Learn and Grow 

As Seen In, O, The Oprah Magazine, Entrepreneur, Fortune & Forbes

Yes, Shift Happens!

Shift (noun): a slight change in position, direction, or tendency.

Are you feeling a little stuck? Tired of not moving forward? Do you yearn for something more out of life? Out of your career? If so, it’s time to make The Shift. 

“The 90-Day Shift is a unique online personal development program that assists women in setting and achieving tangible goals,” says program creator Cindy Allen-Stuckey, founder of Making Performance Matter, an Indianapolis-based human resources consulting firm. Loosely based on Napoleon Hill’s Mastermind concept, the 90-Day Shift utilizes small group mentoring to aid members in overcoming obstacles through behavioral change, the building up of a growth mindset, the tempering of self-sabotaging thoughts and actions, a defined action plan with measurable performance indicators, accountability, and peer support. 

Allen-Stuckey came upon her own Shift as many people do: as the result of a medical crisis. “The 90-Day Shift arose from an opportunity I had to address a group of women shortly following my thyroidectomy,” she says. “When I was finished speaking, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much these women could benefit from the opportunity to focus on themselves and from having a safe space in which to do so, surrounded by other women also trying to better themselves.” Ninety days, Allen-Stuckey elaborates, is the right amount of time to alter - or slowly and deliberately shift-behaviors and cement them as habits. 

The structure of the program is a combination of the kind of work she performed with her business clients and the type of personal action plan Allen-Stuckey has often assigned herself. “It had been pointed out to me in a precious position that I tended to either argue with or allow certain colleagues to walk all over me. It was a classic fight-or-flight response, and it could well have hindered the advancement of my career,” she explains. “So I did what I do. I developed an action plan and focused on shifting away from one behavior and toward a more positive alternative. I solicited feedback, held myself accountable, and eventually experienced the mindset shift needed to overcome such a roadblock.”

What she does for her 90-Day Shift participants is similar, with Allen-Stuckey taking on more of a facilitator role. Each Shift class participant learns to articulate a tangible, measurable goal, whether it be specific professional development, weight loss, launching a small business, or something else entirely. They then develop an individual plan to help them meet their goals, and they share their progress every week during dedicated conference calls and in a private Facebook group. 

“Each woman I work with, in essence, has this group of peers to rely upon. We celebrate the little successes that inevitably lead to more significant achievements and help each other through the setbacks.” Allen-Stuckey says. “It’s so much more than just telling someone to think differently. It requires vulnerability and trust, but with practical strategies and a consistent application of the tools, any woman can achieve the empowerment that puts her on the path to greater success.”