Deloitte's Jessica Muhlenberg

What company launches a two-tiered sabbatical program in a down economy?  Deloitte does!  And with great success, I learned yesterday when I got an update from Jessica Muhlenberg, Senior Manager of Benefits.

A previous post described the kick-off of Deloitte’s two sabbatical offerings for US employees:

1.  Four weeks of unpaid and unrestricted time off. Offered to any employee who has given at least six months of continuous service and has good performance ratings.

2.  Three to six months of time off to pursue career development or volunteer experiences. Offered to high performers who have been with the company for at least two years, this sabbatical offering comes with 40% of base salary.

In June 2009, Muhlenberg reported that the company had received seven applications, one approved, and lots of interest. That was a nice beginning for what was to come.  So far, 50 employees have gone on sabbatical!

Here are the highlights of the conversation with Jessica:

• Of the 50 employees who have gone on sabbatical, 40 experienced the one-month sabbatical and 10 utilized the longer sabbatical of 3-6 months.
• Deloitte is especially pleased with participation since the program crosses all business units – tax, audit, accountancy, etc.
• A best practice has been established for asking their Talent Delivery folks to be open-minded when considering whether a proposed activity for a 3-6 month sabbatical would meet the requirement for career development or volunteerism. “We didn’t want to provide a specific definition of what would or would not qualify for the sabbatical,” explained Muhlenberger. That’s great thinking, because there are SO many possibilities.
• Deloitte has experienced  few challenges with program; doesn’t plan to make any changes; and wants to continue to focus keeping participation high.
• Featured sabbatical stories on the company’s very active intranet lets employees know how others are utilizing their sabbatical experiences and creates interest.

Jessica provided a thoughtful, no-nonsense answer for my last question, “What’s the best business outcome  for Deloitte?” She said: That it continues to be perceived positively as part of the Total Rewards Program; that it continues good success as a viable option for employees at Deloitte who want to step out.

I became hooked on long-term travel after backpacking in Europe and studying in London while at Syracuse University. After that experience, it was easy to decide to delay a career after graduation and go backpacking again. My partner in crime was Holly, whom I met the very first day at Syracuse. She had studied in Australia one summer during high school and mentioned that she wanted to revisit after graduation. Still high on my experiences in London, I quickly jumped on board to go.

We got jobs for a few months in our various fields to make some money and gain professional experience, but we weren’t as crazed about finding them as our fellow classmates were. Our eye was on six-months of backpacking in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. So in a way, this was our gap year post college.

When we finally set off on our journey it was 1995. And at that point I decided I would return again to Sydney in 2000 for the Olympics. But this time I wanted to add on Vietnam & Cambodia, two countries that I had a great fascination with. That trip was to be alone, but once Holly got wind of it, she decided she would come along as well. It’s hard to find a good travel partner, but in Holly I had a fantastic travel partner, so I couldn’t say no!

The one caveat was that she needed more time to save money and she wanted to trek in Nepal. It was worth forgoing the Olympics in order to have Holly as a companion, so the date was set for Fall 2001.

During this time in my career, I had an ideal job for myself with the Starlight Children’s Foundation in New York City. I had always been involved with philanthropies from a very young age, and being a survivor of childhood cancer, I felt strongly in Starlight’s mission of helping seriously ill children, their families, and the hospitals that treat them. I was given a great deal of responsibilities, including managing the volunteer & intern programs, overseeing three major special events (two galas and a sports auction), as well as all marketing materials and newsletters. I was able to combine my loves of design, event planning, and volunteering all into one.

As the end of 2000 was approaching, I began plotting my travels. By the time I was to leave, I would have been with Starlight for 5-1/2 years. I was already getting antsy with my role and since it was such a small organization, I knew if I wanted to move up, I would need to move on. Then in December of 2000 a new opportunity presented itself.

As part of my job, I worked closely with the in-house video production facility of our corporate sponsor producing our yearly fundraising video. Well, I suppose I worked more closely with them than was required because I fell in love with production. Before I knew it I was creating outlines, scripts, & storyboards, as well as conducting interviews and overseeing shoots & edits. It was a different industry for me yet I was able to use my skills in new ways, while learning so much.

