Back in May, you may have caught our series on Supermoms. Now, with Father’s Day approaching this weekend, I think it’s about time we hand the mic to our Protiviti Superdads! Are you curious what a Superdad is? No worries, I’ve already done the googling for you and thanks to TheFreeDictionary.com, we can all say that we had some knowledge dropped on us today!
Superdad (n.): A fatherwho is considered to be highlycapableandenergetic in child-rearing,especiallywhilealsoholdingfull-timeemploymentandmanaging a household With my newfound knowledge of what a Superdad is, I set forth to find a few of our very own at Protiviti. With several hundred Superdads in the organization, it wasn’t too hard to find these three that I’m about to introduce you to!
Meet Justin. Justin is a parent and husband amongst many other things! After enlisting in the Army in 2002, he attended West Virginia University on an ROTC scholarship after his first deployment to Afghanistan. Currently, Justin is not only a Manager in Technology Consulting in our Metro D.C. office, he is also a Signal Officer in the U.S. Army Reserves! I’d like to pause here to take a moment to thank Justin on behalf of our organization for his service.
When Justin isn’t with his wife and two sons, Jackson and Griffin, you might find him working out or exploring our nation’s capital. A fun fact about him? He has visited over 25 countries! I had a chance to connect with Justin to talk all things “Superdad”. Here is what he had to say!
We’ve talked about how being a parent might just be the world’s most important job. What is the number one thing you’ve learned from being a parent? “I’ve learned that silence is not golden…it means a gigantic mess is being created somewhere! On a more serious note, I’ve learned what unconditional love means. I didn’t realize how much I could love something until I held my sons for the first time.”
Talk to me a bit about how you balance it all. “Protiviti has been a great place to achieve the work/life balance that I wanted when I left the Army. My managers and clients have been flexible which has allowed me to be at important meetings, appointments and games when they occur. On a personal note, for me, it’s all about prioritizing what’s important to you. For “me” time, I wake up early and go to the gym before work. For family time, I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to leave work on time to pick up my sons from school activities and maximize my time with them.”
Favorite family memory, go! ” When I went to Disney World this past Thanksgiving, I’m not exaggerating when I say the whole week was magical. During the night show at Magic Kingdom, the combination of fireworks, lasers, lights, music and “snow” – the look on both my sons faces will be hard to beat.”
Meet Alejandro. Alejandro is what I’d like to refer to as a jack of all trades! First and foremost, he is a Superdad to two children, Gabriel and Sienna. Alejandro and his wife are also preparing to adopt in the future [heart melts].
With a diverse array of jobs worked early in his career such as being a waiter and forklift operator, he found himself joining Protiviti in 2016 after graduating from ASU’s Business School with a Computer Information Systems degree. He currently is an Experienced Consultant in our Internal Audit Financial Advisory – Technology practice in Phoenix, however, before that, he spent four years in the U.S. Air Force. Thank you for your service!
But enough about work, lets talk about the fun stuff. Did you know that Alejandro’s side passion, outside of family, is PC Gaming? He has been gaming for 12 years and even competed professionally in 2003 in a game titled Counter Strike. Wow! Ready for another fun fact? He makes a mean Chicken Tikka Masala. (P.S. – Alejandro I’m a ‘believe it when I see it’ kind of person, and also a big fan of Tikka Masala. Let me know if you need my address!)
Parenting is a tough and often thankless job (hi mom and dad!) but despite it all, your family is still your world! What would you say is the best part of being a parent? “Everything! It’s hard topin point just one thing. Fatherhood is more of a journey than a specific “thing”. From seeing your babies smile at you, hearing their belly laughs and watching them learn to interact with the world, these are a few of my favorite joys. The best way to sum it up would be with a quote from my daughter that she told me as I put her to bed recently: “I will take care of you, Daddy, when you’re too old to take care of me anymore.” Words like that help me strive to be the best father I can be.”
That’s beautiful! At Protiviti, we truly have a family-first mentality and we work hard to support working parents, like yourself, by creating flexibility. Do you have any advice for other working parents on how you maintain work / life blend? “What works best for me is maximizing my family time. When I’m home, I’m home. I work hard at not talking about work around my family. Being mentally and emotionally, not only physically, present to my family is vital. Protiviti has been a blessing for my family. I’ve found that when I communicate my family needs to my team in advance, they can typically accommodate. It’s extremely helpful when scheduling family-enriching activities. As I mentioned earlier, my wife and I are also looking to adopt, and I plan on taking advantage of Protiviti’s adoption benefits!”
Favorite family memory, go! “My children give me so many daily images and memories to love! A favorite is when I recently overheard Gabriel lovingly teaching his sister, Sienna, to read while walking by his room. I heard him using the techniques I had taught him last year to help his little sister sound out the challenging words. I’ve given them a weekly challenge for the summer. If they can read a book each week, in accordance with their reading level, they will each get an Eegee’s which is a favorite (a beverage similar to an Icee).
Meet Richard. Richard is a Senior Manager in our Data and Analytics practice in Chicago. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Richard is a Superdad with a B.S. in General Engineering and is a current candidate in the M.S. Analytics program at Georgia Tech. With a Masters degree in the works and a 6-month old daughter, Angela, at home, he certainly has his hands full!
When Richard doesn’t have a diaper to change or paper to write for his Masters, you might find him playing softball or at the gym, leisurely reading, rooting for the Cubs and most definitely spending time with his family.
Congrats to the newest Superdad of the Protiviti features! Tell us a bit about this new title! What’s your favorite part? “My favorite part is being able to play with my daughter for an hour or two after I get home from work and before she goes to bed. I’m really looking forward to teaching her how to play sports, ride a bike, etc.”
So fun! Especially as a new dad, I’m curious to hear if you have any learned advice that you’d pass along to expectant fathers? “Figure out your priorities and accept that it is impossible to do everything. Sacrifices will always have to be made in certain areas to be able to do a good job in the ones that matter to you more! It’s also OK to say ‘no’ to something if you can’t dedicate the necessary time or if it does not align with your career goals.”
At Protiviti, we work hard to support family. During your journey to fatherhood, is there any particular benefit you found to be useful? “Angela was unexpectedly born five weeks early and my Protiviti team was extremely supportive and flexible during that very stressful time. I was able to work with our entire Operations team to build a schedule that allowed me to help watch my daughter for a number of weeks after my wife went back to work.”
If you could pick a favorite memory, what would it be? “Angela was in the NICU for five weeks after she was born. So, my favorite moment so far was bringing her home from the hospital. Seeing my parents and in-laws meet her for the first time was also very special. She is the first grandchild on both sides, so she is spoiled!”
It is Protiviti’s honor to help our working parents in the best ways we can to ensure they feel supported and empowered in work and life. As we head towards June 17th, we take a moment to celebrate our Superdads and say THANK YOU for all that you do. Cheers to you!
-Cait
