Episode 84: Easy to Set Non-Negotiables But Hard To Stick To Them

Do you ever feel like you’re caught between making personal concessions and compromises in order to advance professionally?   I felt this way less than six months ago.   I was getting ready to transition from maternity leave back to work. Part of my transition plan was to initially work part-time so that I’d have time to rest and take care of my little one. Running my own business would give me the freedom and flexibility I needed to do this.   However, during my maternity leave, I became overly concerned with providing for my little one. As I transitioned back to work, I decided I need to think about taking on more clients.   A dear friend of mine had advised me to create a document with non-negotiables so that I wouldn’t be tempted to make concessions and compromises for things I needed from a client.   But I was concerned about how clients would perceive my non-negotiables.   In today’s episode of Build, I’m going to share how I went through this transition last year.   Once you’ve listened the episode, I’d like to know what was the last career transition that was spurred by a life event for you? How did you manage to pull through without compromising on what you needed? Feel free to tweet your response to @poornima. -- Build is brought to you by Femgineer (http://femgineer.com/). --  Femgineer's Confident Communicator Course 2019 is coming up! To learn more visit: https://femgineer.com/confident-communicator-course/ --  Enjoyed this episode and want to support the show? To become a patron of the show visit: https://www.patreon.com/build -- ## Easy to Set Non-Negotiables But Hard To Stick To Them Transcript   Career transitions are tough. Especially when they are spurred by life events.   They can feel endless, overwhelming, and cause us to shortchange ourselves by making concessions and compromises on what we need.   In today’s Build episode I’m going to share a recent transition I went through and how I managed to get through.   So stay tuned!   Welcome to Build. The show that debunks a number of myths and misconceptions related to building products, companies and your career in tech.   I’m your host Poornima Vijayashanker.   I had previously mentioned that I’d be experimenting with the format of Build, so today’s show is a solo show with just me.   I’m curious to hear your take on it. As always, feel free to leave a comment below. I don’t always have time to respond but I’m always listening, reading, and learning from audience members like you ;)   Last year, in the midst of my maternity leave I started to worry, more so than I usually do, and specifically about money.   I had previously written some blog posts about how I had gone through a round of interviews at companies, and ultimately decided that running my own business was going to provide me the most flexibility and freedom.   Somehow all the logic had seeped out of my postpartum brain and been replaced with a need to provide for my newly born child.   Despite being a good saver, and being a part of a dual income household, staring at my medical bill for the delivery made me worry about all the unexpected expenses that would start creeping up.   I’m a strong believer that I tight budget isn’t enough. You also have to make money.   So I thought about all the things I could do. I could answer all the emails that were piling up from recruiters or I could start working on the course I wanted to offer in the fall.   But this was 6 weeks into my maternity leave, I was having a really hard time summoning the energy to do something new.   Not to mention having the time to do it.   I’d need time and energy to either prepare for interviews or market a new course. Plus I’d have to persuade others that I was credible.   I re-read my own advice, and realized I needed to find a way to cash in on credibility that I had already built up without compromising on my non-negotiables.   That meant instead of proving myself to someone new, I needed to go back to working with people who knew I was credible.   I called up a client that I had worked for back in 2014 and 2015 to see if they needed help. They did and they didn’t need it until I was done with my maternity leave. So the timing was on my side.   There were just two catches: I need to commute up to SF and they had reduced their contractor rates.   Both of these directly conflicted with 2 of my non-negotiables, which were working commuting only two days a week and my rate.   I decided I wasn’t going to budge on how I priced myself, and told my client to check if there was more budget.   I reminded my client that I was reliable, and they remembered the quality of work that I had done.   I was also fortunate to have others vouch for me.   I put the ball in my client’s court and waited patiently for their response.   My client came back and asked me if I would accept working 2 days at the rate that fit into their budget.   I happily agree to the terms because it was exactly what I needed as I transitioned back to work.   What I re-learned is that you can go back to a client or company, especially if you have built up credibility there, and it helps to have more than one person vouch for you.   Finally, I re-learned the importance of having set non-negotiables.   As I was negotiating on the phone call, I made sure to pull them up and have them stare right at me!   Now, if you’re willing to share, I’d like to know what was the last career transition that was spurred by a life event for you? How did you manage to pull through without compromising on what you needed? Please let me know in the comments below!   That’s it for this episode of Build. Feel free to share it with your teammates, your friends, and whomever you think might be going through a tough transition.   And subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive more episodes.   Ciao for now!