The Journey Down the Winding Road

A few years ago, I wrote a blog about work life balance, is it a myth or reality? There has been a lot written about women advancement in the business world. I believe that life is a road with many twists and turns that women, especially, need to learn to navigate effectively. This blog will take you through my journey down this road.

Part 1 – Speeding down the highway

In my 20’s I started a fast-paced career with Arthur Andersen Business Consulting. I was learning quickly, gaining valuable experience, traveling to client sites and cultivating relationships that would endure time. I was fortunate to work for a company that valued learning and development and got many opportunities to learn and grow. My advice is to look for a company, especially early in your career that will enable this growth. Arthur Andersen was a close-knit family that has proven to be an invaluable resource through the years.

1.     Be a sponge – learn as much as you can. Gain new skills – these transferrable skills will serve you well throughout your career.

2.     Create a reputation – the idea of creating your personal brand, like branding a company, is crucial. Over time, build out your unique skill sets and tell a story of who you are and what you stand for.

3.     Build your network – I believe that through doing good work and being visible you will develop your network. Continue to cultivate those relationships over time. Those colleagues you build a relationship with now, will be there for you further down the line.

Part 2 – Taking the Scenic Route

In my 30’s my life changed; I gave birth to twins. It was when we decided to move to the suburbs that I realized I needed a change. I wanted to continue to work and advance my career but on my terms. It was time to move at a slower pace, take a detour off the highway and take some local routes.

I was fortunate to be working for a progressive company that had flexible work arrangements. I was able to still work, add value and gain new skills while raising my family. Then I got pregnant with baby number 3. To say the least my world was turned upside down trading in my sedan for a minivan, no more man to man defense but I became a master of the zone defense. In the end finding childcare for 3 kids was a challenge with my schedule and I needed to redefine myself once again. 

This led to the development of my own consulting business, Performance Improvement Consulting. This phase in my career steered me in a direction that I never imagined.

1.     Know what you want and ask for it – or build it yourself – It is critical to take the time to determine what you want at each stage of your career and ask for it. This was crucial when asking for a flexible work arrangement as well as building a business that would satisfy what I was looking to do both personally and professionally.

2.     Continue Building Your Skills – Not only was I able to rely on my previous skillset to build a consulting practice, but it provided me with the opportunity to build new skills. It sparked my entrepreneurial spirit, digging in to strategy and brand management, building a website, creating proposals and selling work, developing methodologies for consulting work based on my knowledge and experience.

3.     Cultivate your network – again the key network that I had built in the earlier stages of my career were crucial to launching my business, providing referrals and vouching for me. During this time, I also continued to build new relationships and cultivate the relationships I started in my 20’s.

4.     Stay open to new opportunities – during this time I also got more involved in my community. I began to use my skills and apply the improvement methodologies I had built to make a difference in my community. Not only did this allow me to practice my skills of strategy, project management, change management and leadership to make a difference in a cause I was passionate about; it also helped to cultivate a new network of people who I was able to work with on a different level than in the traditional work environment.

Part 3 – Back on the highway – further down the road

In my 40’s, as my kids grew older, I was prepared for the next destination the direction signals were leading me to. I was ready to accelerate, but honestly, I was afraid. When I was offered the opportunity to build a business process practice from the ground up, it was my older daughter who gave me that needed push to “lean in.”

I learned what I wanted and defined my “why” during the previous part of my journey. I wanted to work somewhere I could make a difference. When I got back on the highway, I realized that my experience gave me a different perspective. I was able to apply all my previous learnings to build a department, implement methodologies and create a shared vision. I was more experienced at bringing up new ideas and getting them implemented.

This part of the road allowed me to gain momentum, while bringing others along for the ride.

1.     Find your mentor and sponsor – I was lucky to have mentors and sponsors during this phase helping me to grow as a leader.  They gave me the opportunity to work on special projects and gain exposure to Sr. Management.

2.     Build your team – this is the time to give back what you have learned and be a mentor and sponsor to others. It is crucial to build the future leaders and give them the space to grow. By building a strong team, the organization can accomplish more.  I honed the craft of becoming a multiplier; finding and cultivating talent, giving space for growth and challenging the status quo.

3.     Believe in yourself - I have found that many times women don’t dare to dream for ourselves. We put so much time and effort to dream for our children, it feels selfish to dream for ourselves. During this portion of my voyage I have seen the importance of having a dream and the confidence to go for it. Speaking up for yourself and being your own advocate is important in this process.

I am now about to embark on the next fork in the road with a new opportunity. I am excited about the opportunity to continue to learn and grow and bring others along for the journey. While travelling down life’s thoroughfare is not always a straight path; embrace the twists and turns and take time to reflect and take control of your direction. I hope these tips help on your trip and I would love to hear about your experiences and learnings along the way.