This week, Working Mother Media joins the Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) in celebrating their 2012 Working Mothers of the Year. At the awards luncheon on Thursday, February 16, the industry comes together to honor a cohort of truly phenomenal women. They show us that by wearing so many hats—and wearing them well—working moms are living proof that “doing it all” is not only possible, it can also be a hell of a good time.

When you think about it, the sometimes incongruous juxtapositions of our lives can be, well, hilarious. We sprint from business meetings to ballet classes. We find errant Cheerios at the bottom of our designer bags. We answer texts from our caregivers during bathroom breaks at work—when we remember to take bathroom breaks.

To celebrate the fact that we working moms not only survive but also thrive in a world that doesn’t always make time for ear infections, school plays and teacher conferences, here’s my four-part answer to the question I’m asked all the time: How do you do it all? 

1)    We embrace change. Our kids grow, and we parents are forced to embrace change. We’re also unusually flexible, spontaneous and resilient. After all, what’s less predictable than a week in the life of a family with one or two or more school-age kids? We moms have an almost super-human ability to respond intelligently to changing circumstances in our environment, a critical skill for success in our constantly evolving business landscape. 

2)    We’re opportunistic. If there’s one thing working moms are good at, it’s getting it all done. We know how to answer email while the pasta water’s boiling, or fit in a workout before our first morning meeting. As a result, we get more out of our days. Businesses should take a page from our playbook as they explore new ways to use emerging media and platforms to connect with their customers. For example, to compete in today’s world, retailers need a deep understanding of marketing, technology and media, meeting customers’ needs even before they know they’re there.

3)    We know when to ask for help. Another thing working moms truly excel at: knowing how and when to ask for help, from family, friends, babysitters and the countless others who make our lives run a little more smoothly. At work, we need to do the same exact thing—cultivate our core competencies while seeking expert support as needed. When we’re lucky, we develop partnerships both at home and at the office that support our success over the long term. 

4)    We wield influence well. We might have the power to tell our children what to do, but as we all know, everyone’s happier when our kids (whether toddlers or teens) make their own smart decisions. The same goes for our customers. When we give them the information and tools they need to draw their own conclusions—ideally that our service or product is best—everyone wins. 

So let’s hear it for this year’s AWNY Working Mothers of the Year. It’s not easy doing what they do—for most of us, easy is not part of our vocabulary. But what we do, at its best, it is rewarding, inspiring and—if you ask my daughter’s classmates—pretty cool.

Cella Irvine is CEO of Vibrant Media, the world leader in premium contextual advertising solutions.