Annalie Hampton

Working part time and the support that has been provided to me to do this at a senior level has been a game changer in terms of me staying in and advancing in my career. The following factors have helped me achieve success in the role:

• Definition of success; redefining success for me once I became a Mum was vital to me. This enabled me to focus on my own journey and what success looked like for me and only look to others for inspiration, not comparison.
  
• Growth through flexibility; saying yes to opportunities and being flexible regarding the roles and areas I work in since having kids has brought me growth in my skillsets, people skills and as an advisor, some of which was unexpected. The business supports me working part time by being flexible so this has been an important way for me to demonstrate my flexibility back and has also led to growth for me in my career.
  
• Boundaries and then flexibility within those boundaries; I am deliberate and disciplined with how I spend my time; prioritising and focusing on the things that are important to achieve sustainable momentum in both my business and home areas. I can’t be there for everything so working out what things are important to me and my kids helps me prioritise my time on a day to day basis, e.g school drop off, sports games, only attending certain meetings at work. I meld both my work and home lives on a day to day basis, as life is fluid and no day is the same. As long as I am in equilibrium with work and personal goals over a period that is the main thing for me.
  
• Compartmentalise; ability to focus on work when I am at work and be present when at home. As a senior leader I have autonomy in planning meetings in a way that works for me and my team. Communicating effectively regarding whereabouts and checking in helps make this work.
  
• The power of the team; my teams are a vital part of what makes it work, delegation, providing growth opportunities to my team with appropriate support, coaching and guidance from me.
• Moments of joy; sometimes life is “messy” but overall working as well as being a Mum energises me and makes me a better leader and Mum. I look for moments of joy in my day; e.g. a daily coffee, an early run, listening to a podcast on the commute to manage my energy.