At that time, the editor I worked with took over managing the facility. He approached me and asked if I’d be interested in working for him. Since we already had a great working relationship, I saw this as an excellent opportunity for me to break into the production world. But what about my planned career break?

I decided that my planned travels were still important to me, and was able to negotiate that time off before I had even started. A few things I had going for me was an already established working relationship, and one where my skills and work ethics were respected. And I was technically being hired as a consultant, so despite not receiving benefits, the biggest benefit I cherished was the opportunity to have the flexibility to travel.

So my career break in fact turned into a sabbatical!

This experience taught me that it’s important to keep your eye on your dreams, and for me that involved travel. And even when life throws you a curve ball (and it will), don’t look at it as moving you off course. Look at it as a different path to lead you to your goals.

So what happened on my sabbatical? That will have to wait for another post – but here’s a preview of our trek on the Annapurna Circuit!

Molly Thomas with Abacus

While  more than enough good ideas for your upcoming sabbatical may exist, finding the “best” experience is critical. Given career ambitions, should you consider a global leadership experience or is this the time for personal rejuvenation?  Is including family a good idea? Or this time, perhaps not?

Part of finding “your best” sabbatical can be  to take an idea and stretch it by asking:

Can I add an element that’s a little over-the-top?

What if I were to go out of my  comfort zone?

Not only might this new idea have more potential to achieve your goals, it also may  make your heart race a little faster – either from pure excitement or fear. Great, you might be on to something.

Molly Thomas’ upcoming first  sabbatical – “a trip of a lifetime” – came from the “stretch” process.  As part of the  Client Services Team at Abacus Planning Group, she’s eligible for a 4-week paid sabbatical. Abacus Planning Group, a fee-only investment counsel and  financial planning firm located in Columbia, South Carolina, offers employees a 4-week paid sabbatical after 5 years.   (To find other companies that provide sabbatical programs, check  ”workplaces for sabbaticals.”)

What started out as a stay-cation (she’d get some things done around the house and throw in a jaunt to San Francisco) is now a full-tilt-across-the-Pond-I-can’t-wait-for-April career break.

Now for a drum roll please. Going to Europe is a first-time experience for Molly.  (wooowheee!)

What caused Molly to re-think her original idea? “My daughters inspired me,” said Molly. Two of her daughters have traveled in Europe – more than once.  While I was speaking with Molly, one of those daughters, a sophomore in college, was tweeting her way across Spain to Barcelona.

Hearing her daughters’ experiences must have inspired Molly to ponder:  I’ve never done that. Could I do that?

Fantastic thought for stretching an idea  when looking for your best sabbatical.

Molly’s  sabbatical is a “hybrid” sabbatical – using time to be involved in several different experiences.  First, she’ll spend some Spring Break time with one of her daughters; then depart with her husband for the across-the-pond experience.  Using the last few days of her sabbatical alone at a beach house, she’ll take time for herself to reflect on her experience before returning to work.

I pointedly ask Molly if she truly felt at this stage of her life and career, this was her “best” sabbatical plan.  After a thoughtful pause, she replied, “Yes.  This is the best for now.  But next time I’m going for an entirely different experience.”

What might that mean?!! In five years, Molly will have an empty nest and that’s the time she’ll seek an experience “to take me way out of my comfort zone.” No cushy hotel rooms next time.  Instead, Ms. Thomas wants to wear only blue jeans, plop herself down in  a rustic environment and get  involved in perhaps mission work or some opportunity to give back to others.

Since Molly has already stretched one sabbatical idea, will she do the same for her second? (I keep thinking the answer might be “of course, she will.”) What do you think?

So, if you have a good idea for your sabbatical, take the time to s-t-r-e-t-c-h  it. Molly ended up with a sabbatical fodder file on her desktop titled,   ”Across the Pond” and unwavering confidence in her choice for what to do on her career break.

What might show up on your sabbatical folder file?

