Brig. Gen. Stacy Jo Huser, Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Military Application, with the National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. was the guest speaker at the May 9 TEA Talk held at the Post Theater where she spoke about her leadership perspective.

TEA Talk on Leadership Perspective and putting yourself first

Huser started off by sharing her personal story. She talked about her family and how she came to be in her current job.

She said she likes to share her personal story because it helps break down barriers and it builds trust.

“It is important to build trust.”

She said the reason she stayed in the military all these years was because of the people.

“That is my why – taking care of people.”

Huser then presented her leadership perspective by talking about her vision of success in three parts.

Originally Huser said she had a vision of what success looked like, but in trying to meet the requirements she became exhausted. So now she uses different leadership principals to guide her.

Authenticity

Huser said it was exhausting not being authentic and not being able to cry or to laugh, etc.

“I am going to be me all the time. I decided I was going to be me.”

Now she warns people that she is going to cry when something terrible happens and rejoice when something amazing happens. She said some days she is going to have a bad day and other days she will be super excited.

She said the military has come a long way and it is now seeing the value of being authentic.

“They are realizing the value of being yourself. Now I strive very hard every day to be my authentic self because it was very exhausting not to be. I feel closer to the people I work with, and they share things with me they wouldn’t otherwise.”

Joy

Huser said she found joy. “When you do the things you are passionate about you do them better. When leaders see you doing your job with joy and passion, they take care of you. They reward you when you do those things.”

She said the main thing is to find joy in what you are doing.

“I seek out those opportunities that give me joy.”

Grace

Huser said she used to think that she had to do everything and be everything to everyone all the time.

“I thought I needed to have work life balance. I thought I needed to be great at everything. It was exhausting.”

Huser said it all came to a stop when she gave birth to her youngest daughter, who was born at 25 weeks and weighed 1 pound 12 oz. Two days later she went back to work.

“I was a major doing nuclear targeting and had a baby in the NICU. I was worried about what my coworkers would think of me.”

She found that instead, her coworkers were the most gracious and understanding teammates.

“They totally understood. They got it. They knew I was a hard worker, and they knew I would do anything for them. They did not care if I had to leave early to take care of my baby.”

She said her boss even made her take maternity leave when the baby finally came home.

“That is when I learned that not only was it o.k. to take care of myself but it would set an example for those who were watching me. I learned that it was o.k. to ask for help and that is something I carried with me in all my leadership positions.”

Huser said she believes that is why there are a lot of mental health problems because there is a stigma about getting help.

“This helps me set the tone for people to ask for help and to take care of their families. When it is all done your family members are the ones that are still there in the end.”

“It took this to give myself grace.” Huser said there are days when she is an awesome mother and then there are days when her family won’t see her for a while.

“In the grand scheme I try to make sure it balances out.”

Huser said she does take the time to explain to her family what she is doing so that they understand why she needs to go.

When asked about deciding to put herself first, Huser said it is obviously a judgement call, based on what is going on that day, whether she is caught up for the day or not.

“I think about all those things before I decide what to do. There are days and weeks when I’m gone constantly or when I’m staying late. I just don’t feel bad anymore.”

In the end Huser thanked the audience for listening to her.

“I am very touched and humbled that I got to spend time with you. I hope if anything you remember to be yourself.”

By Miriam Rodriguez

WSMR Public Affairs