The life of a management consultant is on the road. Or so conventional wisdom goes.
It’s what Corey Fernandez, our Lead Dad of the Week from Travers City, Mich., thought when he gave the consulting firm he’d worked for ample notice that his wife Jess was pregnant with their first child. He let them know that he would not be able to travel the 50 days a year that he had been. Sure, he’d worked there for the better part of a decade and done great work. But management at the time – in those pre-Covid days – accepted that that was that and he left.
Corey joined a smaller firm, Humanergy, to take his consulting skills in a different direction. This also allowed his wife, a college professor and administrator, the bandwidth to continue focusing on her academic career.
“One of the reasons I wanted to work with Humanergy was because they understood what I needed to do around my family,” he said. “In a lot of ways Tuesday became the day I was 100 percent on with the kids. Monday, Wednesday and in the mornings on Thursday and Friday was when I was really billable.”
It was a financial risk – since his income is tied to how much he can bill – but it’s been a success for their family. “One of the areas of tension in our life is time,” Corey said, and his ability to control more of it has benefitted his wife and their two children, 8 and 7.
“I have such strong alignment with my company and my life that my wife jokes that I’m the only one she knows who likes his career,” he said. “I made a commitment to fulfill both our cash flow needs and our families’ needs. I never waivered from those commitments. We’ve worked hard to model this for our kids.”
What tips does he have for other men looking to be high-achieving working dads? He has two.
First, be a good listener – at work, at home, to what you’re thinking, to your families’ needs. It’ll help you be open and honest and align your values. “Too often we want to lead with solutions and our knowledge and expertise,” he said. “We miss opportunities to listen to people.”
Second, chose your managers wisely. “I joined a team where I was taking on risk and I needed to know this was the right team,” he said. “If you’re going to take a big risk, do it with people whose values are aligned with yours.”
Well said, Corey. Welcome to The Company of Dads!
