CEO Moms: Jennifer Blatnik of Cisco Systems
by Heather Cassell (San Francisco)
One of Jennifer Blatnik’s biggest challenges of being a mother and a rising star at Cisco Systems is the persistent tape of the “super mom.”
“The biggest challenge is overcoming the myths of being able to do it all at the same time,” said Blatnik, manager of product marketing of Cisco Systems, who recognizes that “there is obviously trade offs” and lessons learned along the way.
That doesn’t mean that Blatnik, 34, who has two young children, thinks women can’t have the whole package: an exciting career and fulfilling family life.
“I do think that we can have it all,” said Blatnik, who is satisfied with the choices she’s made in her life. “It is just not all at the same time. It’s every day and every moment is a choice and my life is a collection of those choices. It’s very personal how [you] choose to raise your children and how you choose to pursue your career.”
It just means putting each day and situation into perspective and making decisions.
“It’s not easy,” said Blatnik. “You always have to put things in perspective—the life and death choices are very easy to make. It’s the shades of gray that are really challenging.”
She points out that today women have more opportunities to create and find the balance in their professional and personal lives that they need. Something that the previous generation of women who took on the working world didn’t have, yet it was a future she envisioned for herself.
As an engineering and computer science major taking women studies as a minor at the University of California at Berkeley, Blatnik, a San Francisco Bay Area native, saw the evolution of women in the workforce.
“Women now have more opportunities than ever and it’s really been an evolution of our society in general,” Blatnik said adding that the days of women having to be “like men” and the “super mom” myths in order to succeed professionally are “starting to break down” because “people are starting to understand that women can be successful contributors to the workforce” while still being women.
Cisco Systems provides many opportunities for working mothers to succeed, Blatnik said.
“We love it!” she said about the employee benefits for working parents that include onsite child care facilities, health care centers, along with other amenities and the mother’s groups for company employees.
“I have this incredible support system and that gave me comfort that I can do more by sharing those frustrations in the group,” Blatnik said.
What helps keep her on track is setting expectations, managing her time and communicating what she can not and can do, she said.
“Knowing what is important to me, what I can contribute and what I bring to the table, and setting those expectations up front are big issues,” Blatnik said.
And like many other working mothers, Blatnik said, she couldn’t underscore enough having her support system with her family and her company. She pointed out that her colleagues aren’t judgmental, but helpful when she needs to take time to focus on her family responsibilities.
The Cisco Systems difference, according to Blatnik, is that the company’s family-friendly and diversity policies are “set up from the top down.”
“There is a very strong message that we are truly an equal opportunity employer, meaning that we don’t do it just for the numbers,” Blatnik said. “We do it because we embrace the diversity and we want the diversity whether it’s gender, sexual orientation—it doesn’t matter to us. We believe everyone should have a support system that makes them the most effective employee possible for the company.”
With her family and Cisco System’s support as her foundation, Blatnik plans on continuing to climb the technological corporate ladder figuring out the trade offs and what is “right for me” along the way.
