By Deborah Holmén, M.Ed., NBCT
Balance, innovation and passion are three things that Greater Gainesville professional Lacey Jones has used to build both her career and personal life.
Jones serves as the marketing officer and associate vice president for revenue operations at Infotech. Located in Gainesville, Infotech uses technology and data to bring transparency, integrity and efficiency to the people it serves. She is also a wife and a mother who is passionate about helping other moms.
Balancing all those hats can be overwhelming, but Jones said she found a way to make it work.
“I’ve learned that finding balance as a working mom is something you have to daily commit to – it’s not going to simply happen because you think it should or you want it to, it requires effort and planning,” she said.
Jones said she has learned to create mental boundaries when she is at work, so she can focus exclusively on her position with the executive team.
“Then, when I get home, I set my phone on the kitchen counter and am one hundred percent focused on time with my husband and kids,” she said.
Unlimited Innovation
Infotech has been in business for more than 40 years and works to bridge innovation and integrity by developing cutting-edge digital solutions for the construction industry and providing consulting services across multiple industries.
Jones said before she started working there, she did not think she could innovate because she was a “words person,” who liked to tell stories and communicate. She thought innovation was only for people with technical roles.
“How silly of me to have limited myself in that way,” she said. “I now embrace innovation, choosing to always have the mindset that just because something has been done a certain way for a long time, does not mean we should continue that pattern.”
She encourages her team to challenge ideas and the status quo until they get a plan or result that they believe is best. If that plan does not go well, they innovate again.
“That’s what I call learning and growing,” she said.
Encouraging Others
Jones is also passionate about helping people, specifically other moms.
“No matter if you are a working mom, stay-at-home mom, have one child or 10, being a mom is hard,” she said. “Society often sends moms a message that we have to do it all and do it better than everyone else and well that‘s just plain ridiculous.”
To show other moms they are not alone, Jones started @red.headedboymom, an Instagram account focused on encouraging mothers.
“If you are a mom on Instagram, you should definitely follow along,” she added.