starts to signal that it's ok to be authentic. And it also will likely inspire others to do the same.
• Start a meeting with a story instead of simply running through the agenda. Whether it's a story inspired by your children, something that happened to you 20 years ago, or something you just read about, stories are remembered 22 times more than when you simply spew out facts. In this era of continual distractions, we need people infusing stories into the workplace now more than ever. This is a great opportunity to not only get people to listen to you, it's a great way to stand out from your peers and get noticed as a true leader!

I know that these are tough times. I want to be certain though that women everywhere capitalize on the opportunities as well. This advice, and new way of working, certainly also transcends gender. Most importantly, the more we purposefully leverage these new ways of working and being, the greater chance that the workplace will be a better place, well after COVID has passed.

And that's all I have, because now I have to go review my son's Google Slide about the inventor of saccharin. No doubt, we're all learning something new.

Erin Hatzikostas is a former corporate CEO turned career coach, speaker and podcast host. She is the founder and CEO of b Authentic inc. Her recent TEDx Talk, "Why you don't have to compromise for your career," exposes how women can use authenticity as their new, modern career playbook. You can also listen to her offbeat career podcast, b Cause with Erin & Nicole, or give your career a boost with her free online course, "Unst*ck Yourself."