Today at work, during a team meeting, my boss told our group that we should “bring our ‘A’ game” to a client project some of us are working on. Being a consultant, I have heard this term a gazillion times, and usually I always nod in eager agreement. In theory, this concept makes a ton of sense: strive for greatness and be a high achiever.
Until I became a mom.
Now, deep in the throes of working motherhood I’m finding hard to consistently be in the “A” game range both at work and at home. I do try often, but most of the time I score a little bit lower. But the more I thought about it, the more I wonder, what’s wrong with a B+?
I got good grades growing up, but never had an all-A average. I was always successful, but never the smartest. No Greek letters at the end of my name in graduation brochures, no special tassles. But yet, here I am working at a great company with my ideal-flexible- working-mom schedule managing some tough assignments.
Admittedly, though, some days are better than others. For instance, if my son decides to sleep a little later, I can usually pull off an A-. An extra half-hour of sleep can go a long way when it comes to conference calls. Plus, it gives me a little more time to get my son out of his PJ’s before the nanny arrives.  If my mom’s in town (as she is currently), I’m good for a solid A. I can leave as early and stay as late as I need to and not worry about rushing home. I can walk in the door and relax while putting my son to bed.
But there are days where I’m so tired and brain-dead that crafting coherent sentences reminds me of pre-Calculus.  And I end up saying things like “cool,” on a client conference call when really, the story my client just told wasn’t all that. Or I give my son jarred baby food because I’m just too tired to deal with crafting a toddler meal.  Those days I’m lucky to squeak by with a B. (Ok, B-.)
Overall, though, if I had to grade myself on average, I’d say I’m hovering in the B+ range.  I’m just a few points away from greatness, but at least I’m at the top of the heap of my group. And, I just read that even Einstein was expelled from school when he was young.  I guess making the good grade really is all relative.
Tags: Einstein, working mom, work-life balance, ‘A’ Game, consulting speak
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice to read this this morning. I have been reading your blog for a few weeks and really like it. I started the process of “grading” myself a few years ago. I went through a period of major stress overload that was making me feel like a failure, but when I sat down and really started analyzing my days, I figured I was actually doing pretty well. Sometimes a “B” is all we can hope for!
Sweetheart, let the nanny dress your kid. In fact, I try
to do minimal tasks in the morning so that I can spend as much
time with my son as possible.
The ‘A’ game can be overrated (okay, don’t quote me to your boss.) But I’ve burnt out twice bringing my ‘A’ game to everything.
Haha, “relative”.