Madeline Riley is General Manager of one of Dublin’s busiest hotels, the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, and a busy mum-of-two. We caught up with her to find out exactly how she manages it all.
My schedule works around... the demands of the business, so each day can be quite different. I love the mornings, however, I can't say the same for all members of the family! I have two wonderful Children: Chloe, 11 and Steven, 8. Generally the alarm goes off at 6.30am, so this is my window to get showered, dressed, get the lunches made, and ensure school bags are in the car before the kids wake up – we made the mistake of arriving at school once without school bags, since then, once their ready they they go straight into the car!
I try to get the kids out of bed, dressed and downstairs for 7.30am... although my son loves his sleep, and some mornings it could be 8am before he arrives down. I love the mornings when we can all sit as a family at the kitchen table for breakfast – it's a lovely time with the kids. It doesn’t always happen though, as often I’ll need to be at the hotel for an early meeting, but I’m blessed to have a very supportive Mam nearby (two doors away!) and my husband’s schedule is quite flexible, so between the three of us we work out the school runs.
In my role as General Manager of a busy city centre hotel... there is no such thing as a typical day or week! As a working mother, I have honed my multi-tasking and scheduling skills over the years. I plan my week ahead on a Thursday once I am aware of what events and meetings are happening at the hotel, but there are always last minute changes – this is when I realise how lucky I am to have great family support.
How do I juggling is all?... organisation and lots of planning! I do my best to schedule as far out as possible and I put everything, both personal and work related into my Outlook Calendar to ensure nothing is missed! My Director of Sales, Michelle recommended I try out an App called ‘Wunderlist’ and I can honestly say, I am hooked. It allows you to set up ‘To Do Lists’ and share with user groups, so for instance, I have a group set up with my team in work and also with my husband Ian for our family to-do list (he still needs a little coaching but I’m sure we will get there!).
The best thing about being a parent is... the unconditional love you get from your children. They brighten up every day and have made our family complete.
The main differences in my live from before I had children are... the lack of the three S’s – Sleep, Social Life, Shopping - but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
My favourite time with the kids is.... bed-time. It is the only time during the day that we are not rushing around and it gives me one-to-one time them. Once we have read stories read, it's such a lovely time for chats and snuggles.
The best parenting advice I have received... was to become an ‘encouraging parent’ rather than a ‘critical parent’. To refrain from the use of negative words such as ‘Don’t’, when speaking to my children and rephrase to positive, for example instead of saying "Don’t put it here," I would now say, "Why not put it here?" Or "Let me show you?" On receiving this advice, I most definitely put a huge effort into changing my mindset in how I address the kids, and now it just comes naturally. I find the kids are far more co-operative and we have a happier home as a result. It works well as a people management tool in work too!
Being a parent means... to be a Mammy who loves, cares, guides, listens, teaches them what is right and wrong in life and gives them the tools in life to make their own decisions. To be a positive role model for my children and to play an active part in my children’s life.
My advice to other working mums... being a Mum is not always easy. I recently completed a programme with
Parent Plus and found it really valuable. The smallest tips have made a huge difference to me in getting the balance right in positive parenting and positive discipline. I would also advise other Mums to never underestimate the importance of Self-Care. I feel if you are not taking time out to look after yourself, how are you expected to care for others. The reality is, we cannot afford not to.
I would like to tell my kids as they grow older... that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to in life and whatever path they decide to take in life, to ensure it makes them happy.
Radisson Blu Royal are holding a recruitment day on October 17th.
