Michele: 

Hello, everybody, thank you so much for joining me. This is Michele Heyward, founder of the tech company positive hire. And we will be hosting the fourth year of our women of color in STEM virtual summit. All this week, I’m bringing on many of our speakers so you can get to know them understand their background, like, Oh, yeah, that sounds like the person session I want to come and and learn from today. I have with me, Tamara McLemore, who is a, who was a PMP. So she’s a certified project manager, she has worked in it 15 plus years. And what I love about her, she’s a woman of color in tech. But her pathway, there is not what you would actually fake. So Tamra, why don’t you tell the people a little bit about, you know, your educational background, and how you ended up initially in it.

Tamara:

Okay, thank you for having me, Michelle. And I don’t want to date myself, but telling the story I’m going to have to. So I have a journalism degree, a mass communications degree. And very few people know that. But I started it probably 1520 years ago, with a company called Ericsson. And back then I was the project coordinator, with the old mom and Paul Bell, South by Southwest and Bill Houston cellular, if you know anything about that. And we did switches and cell sites. So this is, you know, this is before everybody has cell phones, only the very, very wealthy had in a big ol bag or in their car. So this is you know, pre y2k. And my aunt worked for MCI WorldCom, which most people probably watching this have never worked, heard of what she worked for MCI WorldCom. And she was like, Girl, you need to get into Telecom, you need to get into it. That is the next big wave. You don’t know anything. She said, You don’t know nothing. So you need to go ahead and get in a company. And they will groom you and you will move up the ladder quick. And that’s exactly what happened. So I moved here to Atlanta, work for Ericsson, quickly, quickly moved up because at that time, engineers were very, very, very technical. And I would literally travel from city to city for a five, six cities a week. Did you catch that? Yeah, five cities a week. Literally, with all my engineers, all the different types of engineers, the installers, I had to be there when equipment delivered over from Sweden here to the US Customs. And I loved it. That’s how I was able to learn and because I wasn’t a desk project coordinator. So I quickly moved up to a pm and and so that’s my humble beginnings in it and
haven’t looked back since the you got to have that one person might look, this is where you’re gonna go with you.

Michele: 

This is why are you gonna be there you like you know what? I’m gonna listen to you. At least try this out. Until it she did a good job.

Tamara:

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. That was the best. That was the best thing she could have.

Michele: 

Yes. So for some of you out there looking for a mentor. Sometime that mentor may not be, let’s say, an engineer, but they understand where the markets are going. They’re looking at their investments, because they’re getting closer to retirement and you’re seeing where they’re they noticed where they’re getting the most growth. financially. Listen to those people, they pay attention to a lot of things we as younger people, especially early in our careers, may not be paying attention to we just like I gotta I gotta pick When can I get a new car away or going for vacation where I want so stay focus, those people are really really key to growing your career now. So you’re in it. You’re out in the field because that you know, I’m I’m a civil engineer working construction out in the field for many years. What was your first reaction? Like, wait, I gotta go where and do what?

Tamara: 

I know, just being in the field with a construction site, literally 100 200 men, you know, out in the boonies, and everybody’s looking to me for the answer. I’m like me, like Tamar, you have the answer. And this is the day before you can smartphones. So I had that big old blackberry that look Doing reports. And I was responsible for telling everybody when the switches were up how much you know, the all the stats on the black bear. Yes. And that’s when I realized, I think I went on vacation. And they were like, We’re so glad you’re back like nothing move. And I was like, You were supposed to do the next and the next day didn’t know what to do. When I was like, that’s what I said, Wow. Okay, because they will tell me that, but I didn’t get it until I was actually on vacation and got back that, wow, they really need me to keep these switches in the sales cycle is different cities turned up. And then we have big events like the Superbowl, we got all star back then you did switches on wheels, because when you have a large crowd you couldn’t accommodate. Yeah. And so we will have to, you know, work with the planning committee, each city bring those cows and they’ll switch on wheels, and all that technology in that city. So just learning it just an able to communicate switch just went off.

