No, Michelle Obama did not make a stealthy appearance in Montclair Village recently.  While the First Lady defines herself as a Mom-in-Chief, she’s clearly not alone.

There are many mothers trying to “get their acts together” at home, and they frequently rely on leadership skills learned at work.  Oaklander Jamie Woolf decided to share these approaches through Mom-in-Chief, a spiritual bible for would-be chiefs everywhere.

She published the bible last week, and began her speaking tour at A Great Good Place for Books.  See Woolf in action below, sitting on our favorite counter in the Village.

Mothers should be able to reduce the chaos, explained Woolf, by learning how to motivate their kids.  Start the new school year, for example, by sharing a positive attitude.  “If every other word out of your mouth conveys how much you dread getting up early, supervising homework, running to sports practices and music lessons, and so forth, your child is hardly going to be enthusiastic about it either.”

The key is to set goals that matter to you and your kids.  Once the goals are established, it’s up to you to provide the right tools, chart out specific tasks, get back on track when things go awry, and remember to celebrate endings and beginnings.  Wow, that does sound a lot like the workplace!

Of course, parents want different things for their kids so these goals vary widely.  Try out the short quiz (PDF) to rank your parenting priorities.  There are some soul searching questions which help rank what you value most:  achievement, relationships or individuality.

No one said parenting was easy, but it appears that you are appreciated more than you realize.  Woolf pointed to a recent MTV/AP study which said that “the majority of teens find the most happiness in family.  What’s more, most respondents listed their parents (i.e. you) as their heroes.”

Anyway this new bible should provide sound strategies and inspiration, for fathers as well as mothers.  Hail to the Chiefs.