IWD 2024: Balancing a successful high-tech career with motherhood

Picture this: a bustling household with four energetic kids ages 2-11 darting around, their laughter (or let's be honest, screams) echoing through the rooms. Amidst the chaos—there I am, at my desk, trying to lead a Zoom meeting with sales leadership across the globe. Welcome to the daily balancing act that defines my life. 

In the fast-paced world of high-tech, advancing a career while embarking on the journey of motherhood can seem daunting, if not impossible. I joined Tufin, a global cybersecurity technology company, back in 2010 during its start-up stages. Fast forward to today, Tufin is now 500+ employees large, and still going strong. With its incredible expansion, I've had the opportunity to advance in my career while simultaneously nurturing a growing family. While juggling personal self-fulfilment with the demands of motherhood has certainly been challenging, I've learned that with a relentless pursuit of balance, it is not only achievable —but also profoundly rewarding.

Unfortunately, there's no magic formula for the perfect equilibrium, but here are a few key takeaways from my personal journey:

Choose Family-Friendly Companies: Seek out organizations that value and respect family life. At Tufin, I've found unwavering support for my personal and familial decisions —whether it's accommodating two international work relocations (based on personal choices), allowing me the flexibility to leave work early twice/week to pick up my children from aftercare, or warmly welcoming impromptu appearances by my toddler during virtual meetings.

Embrace a Global Approach: While it's common today to run globally dispersed teams, being successful requires adept time management. I structure my day to capitalize on the varying time zones—allocating strategic planning during off-peak hours and focusing on operational duties when the entire team is online. This split allows me to optimize productivity across the U.S., EMEA and APAC time zones we operate in.

Utilize Communication Tools for Efficiency: Platforms like Slack have revolutionized how we collaborate, enabling rapid decision-making and seamless communication across geographies. Slack also allows you to add team members to different workgroup conversations for instant communication around themed topics/projects. This is invaluable when efficient, effective communications can truly make a difference in your day.

Minimize Unnecessary Meetings: Opt for communication channels such as email or Slack to convey tactical information that doesn't require collaboration. Reducing the number of recurring meetings allows time to be utilized for more productive tasks, which becomes important when striving to reach that balance.

Prioritize Family Time: Despite the demands of a busy schedule, I carve out dedicated moments for my family, including leaving work early twice each week. While it often requires working later in the evening, these days are used to create memories and strengthen familial bonds—which serves as a reminder of what truly matters.

Practice Self-Compassion: Acknowledge challenges and be empathetic towards yourself. Set realistic goals for both work and home life, employing the 80/20 rule to focus on tasks with the highest impact—whether it be prioritizing a major work project, or making sure to be available for a child's milestone event. Sometimes less significant tasks will have to stay on the sidelines, and that's OK. Most importantly, recognize that balance is fluid and there's nothing wrong with recalibrating priorities as needed.

Don't Limit Yourself: Reject the notion of choosing between career advancement and family life. It's possible to have both, provided you define what's truly important to you—and take proactive steps to achieve a reality where both enrich and fulfills you.

In closing, let's not sugarcoat it—balancing motherhood and a career in high-tech is not without its obstacles. There will be days of triumph and moments of doubt, but with determination, perseverance, and a supportive network, you can break barriers and carve out a path that defies your own expectations. 

So go for it—embrace the dual role, you're capable of achieving greatness in both your career and family life.