Michele: 

I like the way you’ve got the big events because you got to do the work for the other people to come enjoy event. Breaking down like I work before and after I cannot enjoy the event.

Tamara:

Exactly. Like all this planning. Like you have to sit down with each city on the planning committee to see what the demographic, how many people do they have last year, how many people are projected to come this year? You know, it’s a it’s a it’s a overhaul?

Michele: 

Oh, I absolutely agree somebody, somebody has to do the pre and post. And that’s what many people forget, it was nothing there before. It was just it’s a magical engineer. I think managers are magical, they pull all pull it all together. So you realize, okay, they really don’t know what to do. They are really brilliant at their thing. And I pulled their brilliance together. Did you know at that very moment? What your skill set was?

Tamara:

No, of course not. Because I’m like I said, I’m just going from city to city, hot city to co city all in one week. It took a director, my manager and the VP to call me in their office. And I would bring what happened is I will bring the lunch and learns to Atlanta for the engineers and my group to stay abreast of the new technology. Because technology, you know, changes from the time you pre order to the time installation. It has changed. Yep. So and also I was the sap super user at the same time. And I remember my VP and director bringing me in the office. And they were like, Tamra, I cannot believe you behave like that in the meeting. And I will find I didn’t say anything that was like that’s the point. You didn’t say a word, you let this other project manager I will say very low level project manager. He was the hire project manager. But he was still in venom and acting like he knew what he was talking about. And he couldn’t have been further from the truth. And they knew that I knew the correct answer. And they were saying, Tim, will you have the authority? people respect you people follow you. So what he has the title, everybody was looking to you to correct him. And I was like, Well, everybody knew he was dumb. I asked why do I need to call it out in the meeting, but they explained to me my referent power and just the power that I had, and helped me grow that and use that and be diplomatic in leads. I don’t finish instead, okay. That is all well and good. However, you know, I have the expertise right here. I brought the lunch and learns I have already taken classes. I am an expert. And so that’s when I really the light bulb kept going off. But I had amazing mentors. That gave me the feedback. Yes, I did. I needed to grow.

Michele: 

What What I loved about what you just shared was, you had sponsors and you had a place where you had a culture that supported you. Absolutely. And that is so so important, especially for women of color. When it comes to advance in your career. The fact that they pulled you in and say you have to do this, as opposed to you keep doing the work. And don’t say anything, you don’t fix up. You don’t fix this mess. That’s not what they did.

Tamara:

No, and I forgot a major storm. That person had for a raise. It was very significant. I want to say like $20,000 they were all for sale. They were appalled. And they were so mad. They were like you should ask for rights. You do you do switches in sales sites, you do infrastructure and application SAP part Tamriel and should ask for rates. So they actually gave me the raise that he asked,
okay, where he’s gonna go go happen but to the person actually going on.
And they reprimanded me, they actually put it on my performance review for me to speak up more on my behalf, you know, behind the scenes as well as in front of the state. And so they helped me with that. But that taught me a lot, I was like, wow, I could just ask for a random raise doesn’t have to be, you know, at the end of the year, you know, I should understand my value and bring it to them. So they taught me that very, very early on early 20s, early 20s.

Michele: 

So that that goes back to, I know, I love social media, it goes back just because they offer you something that does not equate to your work. So it’s really, really important that women of color understand what their worth is, and it is not many times what employers are paid. So don’t get that twisted. Because let me let me back up one, one more step. How do you know your work? When shit hits the fan? How often do you get called to fix it? every time, every single time. And when shit hits the fan? Who is screwing it up? And they automatically assume you’re gonna fix it. Say louder for the people in the back. So I want you to take into account and really think about that. Also, some other things. Let’s say it’s not when shit hits hits the fan. It is when there is a big question. They aren’t sure about a process. People often come to you to answer this question, right? Or this, these types of situations. They don’t ask anybody else or hardly anybody else. Guess what? you to share it, you just don’t realize that you are absolutely thick as part of your job. So go back to emails, text messages, conversations, requests. Sometimes not even question you need to get this done, and things that are assigned to you and really start analyzing and look at him because I’m talking to analytical women and understanding what people in your job are asking you for that other people are not producing. Absolute that it’s when you go in isn’t it’s February now go ask for a raise now like we just gave raised, it’s like you haven’t requested it. So you’ll have it to me April 1, may 1,

