Are You a MOM Leader?

Are You a MOM Leader?

Why You Should Be.

By Michelle Masters

What if a powerful leadership framework was called MOM?

Many years ago, I was in a meeting where a colleague used the acronym to describe a key leadership role. In that professional context, MOM was an acronym for Manager of Managers –a person responsible for guiding and developing other leaders. My immediate observation was that almost everyone in the room instinctively thought of “Mother.” They immediately saw the parallel to mothers as the quintessential nurturing, guiding leader. The idea clicked, and I realized that this simple acronym held the key to a more human and effective management style. It’s a style of People-First Leadership that applies to anyone leading a team, a project, or even just a complex task.

What I didn’t realize back then was how perfectly the other common “MOM” acronyms also fit this role. It’s like the universe made them to describe some key aspects of great leaders, even those who are not Managers of Managers.

Your Role in Month-Over-Month growth:

In the business world, MOM often stands for Month-Over-Month growth. For a leader, your most important metric isn’t revenue or output; it’s the MOM growth of your team members. Because that metric drives revenue and output. You’re a coach and a mentor, and just like a parent watches their child’s progress, your primary job is to help your team grow and become more effective over time. Their success is your report card.

How to Be a Month-Over-Month Leader:

• Establish a “Growth-First” Mindset: In one-on-one meetings, dedicate time to discussing their professional development and career goals, not just their to-do list. As a direct manager, dedicate roughly 50% of the time to growth; for other leadership roles, simply ensure growth is always on the agenda and align their personal goals with team success.
• Create a Feedback Loop: Regularly ask your team what they need to succeed and what obstacles are in their way. Don’t wait for a formal review; make it an ongoing conversation.
• Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and publicly praise your team for their progress and achievements, reinforcing your investment in their collective success.

Your Role as the Manager Of Minutes

A leader doesn’t need to, often shouldn’t, be the one taking notes. But great leaders do act as a Manager Of Minutes. You ensure that the meeting’s key takeaways are documented and that the tasks and decisions are actually completed. You serve in a proactive role focused on timelines for follow-up and delivery of action items. And you plan follow-through and accountability, you’re making sure a meeting’s purpose isn’t lost once everyone walks out the door.

How to Be a Manager Of Minutes Leader:

• Ensure a Clear Record: Before the meeting ends, clearly summarize the key takeaways and confirm who is responsible for each task and by when. Make sure your notetaker has these clearly documented in the minutes. And since everyone will learn to rely on those, make sure delivery of the minutes has a clearly defined timeline as well.
• Check-in Between Meetings: Use the minutes to create follow-up reminders for yourself and coach your team to do the same. Then, don’t wait for the next meeting to see if tasks are getting done. Send a quick message to the task owner a few days before the deadline to make sure things are on track and offer support if appropriate.
• Review at the Next Meeting: Every meeting agenda should include a review of the last meeting’s action items – usually serving as the next meeting’s starting point. Review each action item’s progress or completion status. Use this review to show the team that their commitments move the team forward and to identify help for those tasks that are falling behind.

Your Role in Managing Obstacle Movement

Managing Obstacle Movement has become my own way of describing the “roadblock remover” role that so many great leaders represent. It’s something I derived from a similar concept I learned about very early in my career. I was consulting for a manufacturing business that introduced me to Manufacturing Operations Management. Although I don’t recall them using MOM as its acronym, the concept was all about optimizing production for peak efficiency. I was quickly drawn to this mindset, and I’ve carried that with me as my career has progressed.

In the non-manufacturing world of People-First Leadership, our “operation” is the team itself. We do the same thing: we look to streamline business procedures and processes. Managing Obstacle Movement is about mitigating obstacles: we manage ways to move around them, we reduce their impact, and we take actions to eliminate them.

A great leader acts as the Roadblock Remover and proactively Manages Obstacle Movement by not only clearing those human-centric roadblocks but also by mentoring on methodology and maximizing output methods.

How to Be a Managing Obstacle Movement Leader:

• Audit Processes and Methods: Regularly check in on the workflows your team is using. Encourage or help them to look for repetitive tasks and manual steps that could be automated or streamlined. This is how you introduce maximize output, add more value to the organization, and – in doing so – create opportunities for professional growth.
• Remove Roadblocks: Actively ask your team to identify what are their biggest roadblock. It could be a slow process or system, a lack of the resources, or even a difficult stakeholder to name a few. Then either empower them or use your own authority (or connections) to remove or reduce the size of those obstacles.

Wrapping it up… Your Role being a MOM Leader

The “MOM” acronym might seem unconventional, but it’s a great way to remember some key principles of People-First Leadership. It’s about building a foundation for scalable, sustainable growth through compassion, clear communication, and a strategic eye.

Now that you’ve seen the MOM framework, which area of MOM will you optimize first in your own leadership? Will you focus on Month-Over-Month growth by prioritizing career discussions? Will you become a better Manager Of Minutes by reviewing action items? Or is it time to tackle those Managing Obstacle Movement challenges head-on?

Share your commitment below. It’s time to unlock the full potential of your team.

~Michelle

P.s. Stay tuned next week when I discuss the equally important DAD skills!

Interested in developing your MOM leadership skills? Explore coaching programs.