Surprise CEO

When walking down the aisle, clutching my dad’s arm, trying to smile, balance on my high heels, kick my hem forward so I wouldn’t step on it, hold up a 10lb bouquet and navigate a stair…my career was the last thing on my mind. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I was signing up for the biggest job of my life. The other day, while running errands and thinking about the mortgage payment, I wondered about how difficult and complicated life can be—why is it so hard to get basic tasks like dishes, laundry and bills done? Then it hit me, I have always separated my personal life from my professional life- but the fact is that I am the C.E.O. of my household. I work in administration, so organization at the office has never been a big problem for me- but I have never taken those professional skills and applied them specifically to my home. I may have been working sporadically in the current economy, but I have been an Executive Director since I was 25.

If our household was a nonprofit organization, I would be the CEO and my husband would be the board. He works hard, cares deeply for our mission, brings in the majority of the operating budget and works on special projects. But, he is not focused on the daily-run-of-the-mill-like-the-bathroom-needs-to-be-cleaned household details. Which means, that if something needs to be done around the house…I’m the one who has to do it.

So. What does it mean to be a Household CEO? How do to you run an effective household? What are the rewards and trials of this kind of life?

Also, how do you balance your home/work life? How do you make career decisions that also help your home? On the flip side, if you are a stay-at-home mom or wife, how do you handle those cultural pressures to be at work?

I’m here to share and to find out. I hope to add some additional bloggers from different walks of life to provide some more perspective. I feel the need to have a forum here because I haven't found one that incorporates the standard 'tricks and tips' of homemaking with a discussion on how to be a woman who is comfortable and professional at both work and home.