Top female executive at Amazon credits motherhood for her success

Is sleep deprivation the key to success?

Chelsea Ritschel
in New York
Tuesday 26 December 2017 17:25 GMT
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It is undeniable that being a working mum can be difficult.

But one Amazon executive and mother of two claims the challenge of juggling both has actually boosted her productivity - making her more successful in her career as a result.

Fiona McDonnell, Amazon’s European director of beer, wine, and spirits, said that looking after her sons, aged seven and five, has taught her how to focus her time and energy more efficiently and effectively.

Having previously worked at Nike and Kellogs, Fiona is no stranger to hard work. But since becoming a mother, she says managing corporate job is actually easier - although it was not at first.

She said that transitioning from the corporate world to being a first-time mum and back can actually be quite difficult.

Telling the Mail Online how she took the allotted 16 weeks leave after giving birth to her first son, she said, “At that time, I was working late and intensely, and I did wonder how I would be able to the job.”

Fiona admits the transition was difficult 

Choosing to continue to feed her son herself, Fiona realised that being able to successfully manage her career and her son would mean becoming brutally organised, “What sounded impossible became a routine and I quickly found that I dropped the stuff that didn't matter, made choices and got way more productive in the process. I have never looked back.”

In addition to productivity, Fiona also shares how she used her sleep deprivation to her advantage - rather than focusing on how tired she was she made it a point to discover what drained her energy - including being something you are not - and what gave her energy.

This lack of time to focus on much else meant Fiona was able to drop her perception of what a successful businesswoman looked like and instead turn her focus to being successful as both a mom and a businesswoman.

Fiona credits motherhood for her productivity 

Now, as a mother of two, Fiona describes how her day starts with family - having breakfast, commuting, running around - all of which she uses utilises for work.

With no typical schedule, Fiona also acknowledges Amazon’s supportive new parent policies for helping her juggle her busy life.

Amazon offers maternity and paternity leave

But for other mums juggling careers and motherhood, Fiona has some advice - “My advice would be to know your own values, make your own choices to support your priorities, don't be any less ambitious, but do it on your own terms. It matters only that YOU feel you have it all, and at the end of the day only you will know if you do.”

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