4 minute read
Carrie Schuckle has been busy since last November. That’s when she assumed her new position here as Chief Delivery Officer (CDO). She was made for the role, or perhaps more accurately, the role was made for her because it blends her nearly 20 years of experience and expertise in software development, consulting and project management with her natural ability to connect with people and anticipate their business needs.
Carrie’s promotion signaled a recommitment here at Mind Over Machines to put just as much emphasis on delivery of the perfect technical solution as we put on creating the solution itself. And that’s exactly what she’s been doing for the last 10 months: Building her team and codifying processes to ensure every project delivery (implementation and adoption) is as smooth, efficient and all-around enjoyable as it can be for our clients. She’s been hitting it out of the park, but that hasn’t left much time for public appearances.
A Must-Attend: Enterprising Women Speak Out
When the Baltimore Business Journal announced its annual Enterprising Women breakfast, Carrie made a point to clear her calendar. It was a great chance to celebrate, support and generally hobnob with some awesome local businesswomen. The networking event was built around a panel discussion: Nancy Greene, Maria Harris Tildon, Christine Ross and Alicia Wilson sharing their stories of personal and professional growth. How could you not go?
Networking Ain’t Easy, But It’s Worth It
As all our clients will attest, Carrie is friendly, talkative and loves to laugh. But “networking” is its own animal. We’re all so nose-to-the-grindstone in our own silos that it can be a challenge to step out and connect with new people.
“I made a point to find people in the room who were on their own, go up to them and stick out my hand. There were a lot of people like me, who weren’t natural networkers, but we were all trying hard, and guess what? It worked!” Carrie says. “It was a warm, welcoming event. We all made some great connections and left feeling energized and motivated.”
“I’m With My People.”
Women who have fought for themselves and their career success know all too well that feeling of being “other,” different, judged.
“I’m a mom. I have three kids,” explains Carrie. “When people ask what I do for a living and then find out my husband is the stay-at-home parent, their responses often bring on that tinge of guilt that I struggle with frequently. There was none of that in this room, no judgment, and it felt great. I was with My People.”
Miles & Stockbridge Chair Nancy Greene is mom to five boys. She told the story of grappling with the work-mom balance when she was challenged to take her current role. Her husband assured her it was his turn to step up and help more with the kids, and he was happy to do it. Many women in the room had similar arrangements. The message was clear: Check your maternal guilt at the door. All families operate differently, and this was a space for women to come together and celebrate their professional success.
Know What You’re Worth & Don’t Settle For Less
Pay inequality was another prominent theme of the morning, and the panelists were all in agreement that women need to get more comfortable with asking for what they’re worth. “In compensation negotiations, men tend to over-ask, and women under-ask; while that’s not the company’s fault, they may take advantage of it,” Carrie asserts. “Women in every industry need to find a good way to evaluate what they are worth salary-wise and refuse to settle for less.”
Mentoring: Never Miss a Chance to Lift Each Other Up
This is a mantra for Carrie and all of Mind Over Machines. Regardless of gender, we constantly work to lift each other up, which means building colleagues’ skills and comfort level. That’s how we increase value of both the individual and our organization.
Mentoring always comes up as one of the best ways women can support one another, and the Enterprising Women breakfast put an interesting twist on it: “Women should always want to see other women succeed, regardless of job level or title. One of the panelists pointed out it was the paralegals who taught her the most when she was working to make partner because they knew what the existing partners were looking for,” Carrie recounts. “Mentoring doesn’t have to be a top-down initiative. Women throughout a company can work to support, educate and empower each other.”
Carrie’s Gone Public; Come Meet Her!
Mind Over Machines and, more specifically, our clients are still keeping Carrie busy. But we’re giving her some room to roam about town, and that means you’ll have a chance to meet her at several interesting events this fall. In late September, she’ll be on the scene as our resident marathon runner at I95 BUSINESS’ From Sports to Success. Several athletic MINDs are turning out for this one to support our baseball-turned-business-analyst great Mike Rolfes.
In early October, we’ll be on hand for Betamore’s Beta City 2018.
Before the end of the year, Carrie will grab the mic to moderate a Women in Tech panel, Episode 6 of the Waterfront Tech Series. Now that will be a must-attend event for all Baltimore’s enterprising women and their legions of fans!
