I first met Maria Holmes in 2013 when I was a student at Ohio University. She came back to Athens as part of our graduate program’s Executive Mentor weekend. I remember admiring her confidence and presence and thought then and now that everyone in the room was smarter for having heard her speak. When I started this blog, she was one of the first people I thought of for an interview and our conversation did not disappoint. As a leader, Maria brings such a great perspective and her experience building in flexibility after maternity leave shows how a respected personal brand and solid work ethic can go along way in making work work for you and your family.
Maria Holmes is the VP, Senior Sponsorship Marketing Manager for Fifth Third Bank, where she has worked since 2011. As the Senior Sponsorship Marketing Manager she is responsible for the development and implementation of the bank’s corporate sponsorship strategy and oversees the evaluation, negotiation, creative development and activation of all sponsorships across the Fifth Third Bank footprint. Prior to Fifth Third, she was an Account Executive on the Consulting team at Octagon. Maria graduated from Ohio University with a Master of Sports Administration and Master of Business Administration and earned her Bachelor’s degree at Mercyhurst University, where she was also a member of the women’s soccer team. Maria lives in the Cincinnati area with her husband Ryan, who works for the Cincinnati Bengals, and their three year old son Frankie. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
“I am a Mom first and I work. That is my priority. I never call myself a working Mom, I call myself a Mom who works.”
What are your day-to-day responsibilities at Fifth Third Bank? Myself and my team of four manage Fifth Third’s core sponsorship portfolio. We lead our partnerships with all the properties that have the opportunity to be activated on a more national level, and often consult with our regional marketing teams and their respective Regional Presidents on their local sponsorships. Some of our major partners include the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Nashville Predators, Daytona International Speedway, University of Cincinnati Basketball and Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s No. 17 Fifth Third Ford. I am also involved in the overall strategic vision of the marketing team, which is focused on building awareness and consideration for our brand.
Can you describe a “typical” day in the life for you and your family? I prefer to do drop-off and pick-up of our son, so I do most of the heavy lifting in terms of the daily daycare routine. It’s some extra one-on-one time for Frankie and I to sing songs and chat. [My husband] Ryan makes my Spark in the morning, sets out my vitamins, makes Frankie’s snacks and packs everything up for the day. Most of the morning at home is spent trying to convince Frankie to get up and moving, and then we get dressed and out the door for drop-off. We chose a daycare that was as close to downtown as possible so we’re able to get to him as fast as we need to.
I have the liberty leave sometime between 4:30 and 5:00 PM, so I can get out and get to Frankie and not make an extended commute home. We always try to do dinners together as a family and after we say our prayers at dinner, we go around the table and say what we’re thankful for that day. After dinner we play every sport imaginable until 8:30 PM, and that’s when we start our bedtime routine. Frankie is usually down by 9:00 PM and if I haven’t fallen asleep in the recliner, I shower and sign back on to work or get things ready for the next day with Ryan.
I am able to work remote on Fridays, which was part of my agreement with my boss after maternity leave. I also teach class at The Barre Code at 7:00 AM and 12:00 PM on Fridays, and try to use that day to minimize all meetings and take the time to get work done. On the other days of the week I schedule lunch on my calendar to work out at the studio near my office. This is how I spend my lunch hour. Take back your lunch hour!
As a sports industry couple, what are some unique ways you fit in the family time around your crazy work schedules? I don’t have to work the events so much anymore, but I usually am present to be supportive for my team that is there. In that case, I take Frankie everywhere and will have him on my back in an Ergo baby carrier. At first, [my husband] Ryan was hesitant and was concerned about me setting a precedent for my team. However, we decided that if it doesn’t impact my work then it’s not an issue. I’m there to be a resource for my team and Frankie can easily do that with me.
[When Ryan has to work] I take him with me most places that he has to be. For Monday or Thursday night games, I pick Frankie up early form school and we’ll swing by and see Ryan so he can get some time with him before things get started. On Sunday mornings when we go down to the stadium, he comes with me. We’re very fortunate that he’s willing to sit and listen. I don’t know if that will always be the case. It’s been a blessing to be able to take him with us wherever we are.
How has being a Mom positively impacted your career? It’s made me more appreciative of my co-workers and better at focusing on the big things. Before Frankie, I had a hard time delegating, but now I’m able to put my effort behind the things that really matter for my team and the organization as a whole. Around the same time he was born, I was asked to not be a “doer” anymore, and this forced me into letting go of control of what I thought I had to do.
