Laura Jacobson of Lake Forest has created a very important job title for herself: “CEO of a Very Busy Household.”
Jacobson, a full-time homemaker, and her husband, Michael, senior vice president of marketing sales at Midland Paper Co. in Chicago, have three children, ages 16, 13 and 10.
The CEO retired from her job as an executive assistant at an investment banking firm when her first child was born in 1988, and she has held her present executive title since then.
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I asked Jacobson, who now is working toward a bachelor’s degree in English, why she thinks she qualifies for the impressive title of CEO.
“The experience of being an at-home mother for a household of five people requires top management skills,” said Jacobson, who worked in investment banking for a decade. “My current `job’ has enhanced my skills in time management, organization and human resources–skills that are essential at all times both at home and in the workplace.”
Mary C. Gerstenberger of Wexford, Pa., has used the same title as Jacobson, though she has expanded on it.
“In 1992, when my son was 10 and my daughter 8, I decided to be an at-home mom and have been home ever since–and that’s when I started to describe myself as CEO: chauffeur, encourager and organizer,” said Gerstenberger, who is married to Leigh Gerstenberger, a bank senior vice president.
“I’m an empty nester now and don’t use the CEO title anymore because the kids are out of the house, but when they were little I wanted people to know that my job as homemaker gave me validation,” she said.
“But when I introduced myself that way, people were stunned. They wanted to know what I really did.”
Her reply: “I’m raising two children, I want to be home and to be there to answer questions as they come off the school bus, to be part of their lives. I want to be the one who gives them the right answers about how we want them to live their lives.”
The former executive, who has a bachelor’s degree in communications, has worked for a hospital and has owned her own business.
Even though she does not plan to go back to work, Gerstenberger says that her CEO title is a valid one in today’s business world.
“It’s such a valuable experience being a mom and doing all that juggling,” she said. “You should be able to find a job.”
And she points out that “most jobs have that requirement.”
CEO Jacobson agrees with Gerstenberger’s analysis and plans to use her homemaking skills to segue to a paid job in publishing in 2006, when she gets her degree–although she would take a part-time job before then “if one comes along.”
Jacobson has learned a lot from her present full-time position.
“I’ve learned communication skills from holding family meetings and constantly motivating my children to do whatever needs to be done, to pull their own weight,” the CEO said. “I’m open to new ideas and willing to work with others. I know how to explain goals and concerns, and I know how to listen.”
Jacobson has also learned to negotiate, prioritize and mentor in her current job. In it, she adds, she’s learned to “incorporate many skills that enhance the successful operation of my family, which is very similar to skills used in a business environment.”
Jacobson adds that “being a CEO of a busy household is challenging, but it’s the best job in the world. However, my children are getting older and don’t need me as much–they’re so self-sufficient–so that now I have the opportunity to get my degree and pursue my career dreams.”
She is confident she will be able to “utilize the management skills I’ve learned at home, the writing skills I’m learning in college and the business skills that I learned in the financial world.
“I know I can integrate these skills and get the job I want.”
Spoken like a CEO.
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Carol Kleiman’s columns also appear in Monday’s and Thursday’s Business sections. Hear her on WBBM-AM 780 at 6:21 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. Mondays and 11:20 a.m. Saturdays. Watch her “Career Coach” segments on CLTV.
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