#MakingTime: A Day in the Life of a VP Who’s Been at Her Company for 16 Years

Women can do anything — but not everything. As the largest online career community for women, we at Fairygodboss realize that balance is a myth, and that picking what to prioritize when everything feels important on a day-to-day basis isn't always easy. In the #MakingTime series, women share with us how, for one day, they chose to spend their most precious resource: time.

--

Historically, careers in the manufacturing industry haven’t always been readily labeled as the friendliest to women. Recent times have seen a shift in this respect, thankfully, with more and more women seeking jobs in this arena. And yet, at certain companies, the importance of doing right by female talent isn’t a new discovery — far from it. 

Take Terex Corporation:  Ranked as a Best Company for Women in 2018 by the FGB community, the global manufacturing company’s commitment to gender diversity has been a longstanding one, something Stacey Babson-Smith can attest to.

Terex is Hiring! Browse Opportunities.

As Vice President, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Babson-Smith has worked within the Terex family for going on two decades. Given today’s climate of job hopping, this may seem like an exceptional amount of time to stay at the same company — but Babson-Smith wouldn’t change a thing. “There is not a day where I wake up and regret having to go (to work),” she said. “Terex has afforded me so much opportunity that I never would have foreseen earlier in my career.”

Recently, she shared with Fairygodboss what has made the company one worth staying at, as well as how she effectively prioritizes on a day-to-day basis.

--

6:30 a.m.

I am out of bed and headed to the gym in my apartment building. I start my day off with a half-hour walk on the treadmill, which includes skimming The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal and also squeezing in a few minutes to stream a television show of interest. (At my pace, it takes a really long time to finish a series!) 

I head back to the apartment for core exercises and 15 minutes of yoga next. With my head now clear, I’m ready to get to business. I jump in the shower and get ready for work. Then, with coffee in hand, I head to my car.  

8:30 a.m. 

I arrive at the office (unless I am traveling). I’ve been with Terex for 16 years and always genuinely look forward to going to work. There is not a day where I wake up and regret having to go, which I know is not the most common experience to have at many companies. However, Terex has afforded me so much opportunity that I never would have foreseen earlier in my career. 

My mornings are usually filled with back-to-back video conference calls across different geographies with team members in varying functions.     

12:00 p.m. 

I’ll meet a friend for lunch once in a while, but for the most part, I eat at my desk. It’s a habit I picked up when my sons (now 21 and 23) were young. I tried to get as much work done during the day as possible so that I could leave early for their sports games or focus only on them when I arrived home. Now that they’re grown young men who live outside of the house – one is in college and the other is living in Chicago – I still eat at my desk, but I do take the time to either catch up on my professional reading or with personal matters during this window.  

12:45 p.m. 

I am generally back on the phone, on video conference calls, or I have in-person meetings at this time. Several years ago, I struggled finding time to catch up on work because I was on the phone all the time. Now, I block 4-6 p.m. on my calendar each day to catch up on my work or prepare for the next day. I’ve found that setting aside a guaranteed period of “focus” time each day has made a big difference on my productivity!

7:00 p.m.

In the evening, you will generally find me at a Barre exercise class for strength, agility and to clear my head.  Dinner after Barre and spending the evening with someone special in my life really makes my day. If I have not heard from my sons by then, I will chase them with a call or text in the evening to find out about their day. If I’m lucky, we may even do a Facetime video chat. I do schedule work calls in the evening once or twice a week in order to accommodate our team members that live in other regions. I prefer to have the call during my evening and their morning so as not to inconvenience them. I am also a news hound, so you will find me reading a newspaper or watching the news during the evening. 

11:00 p.m. 

Lights are out and I am off to bed!

--

Fairygodboss is proud to partner with Terex. Find a job there today!