Are you choosing to live a happy, fulfilled life?
That’s right, studies have proven that ninety percent of the factors that make the difference between a happy life and an unhappy life are factors within your control. One life hack proven to help unlock your best life is setting, pursuing, and achieving goals.
Yes, you can choose a happy life, but don’t take my word for it! Here’s an example of how other people – people just like you – are choosing to achieve happiness through their goals.
Amuse-Bouche Before we jump into today's post, I offer you this "dad joke" as a light "amuse-bouche" to entertain your mind before we get serious. Like any other amuse-bouche, you may hate it, but it is worth every penny you paid for it, right? What do Winnie the Pooh and Alexander the Great have in common? Same middle name.
Deanna’s Secret Weapon: How To Advocate For Yourself (Interview)
Welcome to this week’s Interview with a Goal-Crusher. In these interviews, I sit down with someone accomplishing big things by setting and achieving their goals to learn their secrets. Then I share those secrets with you. It’s like free mentoring from someone already on the road to success. Who doesn’t want that?!
Leaders who oversee diverse teams of seasoned professionals receive countless requests, suggestions and complaints. Team members rarely approach their leader with a special request accompanied by a well-thought-out impact analysis and implementation plan. When that happens, it is something to be celebrated.
When the well thought-out, planful special request involves someone courageously standing up for their values. Those situations deserve to be shared so others can be inspired to advocate for themselves.
This week’s Interview with a Goal-Crusher is one of those inspirational stories of how Deanna expertly advocated for herself and her family.
Believe it or not, there was a time not too long ago when alternative work arrangements were rare and generally frowned upon. Personalized working arrangements were ever less common in fast-paced corporate IT departments and project management offices. Most leaders in these environments discouraged these requests and guided their teams not to rock the boat. I hope we have evolved beyond those days but could easily slip back there.
Despite the environment being stacked against her in 2017, Deanna approached her manager and then her manager’s manager (me!) with a request and a plan. When returning from maternity leave, Deanna wanted to drop to a thirty-two-hour, four-day work week to spend more time with her family. Proving herself a good project manager, Deanna had a goal and a thorough plan to minimize any negative impact and a willingness to be flexible.
How could any leader not advocate for the approval and success of this request? But, Don’t Take My Word For It; read Deanna’s story below.
Please introduce yourself and tell Operation Melt readers what you do.
Hello! My name is Deanna Fuduric. I’ve known Tony for over 10 years – as a friend, boss, and mentor. I was pleasantly surprised – and somewhat mystified – when he asked me to do this interview for the Operation Melt blog?
Me, I thought? Your readers could potentially learn something from me? Well, I certainly hope you can take something away from my experience!
I am currently working as a consultant in the field of project management. I work for a consulting company that places me at different client sites to help them implement a new project or company goal – be it a new software tool, a new reporting platform, a new process/procedure that needs to be rolled out, etc. I’ve spent over 20 years working for major companies in Columbus across the retail, automotive, and healthcare sectors. And Tony helped start me down this official project management path. I owe him a lot for giving me my first official PM title!
What motivated you to pursue a non-traditional work schedule? What was your vision? Can you share some/all of your story?
I was on maternity leave after the birth of my second daughter. I knew this would be my last baby and last maternity leave. I just couldn’t stand the thought of going back to the full-time grind with an infant and a two-year-old. But I also loved my job and loved the people I worked with.
I had been at the same company for over ten years at that point and had been promoted several times, made some true, lasting friendships and worked alongside such talented people. I didn’t want to quit, but I didn’t want to start back to the full-time grind.
Was there another option?
If so, what was it?
Would the company even agree?
I had more questions than answers. But I knew in my gut that I owed it to myself and my family to give it my best shot. If only temporarily, how could I make this work for both the company and me?
What were your biggest challenges in achieving your goal of having a modified work schedule (e.g., asking and maintaining)? How did you overcome them?
The first challenge was figuring out exactly what my goal was; what does this “modified” schedule look like?
So I started researching. I reached out to my working-mom friends, friends of friends, family, etc., asking for advice on the topic, anything their company or co-workers tried to implement for working moms, etc.
I researched online for working-mom-modified schedules. I explored all possible options and then thought of how all those options would realistically work for my job, co-workers, and company. I made a pros/cons list of all the options. And finally decided on a modified schedule that I really wanted to try.
Next challenge: how should I “package up” this idea to my manager? I couldn’t just walk into his office and say, “hey, I want to try this.”
I had to have a “business plan” to make this work.
But what should all be included in this “plan?”
So I once again turned to research – to my network and online, asking for advice on the approach, method, process, etc. Luckily, I stumbled upon an outline of a word document, an approach/method to use. Oh wow, this was much more “official” and detailed than I had originally thought.
My research had paid off!
So I prepared a multi-page proposal outlining my modified work schedule. I tried to answer every question I thought my manager and/or HR would ask: what would your co-workers think?
I proposed a pay cut to work this modified schedule – showing how serious I am about this but also proving that I was making a salary sacrifice that most wouldn’t do.
What does coverage look like for your off-hours? I had a bulleted approach.
Why should we let you? Enter ten yrs of outstanding performance reviews and positive comments from my managers.