I turned around.  Tribe was standing in the doorway to the classroom we’d just left where we taught the students about the power of differentiation when launching social ventures.  During class Tribe only spoke when he was called upon and even then he was barely audible.  Now he was the one addressing the mzungu (Swahili word for “white person) by himself.  His classmates had already gone to supper.

I was stunned. Not only at who was asking the question, but also at the gravitas of it.

“What do you mean my vision?”  I stammered.

Tribe stared at me deeply.  “What is your vision for me?”

I had only been in Africa for a few days.  Tribe’s school, Gayaza Cambridge, in the rural outskirts of Kampala, was one of the first schools I visited.  To get there was an experience in itself.  On the first leg of my trip I took a matatu (large van that follows specific routes through the countryside) from my compound in Buziga to Old Taxi Park (which was the epicenter of the riots that rocked Kampala 4 days earlier).  From Old Taxi Park I hitched another matatu to Gayaza which was an hour and a half (mostly over bumpy dirt roads) away from Kampala.  We fit over 20 people in a 14-person van.  I sat next to a woman that brought a bag of hay which she laid across my lap the entire ride.  It seems like anything goes in these matatus – they have given me a newfound sense of patience and humor.

As we snaked through various provinces and neighborhoods in the matatu I was in culture shock.  We drove through places that were destitute.  There were children begging on the side of the matatu.  There were donkeys, cows, longhorn cattle, goats, monkeys and chickens walking in the street next to cars and matatus and people.  When villagers saw me in the matatu they shouted mzungu!  Children stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the odd white person.  Everywhere I went it was a spectacle.  I felt like I was dreaming.  It was surreal.

When we got off at the Gayaza stop we were greeted by 20 boda boda drivers (motorcycle drivers that take you anywhere matatus cannot) yelling “mzungu! mzungu!” and tapping their respective seats.

Amy, the program director, asked one of them if they knew where Gayaza Cambridge was.  The man sheepishly nodded and quoted us a price of 500 shillings (25 cents).  She asked him again – louder.

“DO YOU KNOW WHERE GAYAZA CAMBRIDGE IS?”

He nodded again and patted the seat for us to get on it.  She shook her head and walked to the next boda driver in the throng.  This boda boda driver was adamant that he knew where Gayaza Cambridge was and quoted us 1,500 shillings (75 cents).  We got on and within 30 seconds we were flying through the Ugandan countryside – weaving around animals and potholes and branches lying in the street.  I had never been on a motorcycle before and now I was sitting behind Amy, whipping around on the back of boda boda and entrusting my life to a man I’d never even spoken with.

“Why didn’t we get on the first one?”  I shouted to her through the wind.

“His price was too low.”  She replied.  “If they don’t know where they’re going they’ll quote you something cheap.  Once you get on the bike they drive away and ask you where to go. If you don’t know they charge you extra for getting lost and drive you back to the boda boda station.”

The boda boda dropped us off 5 minutes away from Gayaza Cambridge.  After giving him 1,500 shillings we gave him another 1,000 shillings so that he’d come back and pick us up after our session.  It was already dusk and we were worried there would be no boda boda’s waiting for us when we were done.

“Here is 1,000.  Will you come back for us?”

He shook his head vehemently.

“6:20 sebbo (sir).”  Amy said, looking him in the eyes.  “We need you to come back.  We have no way to to get back to Gayaza.  Will you come back?”

He nodded and rode off.  (He never came back).

After Tribe asked me the question he hung his head to the side and limply looked at the ground.  I looked at him a little longer, trying to figure out what my response would be.  Finally I said the first thing that popped into my head.

“Well – what do you want to be?”

Of all the difficult parts of moving from Manhattan to Uganda – what I struggled with most was effectively communicating with students in the Educate! program.  I didn’t know how to speak with someone 10 years younger, from a completely different socio-economic circle and altogether different set of circumstances than myself.  It was hard.  I struggled, and I still struggle with it.

And while that was hardest part of my transition, the move to Uganda was much harder than I’d anticipated.  I’ve always been a go-with-the-flow type of person.  I usually don’t have a problem adapting to any situation. But this was different.

