Being Agile (and a Little ‘Scrappy’) as a Working Mother, From a Learning & Development Head

Spring Lacy, a working parent and Head of Learning & Development at Prudential Financial, excels by being a little “scrappy”. “I love a plan but I’m always ready to adjust quickly when plans change,” she explains. “Even with incomplete information and little-to-no resources, I can usually figure out a way to get things done. I learned this from my mother, and it’s something that I work to teach my children.”

In fact, being agile and scrappy is also one of the ways that Lacy is able to succeed as a working mother. As she tells us, “there is no such thing as work-life balance. Working to achieve balance can create unrealistic expectations. Things are almost always a little out of balance and that is ok. Give yourself grace.” Instead, parents should focus on one thing at a time — and always be ready to pivot as priorities change.

“Sometimes, I am an excellent mom, and, sometimes, I am excellent at work,” says Lacy. “While I am rarely excellent at both at the same time, I always deliver.” But how does she manage her dual roles as a mother and an employee?

“At work, I rely on my team — we support each other, push each other, and keep each other honest,” she shares. “At home, it’s the same thing. My expectation is that our home is our home and that everyone contributes. I also outsource responsibilities when I can.” 

In regards to emotional support, “I have an amazing circle of family and friends who I can call for advice, guidance, a place to vent, or someone to share a drink with and laugh at ourselves,” Lacy says. “As a high introvert, I have to also make sure I make time for myself, and I’ve learned to not feel bad about it. My children get so much of me — I am that mom — but I also take time for myself... I know that recharging makes me better for them.”

Spring Lacy and her family. Photo courtesy of Prudential Financial.

Thanks to these skills and support system, Lacy can be her best as a mom and as the leader of Prudential’s Learning & Development organization, which she tells us is responsible for making sure employees have the skills and experiences they need to drive business success. This involves “everything from making sure our customer service and sales professionals are trained to interact with our customers to developing a diverse pipeline of next-generation leaders,” explains Lacy.

Today, Lacy took time out of her busy schedule to tell us more about her experience being a working parent as well as her best advice for mothers. Read on to learn more…

To start, what advice can you offer to other moms who are expecting their first child?

Enjoy this moment; you are growing a human. In order to hear what your body is telling you, you actually have to listen. 

Also, put your support system in place — your partner, friends, and family. They want to support you, so let them. I was fiercely independent and didn’t want to accept help that may have given me some relief. 

At work, create a plan for your team. Make sure that all your tasks and deliverables have someone managing them while you are out. And make sure to give yourself time to train people and consider building in time to manage a cycle of work before you leave. When I went on maternity leave for my first child, I was training people the week before my son was born. This didn’t give them time to ask questions or get clarity before they had to go solo. Also, remember that babies come when they are ready so give yourself EXTRA time.

Personally, what was your return from maternity leave like?

For my first born, when I returned to work, I cried every morning for about two weeks. I commuted by train and would cry in my seat. It got easier over time and having childcare that I was confident would care for my child like I would gave me comfort. My second child was much easier, and I only cried for a couple of days.

From your experience, what’s your #1 tip for new moms who are navigating the delicate balance of working and mothering?

Be present and time flies (this is cliché but true). My oldest is almost 14 and headed to high school, and my youngest is almost 12 and headed to seventh grade. I truly don’t know when that happened — it feels like I blinked and now we are here. Enjoy every moment. Like they say, “the days are long, but the years are short”.

Spring Lacy and her family. Photo courtesy of Prudential Financial.

What kinds of boundaries have you established to separate work and family time?

I have found that transitions from one mode to the next help me create boundaries. When I am in the office, the commute from the office to home is a transition. When I work from home, I have a separate workspace with a door. Leaving my office, turning off the light, and closing the door is a transition. 

When I do have to work during mom time, I tell my kids and set their expectations (for example, “I need to send two emails, and it should take me about 20 minutes”). Then, when I am done, I go back to mom mode. I also don’t work on vacation. When I am off work during time specifically created to be with my children and family, that is what I focus on. I have been fortunate to have leaders who respect that and only call me if it is a true emergency.

Spring Lacy and her family. Photo courtesy of Prudential Financial.

Finally, how has Prudential supported you as a working parent?

I’ve worked for a lot of companies and Prudential is the only place where I’ve felt fully supported as a mom and a caregiver. I have colleagues who genuinely care about me as a whole person. When they say, “how are you?” they are actually looking for an honest answer. I have leaders and teams who’ve supported me through major life challenges — the sickness and death of my mother, divorce, and mothering my two awesome teens/tweens. 

There are also great benefits and programs in place for more formal support that I’ve used. When my mother was sick, I used a program that connected me with the best in-field medical professionals who reviewed all of her medical records and provided an expert second opinion, including what my sister and I, as her caregivers, should look for and questions we should ask her medical team. The service allowed me to feel more confident as a caregiver, which was a huge relief. I’ve also taken advantage of our Emotional Wellbeing Program (Prudential’s EAP) when I needed extra support dealing with major life transitions. 

The backup childcare Prudential provides was also invaluable! My children were at the local Bright Horizons center a lot. Over time, they made friends with children of other Prudential colleagues and the teachers and staff got to know them well. It was so great not to stress about what to do with them when school was out, and I still had to work.

And, for parents, Prudential offers a generous parental leave that is also available to non-birth/adoptive parents. We also have a dedicated team that offers a concierge service for expecting parents, which I think is pretty cool. 

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