Our Consultant Spotlight series lets us tell the stories of the people who make up the Lions & Tigers community. This week we hear from Janelle Montgomery, L&T Consultant, Efficiency Expert, #BoyMom, #GirlMom, 3-point Specialist, and Mariah Carey superfan.

ABOUT JANELLE

I was born and raised in the Seattle area (mostly suburbs of Seattle).  I moved away for school, first to New York City and then the Bay Area of California, but my heart is in Seattle. I always knew I’d move back, and my husband and I love raising our family close to family.

WHY LIONS & TIGERS

I’ve worked for a number of consulting companies over the past 8 years and Lions & Tigers is the first that has ever made me feel valued: both as a person and for the work that I do. Unfortunately, at the other companies I worked, I felt like just another cog in the machine and completely replaceable.  L&T, since day one, has seen my contribution as a valuable part of our business and has even helped me scale and expand this business within Microsoft. On top of that, I’ve made real friends here, and I actually feel a part of the team instead of just seeing the company name on top of my paycheck.

AREA OF EXPERTISE & PASSIONS

I’m drawn to budgets, tools and systems, really anything I can use to drive better efficiencies with the clients and programs I support.   I see any new system as a challenge to first understand, then master and make better. Isn’t there an analogy around building a better mousetrap? When I find a way to improve an existing system or process, I’m buzzing from that energy the rest of the day!

In my personal life, I am passionate about my family and lifting up other members of the communities of which I’m proud to be a part, namely, women, Black and mixed-race people of color, and moms. I’m also a committed ally to the LGBTQ community.

CURRENT WORK

I’m working with a number of really great people at Microsoft (8 projects total at the moment) and my work varies a bit with each project. Over half of my work is supporting budget/spend management, ensuring that each team responsibly manages their piece of the pot and providing my clients a regular cadence of reporting, tools and analysis to ensure that, at any given moment, they always know what funds are committed, spent and available. My other project work varies from executive meeting program management, video production support, and design project management. For me, the appeal (and benefit!) of having such a diverse range of projects is that I get to switch from left-brain to right-brain activities all day and I’m certainly never bored!

AS A CHILD, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP

All the things! In elementary school, I thought I’d grow up to be a dancer.  I choreographed a dance that I performed with two friends at a school assembly. Kudos first to those friends who trusted me enough to get on stage in front 500 of our ‘closest’ buddies and second to one of their dads for leaving that VHS buried deep in storage!

My now 5 year-old is also a little dancer and plans to become a professional when he grows up– his passion he may have received from me, but his fantastic dance moves are ALL Dad! In middle school, singing was my passion and I wanted to grow up to be Mariah Carey —  still do if I’m being perfectly honest! But I’ll just love her from a distance. There is only one Mariah!

And then, through college, basketball was my life and, while I loved playing all those years, I always knew I would not take it further than college, though, for a brief stint, I thought I’d become a college coach.

BENEFIT OF FLEXIBLE, HIGH IMPACT WORK 

Absolutely, hands down, the time I now have to spend with my family.  All my clients understand that, while I may sometimes be working super late at night (post-bedtime for my kiddos), they’ll almost never see me online before 10am. In the morning, I sleep in as much as my 20-month old and 5 year-old will allow (spoiler alert: not much) and then we complete a 15-20 minute workout together and eat breakfast. Correction: my husband and I workout, my 5 year-old plays with toys and my 20-month old climbs all over us.  They mostly join in for anything that involves jumping, although we make solid toddler playgrounds when it’s a yoga day!

Having the chance to kick off the mornings with family instead of immediately jumping online sets a wonderful tone for the rest of the day. Also, in rainy Seattle, on those special days when the sun pops out, the flexibility allows me to prioritize going outside and soaking up the rays, knowing I can tackle any other deliverables later when the sun (and my kids) go to bed.

FAVORITE FAMILY ACTIVITY

Dancing! Music is playing in our house almost all the time, so impromptu dance parties happen daily!

ADVICE TO OTHERS NAVIGATING CAREER TRANSITIONS

Know your worth and find a company that sees you the way you see you.

Say yes to every opportunity you can. Try new things. Expand your experience, both personally and professionally. Then when you need to say no, say it without any hesitation.

FAVORITE FOOD

Living in the Seattle area, I think we have some of the best Asian cuisine available in the US and I don’t think I could pick a favorite because I love all the flavors from red curry to dim sum to pad thai to pho to teriyaki to sushi to poke bowls to stir fry and ALL THE SPICE. (4 stars please!)

HOW DO YOU WORK TO MAINTAIN BALANCE IN YOUR LIFE

I enjoy what I do and the people I work with. I also enjoy stepping away from work and focusing on family and my personal interests. By setting clear boundaries, I actually want to return to my work space, rather than dread it or see it as a burden.

I also make sure every ask from a client has a clear deadline. If they send a request without a deadline, I’m always going to request one. I don’t ever assume it’s an emergency or immediate ask. When I ask for deadlines and level set expectations with what I can take on that day or that week, I’ve found that most of my clients are reasonable, especially since they are aware of my sometimes odd hours. I then prioritize these deadlines so clients know they can count on me.

Interested in joining Lions & Tigers?  Check out our open roles here.