For me it seemed like everything was more difficult. I don’t mean to over-generalize or suggest this is the condition in all of Uganda – but they are the circumstances specific to my lodging and environment.  Most of the items are petty, but it’s the small things in life that make one comfortable.  Suddenly I felt I had no comforts, neither big nor small.  Nothing seemed simple anymore – when I brush my teeth I can’t run my toothbrush under the faucet.  I can’t drink tap water.  Clothes have to be washed by hand.  There is no coffee machine.  To get hot water you need to flip a switch 15 minutes before you shower.  There is no light in the bathroom (I was told I need to “aim straight”).  There is a “pet mouse” named Juliet that occasionally keeps us up at night as she sifts through items left out, pads through the room at night and crawls around in the walls till the early hours of the morning.  Going to the grocery store requires a backpack and 2 boda boda’s.  When I was in Hoima I scratched my arm getting out of a matatu.  The scratch was small – but because of the hygiene difficulties (2 out of the 3 days I was in the hotel I didn’t have water) and a lack of basic medical necessities (there was no hydrogen peroxide or disinfecting ointments in the entire town of Hoima) my arm has gotten infected.

And while these inconveniences make my life difficult – my work has been fulfilling beyond my wildest expectations.  Looking at a young adults trying to start a business and knowing that my skill set will help them do that more successfully is exhilarating.

Tribe looked at the ground and shifted his weight back and forth on his two legs.  He looked at the ground and then back at me again.

“I want to be an entrepreneur and an economist.”  He said softly.

“I can help you achieve both of those goals.”  I said.  “I’ve studied both fields.”

“Can you teach me?”

I nodded.

I am in Kampala to help the Educate! students launch their social enterprises.  Specifically I have to help them figure out: how to get start up capital; how to get ongoing cash to sustain their business and how their business can address a social problem.

While there are many business principles and concepts that transcend all geographic and cultural boundaries – the more I learned about the students business plans the more I realized I had a long way to go in terms of understanding how businesses operated in Uganda.  Uganda is primarily an agricultural-based economy and many of the student’s ventures revolve around farming and livestock.  Already I’d visited tomato, cabbage, cucumber,  eggplant, chicken farms and goat rearing projects funded through the students, grown on school grounds and sold to students and community members.   The earnings were reinvested into the student groups to help defray the cost of school fees and even pay 100% of certain students schools fees.  I met one group, COBURWAS (which is made of orphan refugees from Congo, Sudan Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Tanzania) that created simple businesses so they could afford to send themselves to secondary school.

Besides understanding the way businesses operate in Uganda I also need to understand the societal problems that afflict Uganda as a whole and thus compel students to start social enterprises to address them.  The problems in Uganda are far different than the ones in America – child sacrifice, school burning, terrorism, AIDS, children soldiers, government corruption, malaria, prostitution.

And my team and I can’t afford to make many mistakes.  95% of our students cannot afford to go to a university after secondary school.  If we are not able to help them start a social venture they will enter the work force likes the rest of the Ugandans.

Tribe looked at the ground and looked up at me again.  “Do you promise you’ll come back?”

I nodded again.

“When?”

“In a week or two.”  I said.

He smiled and walked away.

Starting out – This cruise adventure started in Ft. Lauderdale, making the first stop in Jamaica.  Here, we  had the opportunity to really talk to the locals and get an understanding of their lives.  After touring the island, the driver took us to a nice beach and we got some jerk chicken.   But to my surprise, it tasted like BBQ chicken – not authentic as I imagined…still good though and I ate every bit of it (LOL)!!!

Costa Rica – We got off the boat and secured a taxi to take us on a tour of Port Limon. The highlight of the tour was going on a jungle boat ride.  As we sailed through the swamps, we saw sloth, iguanas, and other creatures along thick foilage of the jungle.  What a treat!!

TIP – This same trip cost about $75 per person on the boat, but we got it for $20! When going on cruises, the excursions offered by cruise lines tend to be way more expensive. Plus, they leave too early in the morning for me. I suggest negotiating with a local taxi or tour driver at the port. Just ensure that you settle a rate before you begin your ride.  

