Balancing Act – Christine Chea
In May 2021, I joined Mattamy Homes’ Urban Division during COVID. With restrictions and working from home, it was an odd time to join a new firm, to say the least. Moving from a medium-sized firm where I knew everybody well to a large firm with well-established construction, sales & marketing, estimating, and site teams was a whirlwind. Trying to learn new processes and new projects was daunting when it was mostly me in my home office with a handful of major deadlines looming.
Despite “being virtual”, I’m proud to say that I was able to seamlessly submit a site plan submission, move along a condo registration, learn a new proforma model, and learn almost everybody’s names in as little as three months.
Of course, none of that was as challenging as the next hurdle: telling my new manager that I was pregnant and would need to start maternity leave in six months.
Becoming a mother had been a very daunting thought for me. Not because it would require me to care for another human, but because it meant taking time away from my career and splitting my time between work and family. I have always been the type to put in as many hours as it would take to get the job done, even if it meant sacrificing time with loved ones or sleep.
Of course, my new team took the news admirably and were heartwarmingly supportive (thanks Chris!). I took the next six months to push myself to my limits to get as much as I could get done before going on maternity leave. I had it in my mind that I needed to further prove myself before taking leave. In my true fashion, I left work on a Friday, tied up some loose ends all of Saturday, and was in the hospital on Monday.
Thankfully, my son Bowen was (and still is) a pretty good sleeper and had limited sick days (knock on wood!) but the transition back to work was rough. Being separated from my seven-month-old really showcased how real mom guilt could be (unfortunately, this hasn’t gone away and I’m convinced will stay with me until he’s a full-grown adult and even then, that’s questionable). To add to that, the juggle between ducking into the “wellness room” (or sometimes a bathroom, car or supply closet) to pump and maintaining a busy schedule was often logistically challenging and physically draining. It took a lot of patience and reminders to myself that this phase won’t last forever and that the benefits outweigh the inconveniences.
Now that I’ve been back for over a year and some of the challenges with the baby phase are behind me, I’ve had to learn to establish a work-life balance and shift my mindset for not only my well-being but also my family’s.
I’m still the one to put in as many hours as it takes to get the job done but now, it’s with limitations. If I had known what I know now, I would have taken more time before the baby for myself. Naively, it didn’t dawn on me how precious self-care time would become. I am finding that the work-life balance can be achieved but it takes a dedicated village to do so. Having a partner who is wonderfully supportive and with whom I split a lot of the home and child responsibilities 50-50 (okay, maybe 40-60 to him) and deeply understanding team members at work make this possible.
As I continue navigating the work-life balance, I’m realizing more and more that time management and delegation are key. Mattamy’s Urban Division places a great deal of importance on what we call the “Project Team” approach. This means that all key team members from each discipline are at the table, weighing in on decisions that are made throughout the entire project lifecycle. Sales and Marketing and Construction team members provide valuable input during the entitlements process. Not only does this set the stage for balanced decision-making earlier on in the process, but it also lends itself to allowing the project lead (in our case, the Development team) to delegate tasks. In a similar vein, swallowing my pride and asking for help when I need it has been difficult but necessary.
On a day-to-day basis, keeping my own running to-do list and knowing which tasks can wait until tomorrow or next week has been helpful. Keeping a running list allows me to very quickly jump into a task with the ten free minutes that I have between meetings to chip away at a larger task without having to think about which one of the hundreds of tasks I have on my list I should be focusing on.
Above all else, the most difficult aspect of returning to work has been re-setting expectations of myself and cutting myself some slack. I’m my own worst critic and have difficulties seeing the positives of what I’m accomplishing. That, combined with my ever-present imposter syndrome has been a personal struggle that rears its ugly head at the most trying of times. As one of Mattamy’s leadership development initiatives, I was paired with a professional coach who helped me put things into perspective and focus on the small wins and positive things that I accomplished throughout the day. Constantly focusing on the negatives and the seemingly never-ending task list was draining and the cause of my often-depleted motivation. The small change in mindset was helpful but it’s really my husband, project team members and current manager who are my biggest cheerleaders who keep me motivated despite setbacks and challenges.
I volunteered to do this post because I’m hoping a bit of honesty will help prepare women in similar circumstances as mine as to what to expect. You can have a family and maintain your career progression – but I’m not going to sugarcoat it: it will have its challenges but you will come out stronger and better for it. If I had the chance to do everything over again, I would make the exact same decisions as I’ve already made except with a shift in mindset to focus on the positives; I would have taken the time to have more in-depth conversations with women who have already made the transition to motherhood; and I would have taken more time to prepare!
And now, as I’m slowly finding my rhythm again, I’m starting to get back into “extra-curricular” activities such as volunteering for WLI/ULI, re-connecting with my professional network, getting back into drop-in dance classes, and recently travelling to LA for the ULI Fall Meeting (thanks for the opportunity, ULI Toronto/Pathways to Inclusion!). I’m still learning and adjusting (I think I’ll be in a constant state of adjusting until Bowen’s in university) but for now, it’s a delicate balance between trying to be proactive but also taking things one day and one task at a time.
Christine Chea:
Born and raised in the heart of Toronto, Christine has been fascinated with how cities are pieced together and the impact of good urban design. A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Regional and Urban Planning program and a Registered Professional Planner, Christine has worked for champion city builders including Diamond Corp, and Graywood Developments and most recently joined Mattamy Homes’ Urban Division where she is currently a Director of Development. Christine has been a volunteer for ULI Toronto in some shape or form for her entire professional career and has co-chaired several committees, including the Connect Committee, and the DEI Committee and is now a committee member of WLI. Christine hopes to continue making a meaningful impact as a city builder and through her volunteer efforts with organizations such as ULI