Women's History Month: Q&A with Deana Graebner
Tell me a little bit about yourself. I am celebrating my 2nd work anniversary with Tech Data this month!! During my time, I have supervised and supported offshore operation teams supporting the Security Vendors across Tech Data. Before joining Tech Data, my professional background was diverse across project management, marketing strategy, and operations, including planning weddings and private events. I have lived in Florida for more than ? my life, but originally from Maryland, and went to college at East Carolina University ~ home of the Pirates!!! While not at work, I can be found spending time with my family. My husband and I have two daughters who keep us very busy – aka mom taxi. ??
What’s a typical day like for you? I don’t think I can say my days are typical. As I currently work across 19+ vendor lines, supporting about 70 offshore colleagues and partnering with 20+ on-shore colleagues, each day is different. The consistency within my days would be that I am always collaborating, assessing, mentoring, educating, and partnering for operational efficiencies while delivering to the Tech Data customer service expectations.
How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated? Learning and sharing. For me, my motivation is to help others as well as gain new knowledge for myself.
When I see or hear something that could be improved, I partner or mentor to improve/change what was seen/heard.
This requires me to get a deeper knowledge of a task, team, process to help. As a natural competitor, helping make a change and difference provides that personal WIN that keeps me motivated.
How do you balance work and life responsibilities? This is always a tricky topic; I don’t know if anyone really has balance, as each person’s balance is at different levels. For myself, I feel I balance to the best of my abilities, and when work takes a higher percentage of my time, I don’t beat myself up. I know that extra time in one area will pay-off and benefit the other side later. This is the same with personal. If I am relaxed/happy from vacation time, my productivity when I return will benefit the work I do. Another trick that I have is that I look at that “life balance part” as personal time and ensuring my personal growth needs are being met with work. Learning something new, engaging with new teams outside of the normal day-to-day adds to my work/life balance
Who inspires you and why? I tweaked this question, as I cannot pinpoint one person who inspired me. I am inspired each day by my two daughters. To see the choices they make, I don’t think I was where they were when I was their age. They both have demonstrated they can navigate change, challenges, opportunities. They find ways to remain positive and adjust.
They take risks by trying new things, and they know they will make mistakes, and it’s OK. Their entire world is ahead of them, and they aren’t letting things stop them. This is what inspires me.
If you had to start over from scratch, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently? I would go all the way back to softball as a young child and allow my dad to throw pitches one after the other to me. I gave up, I didn’t think I could do it, and I stopped. I played it safe till college, and it was then that I “grew up” and started to take chances and challenge myself. I see so many people younger than I make a mark, and I wish that I had fought a bit harder when I was a kid. I may have had some added opportunities.
Have you ever wanted to try an activity that is considered “for girls” or “for boys” only? Did you try it anyway? How did you feel? As I reflect on this question, I haven’t truly attempted an activity considered for one gender over the other. However, I know if I had the skill and option, I would go in a heartbeat. I don’t think any of us should be held back. In a way, this is one thing that I continue to advocate for within my daughter’s soccer team. Though this is a sport that’s open to both males and females, our club puts a higher focus/priority/funding on the boy’s program.
This year our team took the initiative to host a Shoot-a-thon event and raised more funds than any individual team has before. It made us stand out to the Club, and I hope that all the players were just as proud as I was to show what they could accomplish.
If you could meet any influential woman, whom would you choose? What questions would you ask her? I want to meet Rosa Parks. I would love to ask what was really going on in her life that day on that bus in Montgomery, Alabama. When she refused to give up her seat, did she realize what impact that action would make for women’s futures?
As a female leader, what has been the most significant barrier in your career? My personality trait of being a go-getting, jumping in with 100% focus, has occasionally been viewed by some as “aggressive.” This is a common trait that has been misinterpreted across female leaders. Having ambition and speaking with authority should not be aggressive acts. I continue not to let those who see “aggressive” hold me back but work on rebranding that aggression as ambition.
What’s an accomplishment that you are proudest of? My two girls, Keira and Margaret. I was never that little girl who wanted to grow up and become a mom. I was never that person who googled at every baby that came into the office. BUT having these two unique humans and watching them grow, laugh, and smile brings me joy and happiness. I can only hope that I am influencing and inspiring them as much as they do for me.
As an Invisible Mentor, what is one piece of advice that you would give to readers? If there is something you really want, believe in yourself, and be patient. Continued focus and aspiration will get you to where you want to be in time. I believe in “You Can’t Lose What’s Meant to Be!”
-Brian