How long will this schedule last? Enter a trial period whereby we can reevaluate after 30, 60, 90 or 120 days.
Why does it behoove companies to keep employees happy? I had a few bullets from my research.
My point is that I tried to show that I was “worthy” of at least being able to try this. And that I was prepared to make it work!
I then sent my proposal to my trusted network, asking for feedback. I included many people who had already helped me and added resources in management positions, asking, “If your employee came to you with this proposal, what would you do/say? What am I missing?” After incorporating feedback, I was done with my proposal.
Now, the next challenge – how would I set up this meeting with my manager to go over my proposal? I had a great relationship with my manager. Yet, this was a brand-new-never-introduced proposal to a major retail organization – i.e., hundreds of employees, and yet not one person I knew of had this type of schedule. I had to come prepared and confident in my proposal and show my eagerness and commitment to make this work. If I didn’t get my manager on board, this was dead in the water. I knew HR wouldn’t even consider something if management wasn’t on-board.
So I set up an off-site meeting, and we reviewed the proposal – page by page. Luckily my manager was on-board but had some feedback. So I incorporated that into the proposal, and together we went to HR, and it was approved!!
I was able to work that schedule for an entire year! After a year, the company went through a re-org, and I had to return to full-time. But It was the best year of my working mom life!! Now my kids are older, and I no longer need that particular schedule. But I’ll never forget that year!!
What goal success tips and techniques have worked well for you (in this situation and beyond) that you would like to share with my readers?
Research!!
Never underestimate research!! It can come in many shapes and forms. Get out there and ask questions, reach out to people, read, and research.
Use your network! Similarly, never underestimate the value of your already-established network. Use them! Connect with them! Don’t be afraid to ask for help and feedback. Someday it’ll be your turn to help, and you’ll be grateful to do so.
Be prepared! Do your homework, anticipate the obstacles and try to have a response already prepared.
Soul search and trust your gut. Ask yourself the tough questions. This isn’t something an advanced degree can teach you or that you can learn through more training, etc.
You know you.
Trust yourself and your gut. And better yet – LISTEN to your gut. Ha. If only I had learned THAT lesson earlier in life.
Be confident in what you want, where you’re trying to go, and yourself. Even if HR would’ve said “no” to my proposal, I would’ve walked away knowing I had given it my all.
What else would you like my Operation Melt readers to know about you, managing their careers / families or goal success in general?
Find a mentor that you’d also call your friend and cultivate that relationship(s). Nurture and cherish it – a friendly voice and a friendly face are sometimes all the nudge you need to turn your day around. And be that person for others.
If you meet all your goals but make no true friends or personal relationships along the way – was it worth it? Maybe. But it’s certainly more fun to go to a happy hour with friends and celebrate your successes (and failures).
And lastly – I’d truly be remiss if I didn’t add this – while we’re on the subject of goals. Please trust that I’m not trying to convert anyone. But this may also resonate with a few of you. I also prayed (and still do) for guidance and help with navigating this experience.
If HR said “no,” I would’ve queued Garth Brooks’ “Unanswered Prayers” and assumed it was best for me.
How can people learn more about you?
If I can ever help out in any way, you find me through social media, ask Tony for my contact info, etc. I’m happy to help out in any way that I can!
Deanna’s commitment to advocating for herself, her family and her values is commendable. It is also an excellent reminder that getting what you want takes the courage to ask and a plan for influencing the people standing between you and your goal. Yes, that means you need to do your homework. Knowing that you did your best and left it all on the field means you can be proud of yourself no matter the result.
Let’s review some of the goal success techniques that helped Deanna create an unforgettable year balancing her career and family:
- Have a goal: Deanna had a clear goal she was trying to achieve
- Build a plan that works for you: after lots of homework, Deanna built a plan that achieved what she wanted while taking her other stakeholders’ interest into account; that’s a much smoother path to “yes”
- Expect and plan ahead for problems: Deanna anticipated the challenges and questions she would receive and had a plan for how to address them… she was also prepared to be flexible
- Don’t go it alone: Deanna didn’t try to do it all alone; she relied heavily on input and support from a team of experts around her
- Stay true to yourself: Deanna advocated for what was best for her and her family in a manner true to herself and relied on her faith to help guide her through
No matter your goal, these techniques make you more likely to accomplish it.
Need a little help finding the best strategy to turn your dream into a reality? I am a certified Master Life Coach, and Operation Melt coaching can help you create attainable goals, build plans to accomplish them and gain the momentum to carry you to the finish line. Let’s work together.
I believe in you; let me help YOU believe in you!
Meet Coach Tony
My name is Coach Tony, and I am a coach, author and project manager on a mission. I am working to build a world where no goal ever dies of loneliness.
I almost allowed one of my biggest life goals to die without ever being attempted for forty years. My goal almost died, not of failure but of loneliness. But, I took a risk and leveraged a simple, logical process that helped me wildly exceed my goal.
I transformed my life, and you can do the same with the help of Operation Melt.
Operation Melt provides engaging, practical content and hands-on coaching to inspire, motivate and equip project managers and other left-brained high-achievers to pursue and accomplish their biggest goals.
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