Tamara: 

and you’re absolutely correct. So I do a lot of coaching. And I asked women when was the last time export rate of nine out of 10 say never. Yep. net you have never ever so they just waiting for that money tree to fall out the sky. Remember when you were living in your parents they have no money tree in the backyard. Stop asking for money. That’s what you’re waiting on. You’re waiting on to see if the company did well. And if you did well what they’re going to give you no ma’am. No, ma’am. You should be proactive in your career. Like you say understand your work, document it and present the case on why you deserve an increase. I tell most people I don’t necessarily ask for increased. I asked for more vacation. Yeah, additional things you know, but you have to learn how to negotiate and understand what is your value and negotiate that with your employer is different for everybody. I have a lot of clients that you know have small kids. The flexible work the farm is huge for them. Exactly. Huge for them. So you have to it’s case by case.

Michele: 

I agree. So understand what you value. It may not be money, it may be able to not send it Atlanta traffic two to three days. Okay. Friday to those days. You don’t want to sit in trip. I will be in office Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. But I am telecommuting on Mondays and Friday. Right? So understand what that which value are my friends that travel all like Tamra that used to wear in they want to wrote so much like, Look, I need a job where I can. I don’t I can’t be on the road anymore like this. So you start negotiating other things within an employer because you want something else that you valued more than money. And that right me if they say well, we’ll give you more money and give you that thing still take the money. I’m just saying,

Tamara:

Michelle, I have a funny story. So I went in a couple years ago and I wanted more vacation, because that’s my thing. Me and my husband travel abroad. At least twice a year for two weeks. So vacation is extremely important. So I go in with my case, and I email him asking for more vacation. They tell me now, how karma, however, will give you more money. I was so sad the rest of the day I went home to my husband. I said they declined me. But they gave me more money. He says, dummy. That is vacation, which is how I need somebody to coach me as well. Yes. So sometimes we have to talk to people and think it through. He said, just calculate how much vacation you want it and do the numbers they count. Oh, and that’s exactly what I did. And just put that money aside for my vacation days. Yeah,

Michele: 

we actually were talking recently about employees who give unlimited PTO. And a lot of employers won’t do it for fear that their employees will abuse it. And we’re like, face, they don’t even take the four weeks you give them now.

Tamara: 

They don’t grow. I take every ounce of vacation plus somebody else’s.

Michele: 

Exactly the so you, I think employers would probably the vast majority would do better, especially with younger employees if they offered unlimited vacation. Because like, wow, first of all, we like, hey, they’re doing something nobody else is doing. And we value the ability to be out of the office pay paid vacation, let me get that right, not on pay, pay vacation, pay vacation, and really using that. We’ve seen more unlimited PTO, or sick leave that we have. But I think having unlimited vacation time I’m seeing it more in the tech space tech startup space. And that is a huge advantage.

Tamara: 

huge advantage. And going back to my first employer, Eric, I just have to give it give a shout out to them once again. So I requested one week off vacation. Once again, I get called in the office. I’m like What did I do this time? Once again, manager VP direct. I’m like, what do they were like so you requested this low week? What are you going to do with that little week? I said, I’m going home to St. Louis and then we’re going to Chicago and he said that’s another and he said well I’m taking a month she taken a month he taken a month. You cannot take a week tambor because you’re going to go to St. Louis, go to Chicago, rip and run come back being worse off than when you left. You have to take two weeks. What? So that’s where I got the two weeks from. And they were absolutely It was a Swedish company. And so they do things a little different. And that’s when I started taking two two week vacations a year. And you come back refresh, you come back energized and energetic, ready to you know, conquer your next big task.

Michele: 

That that’s what if I had the exact opposite. When I go a manager early my late 20s that I was taking vacation and he was like he emailed me What is this vacation thing you’re talking about? So I sent him the definition of vacation. And I can’t remember what he responded back. But All I said was in my response, like you can call it whatever you want to but Michelle won’t be here. I’m going to Carolina.