Colombia – We landed at the Santa Marta port and got a taxi to take us to Tayrona National Park. Check out the pictures of this park to see the most beautiful coastline and beaches ever!   Once we got to the park entrance, I started to get a bit uncomfortable. The “guards” at the gate wanted an extreme amount of money to enter the park. Thank goodness our fellow cruiser was fluent in Spanish! 

We then went to Cartegena. I love this place! The culture, beaches, people, and architecture were just amazing. One thing about Colombia – it was HOT!! You definitely need a hat, sunglasses, and water.

Panama – The ship docked in Colon, Panama. We got a taxi to take us through the city and onto Panama City,  but not before seeing the Panama Canal.  Actually seeing a ship go through the locks was interesting. By this time, we were all running out of money.  One good thing, most of all the cities we visited took the US dollar. Panama actually uses our currency.  But, things were just a little bit more expensive.

 Fin – The trip ended with an overnight stay in the Panama City Marriot. The hotel was really nice. It had a huge gym – which I didn’t use of course. But, I did get in the hot tub!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inspiration -  Don’t let disappointments, strained relationships and job challenges tell you who God is; let His Word speak for Him. (Joel Osteen).

Peace & Blessings!!

-A

 

 

 

yS: Why did you choose to do a volunteer sabbatical?

Joe: I had always dreamed of volunteering in the developing world.  Working in corporate America for five years was rewarding and challenging, but I wanted to use my skill set in a more altruistic manner while I had the means to do so.

My decision to volunteer wasn’t completely selfless though – I knew that by volunteering in Uganda I’d be exposed to an extremely resilient, talented and diverse cross-section of people.  I wanted to engulf myself in a categorically different culture, because as Andre Gide said, “One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.”

yS: How has your sabbatical impacted you so far?

Joe: When I told people I was volunteering in Africa for 6 months a common response was, “You won’t be the same person when you come back.”

I was fine with that.  I am continually looking to evolve and grow as a person.

Little did I know how much of an impact my sabbatical would have on me – it’s more than I could have ever asked for: increased confidence, renewed mental calm and clarity, a greater understanding of life, a more global understanding of the world and a vast satisfaction knowing my work is helping people.

Joseph Quaderer, a director at Morgan Stanley, is on a 6-month sabbatical teaching Ugandan high school students the necessary skills to start and scale social enterprises – financially sustainable organizations that also address important social problems.

yS: How has your sabbatical impacted your career?

Joe: Furthering your career and volunteering abroad are no longer mutually exclusive concepts.  Having a stint as a volunteer on your resume at once differentiates you and also conveys to your potential employer that you are more than an empty suit.

I am using the skills I garnered in corporate America to teach Ugandan high school students how to start and scale socially responsible businesses. I have met other people using their professional competencies while volunteering – someone using his dancing background to spread AIDS awareness among the youth of Africa, someone else using her ceramics background to teach people vocational skills.  Volunteering allows people to strengthen their skills and to apply them in unorthodox scenarios that encourage creative thinking and problem solving.

Inspiration – Thank you Jesus for all that you have blessed us with!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Re-entry took “no more than a day or two” before being up to speed. His work coverage plan allowed for training and development. And he was far more rejuvenated than after his first sabbatical, seven years prior.

Doug and his wife in Hawaii.

Doug credits the success of his second sabbatical with lessons learned from his first. He shared with me his best practices:

