Through a Lens of Joy

This is a platform to share the radical pivots, risks, self evaluations and reflections of people I admire. We dig into the moments that led the people in their lives to go, “She Did What?!” and ultimately, to their personal or professional metamorphosis.??

Maggie Hanson-Muse is a former senior government executive and current Chief Operating Officer of the US-ASEAN Business Council. Prior to her current role, Maggie was a senior diplomat with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC), where she lived in Singapore and oversaw trade policy, trade promotion, and operations for DoC offices located in Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines. She is a bicultural leader, fluent in French and Spanish, and has been recognized for her contributions by the U.S. Departments of Defense, Commerce and State, the Colombian Government, Pfizer, the American Chamber of Commerce, the Council of American Enterprises, and Women Corporate Directors.

To kick off my conversation with Maggie, I wanted to know more about some of the radical pivots she’s made throughout her diverse and extensive career. Her answer stems back to the beginning of her professional journey.

The first pivotal decision I made was to go to business school to get an MBA. Originally, I had gone to undergrad, and I thought that I was going to be a Spanish teacher because I had always valued foreign languages. I grew up in a diplomatic family, and my father spoke seven languages. When I returned to the United States for high school and college, I began to learn more about what it was like to live here and was overwhelmed by all the choices we have in America. I really gravitated toward business and liked it. I thought business would value the idea of someone who had a multicultural background and an understanding of how things worked abroad, but actually, what business wanted you to have was an accounting background or a marketing background. Upon graduation, I worked for a couple of years, and I decided to go to business school and majored in marketing and finance, but I didn't take a traditional product manager-type job, I took a sales job which was fabulous because I could continue to work with people on the outside and network.

I was interested to learn how early on this pivot came in Maggie’s career. Most SDW?! contributors find themselves at a crossroads, ready to make a change years or even decades into their careers. I like that Maggie, even at a young age, knew herself well enough to have the confidence to make this jump into the world of business.

Maggie’s road to getting her MBA reminds me a lot of my own journey to my MBA. I was curious to hear about how this decision panned out during and after her graduate program.

When I did go to corporate America postgraduate school, I found I was limited. I started to get a little bit bored with just working on marketing books. I did choose a really interesting company. I worked for Telenet, which is now part of Sprint, so I really did start in the internet world really early. That decision let me continue to move. I didn’t have to stay in one place. I always like moving and learning new places and things. I think being open and being able to process and pinpoint where you are and where you want to go and being able to make that leap is very important for anyone who wants to survive. Nowadays, I think it’s even more important because people post-Covid are taking stock in what they want to do.

Maggie brings up a great point. There were so many evidently challenging things that came with the Covid-19 pandemic; however, there were silver linings as well. For some people, the pandemic brought about new opportunities that never existed or never would have been explored.

While Maggie was busy exploring this new world of business, she also made some harsh realizations.

Post-graduate school and post-corporate career, I hit a glass ceiling. I was basically told by the corporation I work for that women were not allowed to do the kind of sales that the men were going to do. I said, ‘Thank you, and I guess I am going to leave.’ I followed my husband overseas and was freelancing at the time, and then started my career as a contractor in the foreign commercial service, the Department of Commerce. When I became an officer in the foreign commercial service, my old boss from the private sector actually knocked on my door in West Africa. He was shocked that I was there, but I reminded him how I always said I wanted to live and work overseas in sales, so I’m selling for the U.S. government. You don’t have to be bitter about these things, you just have to find another way to get what you want. Keep a positive mindset.

That is a strong perspective we can all take during the unexpected twists and turns of life and our careers. This all seems like such a growing and learning experience for Maggie. I wanted to hear about some of her biggest takeaways from this period in her life. Maggie reflected:

There’s always a different way to get to your end goal. You just have to be open, look for your opportunity, and, most importantly, be prepared. I don’t want this to sound easy. I worked really hard. I’m not a genius in terms of financial things and numbers. There were people that were a lot smarter than me, but I worked hard, and when I didn't know something, I was relentless in asking questions. I think that’s something people need to remember to do. It isn't just something that falls in your lap.

Next, I asked Maggie about her process to take stock of where she’s at and where she wants to be, she had a really unique answer I think will inspire and resonate.?

Every year, I get up on the first day of the year, and I have butcher block paper where I write down six goals and hang it on my door. On my other door, I also have a tree that has limbs on it, and it’s my wishing tree. My six goals are the things I want to do, and my wishing tree says all of the things I want to do before I die. The wishing tree will have pictures of friends, places I want to go, and talents I want to continue developing. The goals are very definite, and as I accomplish a goal, I cross them out, so it helps me stay on task. They are the first things I see every day, and I add to the wishing tree throughout the year.