Tamara: 

Exactly. And so to this day, I don’t request off. I block my calendar. Because if you say how do you how do you get the two weeks? And I’m like, What do you mean, me and my husband decide on the two weeks as a household? And then I block it off on my calendar. Yep. And I bought the airline ticket and go from there. Yeah. Wow. Well, how do you which are they have nothing to do with these are benefits that I get I deserve?

Michele:

And it’s a done deal? Yep. Yes. Some places they like all you need to request that we get a month in advance. I don’t know how to do it. Bless your heart. I don’t know how you do it. Okay. So you were at at Ericsson? What happened after Ericsson? Like you did so well there had a great culture, great leadership that was supporting you sponsoring you mentoring you. Then what this camera?

Tamara: 

Well, they wanted to I was getting a promotion after promotion, but they wanted me to relocate to Dallas and I just didn’t want to and at the time, Dallas was not what it is today. And so I was saying go. I’m like What about Houston? They were like no Dallas Plano richeson. Like, that wasn’t for me. So I know at the time, you know, 15 years ago, so I did. I had a mortgage company that I get my feet wet into entrepreneurship, but then I want to get back in technology. And so I got back, you know, I was super using SAP. And I knew somebody that worked for the government. And they were like, you need to do this and do that. And next thing I know, I was the federal employee.

Michele: 

That was that’s very different government Swedish company. They’re working to yourself to the federal government
call for shock, culture shock.

Tamara:

However, I learned so much I leave it to work for the federal government, I learned so many things about myself about how the economy is run different aspects of funding, procurement acquisition, the statement of work, I can write a mean Statement of Work 75 pages that will hold up in court law, that communication I can write.

Michele: 

Okay. See, that’s why for those of you who are part of the positive power community, you’re in Facebook group, I asked earlier this year, what were some of the things you wanted to learn and grow? So Tamra will actually be back a couple more times for the community to talk about project management and being an independent consultant. So when she’s talking about a statement of work, go Google that now if you don’t know what it is, start familiarizing yourself because we’re going to have her teach how to structure that. Oh, so Okay, so she has learned all of these things, you know, gotten into tech, gone into entrepreneurship gone into the federal government, understand the nuances of writing a statement of work so good, it’ll hold up in a court of law.

Tamara: 

What do you do? Then I get an inbox from a recruiter. Delta Airlines. People still today ask me, how did you get your position at Delta Delta is one of the covenant employees of Atlanta. Yeah. Everybody wants to work for Delta Airlines. I’m like, they inbox me. And a lot of people will say, Well, how because my LinkedIn is always updated. If my LinkedIn I had those keywords and I didn’t know this at the time I was I kind of asked like, why are you contacting me, but because I had a variety of skills, project management skills, procurement skills, it application and infrastructure skills that were transferable to the airline industry. As a matter of fact, I interviewed for three different positions on the day I interview. And so if you understand what you bring to the table, you can go to any industry so that is what I’m helping women in STEM understand, just because you’re in this sector, you can move around just because you’re with this industry, you can change industries, it is up to you to chart your path document what you want to do, because you got to do it. Eight to 10 hours a day, five days a week. I’m gonna need you to like it a lot. I spent more time at our job than we do when our family
really like it.

Michele: 

I agree. Because at the end of the day, it is going to be what I want to say. You spend more time at work to pay for the house that you’re not in. So my mom has a suit now that she’s retired she’s like I finally she’s I’m staying up all night looking at TV cuz I’m paying for this for you. She must know my mother cuz that’s what she does watching Judge Judy all night is so reality to you like my I can’t look at like, we do not look at the same show because she’d like, reality TV too much for me. But she’s like, she said I paid for this house and honestly, she has a cable out here. I’ve in the morning. Should I okay, I guess. Yeah. I love it. I love it. I love it. So, okay. Oh, that that is a lot. So okay, so we are going to now let everybody know what you’re talking about for the summit. So they now they have a good feel of how you can get into it with a communications degree when entrepreneurship federal government Delta