1. Make it about succession planning. Start identifying what you do and who you can delegate to as early on as possible. “I started six months in advance,” he says. “The work coverage plan for my second sabbatical was more about succession planning. On my first sabbatical, I didn’t have that consciousness, but you can’t start too early thinking about those things. I’m now 55 and seven years away from retirement. You have to start implementing things well in advance of retirement to make sure it’s a smooth transition.”
2. Colleague partnering is critical. Introduce your colleagues to clients well in advance before leaving on sabbatical. It maintains continuity of service. “When you’re in your year of sabbatical, you really need to take the colleague partnering up to a different level,” Doug says.
3. Tell your clients and prospects that you’ll be taking a break. Promote the fact that you’ll be gone and that your firm supports it. “It’s an incredibly positive message – more so than I would have imagined.”
4. Use your work coverage plan to delegate to bring benefit to your company. “Once you have the list of things you do in your role, go through the list and determine what you can permanently delegate. Then ask yourself, ‘How can I best re-deploy my time for the benefit of the practice?’” Permanent delegation of tasks allowed Doug to do more client interfacing, business development activities and practice planning activities, bringing a higher value to the firm.
5. Earmark some unstructured time. Doug’s first sabbatical was 30 days of travel with only one day to unpack and get the house in order before going back to work. For his second sabbatical, he combined two weeks in Hawaii with two weeks of “staycation”, letting the days unfold and allowing for some quiet time. “I felt mentally and substantially better rested with having some time where I wasn’t dealing with airplanes, travel schedules and being on a schedule.”
6. Disconnect – really. To get the benefits out of a sabbatical – for yourself and for the development of staff – ensure that you fully disconnect. No calling in. No checking emails. “It’s good for you,” Doug says. “It’s at the core of the sabbatical.”

Because Doug did a lot of advance planning and knew what to expect, he experienced far less anxiety about leaving for sabbatical than he did before he took his first work break.

If a sabbatical is in your future, consider Doug’s tips for successful planning and preparation.

The Journey Begins…

We landed in Rome and quickly found the train route that would take us to the port city of Civitavecchia.  From there, we boarded the ship for a 12 relaxing days around the Mediterranean Sea.  The days were filled with taking advantage of learning new languages (I think Spanish is easier than French), eating, relaxing in the hot tub, meeting our fellow cruisers, listening to great jazz music, and dressing up for exquisite dinners.

Oh, I must mention, aside from the exotic ports of call, one of the most exciting part of the cruise was the broadway style show after dinner. In Cirque style, there were aerial performers (which I LOVE) and other dancers in flamboyant costumes.  This show was world-class!  Our voyage was definitely off to a great start.

First Stop – Athens

The weather was slated to be clear and hot for our  first stop - Athens, Greece.  Boy, was the weatherman ever wrong!! On our way to the Acropolis, it started to drizzle.  But that didn’t stop our adventure.  The taxi dropped us off and we were headed up the steep pathway to see this ancient wonder of the world. Finally making it to the top, we were also treated to a spectacular overview of Athens and the Parthenon. At this point, it started to POUR!!!  There was no place to take cover.  Luckily, we saw friends with umbrellas who gladly escorted us down the hill.  From there, we got a taxi and went back to the ship…So much for a day in Athens.

Onward we go to Ancient Empires

Words cannot express the awe I felt traveling through the Holy Land and following in the footsteps of St. Paul in Ephesus, Turkey.  Imagine my excitement seeing the magnificent Pyramids of Giza and standing right next to the Sphinx!  On the Nile River, I actually envisioned the baby Moses sailing down the river in his basket.  This was definitely an impressive journey.

Here is a challenge…Can you name the site/location of each photo?

New Friends

Allow me to introduce some new friends. The scene – downtown Cabo. The place – Starbucks (go figure). While shopping around, I happened to meet a very motivated and handsome young man, Modu. This highly educated, finely sculpted and interesting man recently took a step of faith and moved to Cabo to pursue his dream of fitness training, modeling, and launching a clothing line. He does it all! Check out his site and see for yourself http://www.moduvatedtobefit.com/. In his own words, he gave me some great advice for this season of my life “Never look back. Do what you love because we only live once. It will pay off soon or later.” Modu is indeed very wise.

While mustering up enough courage to zipline for the first time, I also met a very inspirational family from Arizona. Rebecca, Jeff, Gabby and JJ. Especially brave JJ! He was such a trooper as we climbed high in the canyons of Cabo. Check out the pictures from our adventure. Although it was fun, Lord knows I probably won’t be doing any more ziplining again!!

Ziplining Friends

More Cabo Photos

Inspiration – A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles. – Tim Cahill