Such a fantastic idea – especially the combination of the goal sheet and the wishing tree. Maggie mentioned the symbolism of the wishing tree being that trees grow roots that keep growing and expanding, as she hopes to do in her personal and professional life. Goal-setting statistics have shown that if you write down your goals, you are 42% more likely to achieve them.

It’s evident that Maggie has countless strengths. I was curious to hear about how she looks holistically at these strengths – and her weaknesses. For Maggie, this is something that she does very frequently.

It’s a daily exercise. I work with young people, and they just remind me of how much I don't know. Adam Grant wrote a book called ‘Think Again,’ and I think that it is important to remember there are so many things we don’t know. I also have an 8-year-old and 11-year-old granddaughter and two millennial daughters who keep me humble. One works in nonprofits, and one works for the university. We talk daily, and when I listen to what they go through, they remind me that I raised really good people who are contributing to the world and that I have to always keep in mind that I am not perfect and always have to keep learning.

It’s great to hear about how much Maggie’s family shapes her life and aspirations. I know many She Did What?! readers and contributors can relate. Maggie also brings up an important point about how she never stops learning.

Continuous learning is a term that goes up on the top of my goal sheet every year. This year it’s to learn more about AI. The other goal is usually an emotional goal, such as developing more compassion or listening better. Every day I have two types of goals that I have to keep working on. Some days I’m better at it than others, but as long as you can laugh at yourself, that is so important.

Continuous learning – what a powerful term! I love that Maggie brought this up. Embracing the transformative power of continuous learning opens doors to boundless opportunities and empowers us to stay relevant, adaptable, and resilient in an ever-evolving world. Against this backdrop I was curious how Maggie’s evaluation process has changed over the years and how do you stay motivated to grow and evolve?

I just started a new job about three and a half months ago, and who would have thought that the job I have now would have turned out to be the best job I’ve ever had? I worked for 20-plus years in the government, and I worked in the private sector before that, and now I am working for a nonprofit. I’ve always believed in service. My parents were very much dedicated to service, and this job takes everything I’ve ever done, seen, heard, or learned, and I get to use it. I can give back in ways I could have never dreamed of, and I can do it through a lens of joy. A friend of mine has given me this new phrase, ‘through a lens of joy,’ and I think that is the most beautiful phrase I’ve ever heard.

Doing things “through a lens of joy.” Approaching every endeavor through the lens of joy infuses passion, purpose, and fulfillment into our lives, making mundane tasks into incredible experiences of growth and discovery. Maggie shared with me her north star, one that most She Did What?! readers can relate to.

My family. I was a single mom raising two kids, and my purpose was to make sure I always got home safely to my girls. Even though they are grown, I never stop thinking about how I can contribute. I have two sisters who are amazing, and my parents were also amazing. Same with my grandparents. My grandfather was the first African-American agronomist to graduate from Cornell, and he worked for George Washington Carver at Tuskegee Institute. My grandmother was the Catholic Mother of the Year and got a medal from the Pope. My other north star is gratitude. I feel very lucky. I’ve had opportunities and been lucky to recognize them and capitalize on them. Also, knowing that there are certain times when you let things go. You don’t have to have everything.

Next, I wanted to learn more about Maggie’s 5 radical tips for self-evaluation. The advice she gave was so indicative of Maggie’s extensive personality and deep character (and even included 2 bonus tips!).

1. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
2. Have a best friend to bounce ideas off of. Your best friend will level what you are saying and sees you in a different way.
3. Have goals. Take a minute to cross them off when you achieve them. Savor that moment of achievement.
4. Read, read, read. Read high-brow stuff and read junk beach reads.
5. You have to take a break. Radical self-evaluation will happen when you take a break.
6. Journaling. Radical self-evaluation is journaling. I used to scuba dive as a time to disconnect and be by myself. When I would come back to land, I would journal about everything I saw.
7. Be happy. You have so much to live for.

I think we could all take at least one page from Maggie’s book of advice. I especially resonate with numbers 2 and 4.

To close out our conversation, I asked Maggie to share her pointers for any She Did What?! readers thinking about making a foundational change.

People always tell me, ‘You failed retirement.’ I didn’t fail retirement. I chose to go back to work because I found something that really interested me, and I found people that I really wanted to be with. I come to the office five days a week, and I love it. With pivotal change, you’ll know it. Your gut will tell you if it’s a good thing. Listen to your gut. Talk it over with your friends, and have your list of goals. If you are in touch with yourself and have your goals written down, you will know when it’s time for a change.

I completely agree with the notion of trusting your gut. You know yourself and your wants and needs better than anyone else. In a world filled with endless options and overwhelming choices, learning to trust your gut becomes an invaluable compass that guides you toward the path that aligns with your truest self.

A huge thank you to Maggie for joining us for She Did What?! Her candidness and ability to be open and honest with herself and our readers are just some of the many attributes I admire about Maggie.

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