Tamara: 

then, and other companies in between, but I am going to talk about first knowing and understanding your network. And then how do you formulate that two words, versus both verbal and your LinkedIn profile? Everybody comes to me Tamar, do you do resumes? Absolutely not. If I do the resume, I’m gonna want to interview I’ve done that. And it’s a disaster. People flipping through the pages, I’m asking them, I’m prepping them for interviews, and they’re flipping through the page machine. Where are you at? Would you be where I’m at? This is your resume, you don’t know. So I will take you on Sunday through the whole process of keeping your LinkedIn updated. Having contacts with your former employer, one of my mentors, Mona, she worked with me with Erickson, she’s one of those managers I talked about, when I go to Dallas, I always have dinner with her, my sponsor at the federal government, he is on your post, I keep in contact with him. So many people in my career that have helped me, those people are, are still value in your life. And you never know when they’re going to have opportunity, because they already know your skills. They already know what you bring to the table. If you’re here in Atlanta, or Houston or a big city, DC, when these companies reorganize, they bring your people with them. And I know we’ve been on in positions where we’re like, oh my god, they need to reorg. And he brought all his people with him. Because he has a task to turn his organization around. And he knows those people. He knows their work ethic, he works well with them. You don’t have to do the form and stormy whole normie thing. He’s bringing it with them. And so you need to understand that you can network in the luxury of your bit. LinkedIn app is amazing. You don’t have to go to network news, I encourage you to. But you can do it all from LinkedIn.

Michele:

See, huh? Yeah, y’all y’all thought it was boring all these years. But those of us that even though we can get out of network with people in real life, we still utilize LinkedIn, often to network with other people in other parts of the not only the US but the world and to stay in contact and connect it to those we’ve met in real life. So definitely, definitely. Love it. Love it. Okay. I’m excited. So, Tamara, is on on Sunday. This Sunday, February 16. Yes, I know. It’s Valentine’s Day weekend. So she’s starting at 7pm. East Coast time. If you have not registered for the free summit, you want to go to bi T dot L y, w OC stem summit 2020. To register, she is Sunday, just select when asked you all the categories, select all of them. And then just select all the topics because if you miss any of the interviews that I’ve done this week, you have missed some great, great presenters, speakers we’re having next week, great backgrounds, areas of expertise that you really need to help you advance not only to an executive level, but also maybe you’re going to become a subject matter expert, right. And they are going to share with you tactics, tools and tips you can use to take your technical talent to the next level when it comes to your career. So tomorrow, thank you so much for joining us.

Tamara:

I do want to say one thing for you guys who are listening, and you guys heard, listen to the replay, go back on Monday, your interview, What was her name? Lynn, Lynn, you guys have got to go back and listen to that as well, because I was I was listening to it, you know, to get a gist of you know what our conversation was going to be. But I totally get lost in it. Because it was so good. And so you guys, I encourage you to go back and listen to her because she talks a lot about, you never know who you’re going to meet and the impact that you’re going to have on him. So go listen to it. And like Michelle said, just select them all because they’re all we’re all amazing women. And we can always learn something always there.

Michele:

And I’ll add the links to everybody’s talks we’ve had so far. Lynne was here on LinkedIn, you’re here on LinkedIn. Lisa Anderson, I interviewed her Yes, last night over on Facebook Live. So if you don’t do Facebook, you won’t be able to access that video. But for those of you over on Facebook, you can definitely definitely catch us over there. All right. Thank you so much, everybody. We will see you on Sunday. Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll be back tomorrow with crystal Eva at 2pm. I’m pretty sure it’s 2pm. East Coast is somebody lunchtime. It’s either her temper is either her lunchtime, or my lunchtime, but we’re going to be back here again on LinkedIn live. Crystal is presenting on harassment in the workplace. She specializes in diversity, equity inclusion training for leaders in the workplace. So you don’t want to miss that everybody. Have a great day and I will see you tomorrow. Bye bye.