It also gave me the opportunity to grow my team after a proven record of success. I wasn’t able to put in the hours at the office until 8:00 PM, and what I was doing by myself previously required us to make moves and take initiative that may not have happened had I not been in that situation.
Was there any advice you received before Frankie was born that has helped you navigate the world of the “Working Mom”? Before I had Frankie, I had a lot of conversations with people who were successful Mom’s in the business world, I talked to a lot of women within the organizations headquartered in Cincinnati. One of the things that really resonated with me was related to priorities. Someone told me that for 20 years she hated the term “Working Mom” – and I had never thought of any other way to say it. However, after speaking with her, I decided I am a Mom who works. I am a Mom first and I work. That is my priority. I never call myself a working Mom, I call myself a Mom who works. Women in leadership positions can help change the nomenclature. You’re a Mom who works at the office or you’re a Mom who works at the home.
One of my goals for the blog is to be a resource for Moms but also for sports industry leaders who work with or manage Sports Biz Moms. What advice would you give to someone managing (or who works closely with) a Sports Biz Mom or soon-to-be Mom – particularly one who is not a parent themselves? The best thing that you can do is check-in with them more often. I have an added challenge in that the only one on my team who is a Mom or Dad is a remote employee. She’s in Atlanta while the rest of my team is in Cincinnati.
I can see the workload of my team in Cincinnati and manage it. I can see when they’re in and when they’re gone. Whereas for my employee in Atlanta, I can’t get the same sense for her by looking at her facial expression. When I ask the team who has the capacity to take on a new project, it’s hard to tell if she’s reluctant or eager. There’s a tendency as a Mom or someone who wants to continue in their career, that when we’ve been given some more flexibility, we also feel like we need to be on at 10:00 PM because we left at 4:30 PM. “I need to take on that project because they gave me that flexibility.”
I would recommend having a real candid conversation of your expectations and how a Mom is no different than anyone else. I am SO anti-perception. I do not care what time you get in or leave. I don’t care what you have up on your computer screen. I don’t care what time you sent an email. Don’t do anything for perception. Just get the job done. As parents who work, we’re supposed to put on the perception that nothing has changed, when in reality your whole life and priorities have changed. I think it’s unrealistic to think there’s not the need for flexibility or a change in work hours. The expectation of flexibility should be given, and not have to be pried out of a manager. You just make them feel guilty and in turn at risk of disengagement…or worse, resignation!
How did you approach your boss about the flexibility in your schedule after returning from maternity leave? You want to be in a good place when you ask for it. You don’t want to get to the point where you’re about to break. I scheduled time with my boss at around ten weeks in my leave. I asked if we could grab lunch and if he’d like to meet my son, and then talk through where I am personally and how we move forward professionally. It was during this time that I shared with him that I wanted some flexibility in coming back. I proposed a plan to him for coming back slowly. The first Monday I would sign-in from home, clean-up my emails, and take care of the HR processes. On Tuesday, I would be in the office, Wednesday remote, Thursday office and then Friday remote. The next week I came into the office on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and worked remote on Tuesday/Thursday. Then, the following week was when I proposed a full remote Friday. I suggested we try the set-up for six months, and that if he felt my performance started to drop and/or that I’m not available, we’ll take it back. Three years later, we’re still at it!
What sort of family leave benefits did you receive when Frankie was born? I took short-term disability and had eight weeks paid through that policy, and then because of my tenure at work, I also had the additional four weeks paid in full. If I would have had a child sooner than that I wouldn’t have had the same luxury, but I was paid full for the twelve weeks. Fifth Third has since made a lot of progress in what they offer for maternity and paternity leave. There’s a maternity concierge that has two dedicated staff members to help Moms with children under the age of one.
What’s something you wish you would have known about being a working Mom – or Mom who works – before you had children? Before I had Frankie, I wish I would have known that I didn’t need to be at the office until 8:00 PM. In doing that, I was just continuing to take on the workload of what they were expecting of me. Now, I have set a calendar reminder at 5:00 for each of my employees that pops-up and says “Can this wait until tomorrow?”. In the body of the invite it says, “If not, give yourself the next 30 minutes to close up and finish what you’re doing.” We’re not saving lives. If it requires us to give up time with our loved ones it better be important. If I could, I would go back and spend time with Ryan and my loved ones while also traveling a bit more.. All of my available time is now spent with Frankie, That’s by choice and that’s what works for our family.