The women who carried me
My mom had a poster of the famous “Footprints” poem on the wall of my childhood home. In the poem, the man thinks God left him during the hard times because he only sees one set of footprints in the sand. The man later finds out that God didn’t forsake him, but in fact, there was only one set of footprints because God was carrying him.
Whether you are religious or not, we can all agree that we need other people in our lives to help us through the hard times. We depend on other people to carry us. In my life, I’ve been lucky to have so many women who helped me along the way. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their guidance and support. So in celebration of International Women’s Day 2019, I want to celebrate the women who carried me.
The women who believed in me
I have been able to progress professionally because of the women who believed in me and my ability to lead. They took a chance on me and provided me opportunities that would end up shaping my career. For example, in August 2014, I was asked to be print desk manager for the Columbia Missourian. While I didn’t have all the experience or qualifications, Liz Brixey, Laura Johnston and Maggie Walter believed I could do it anyway. My first few nights as print desk manager were a little rocky, but I figured it out along the way – just like they knew I would. Through that experience, I learned I was meant to be a leader.
My former manager, Allison McDorman, also took a chance on me when she hired me as a proposal analyst for CGI’s Financial Solutions. Within a year and a half of working as a proposal analyst, Allison promoted me to proposal lead. A year after that, she needed to hire someone to replace her. She put my name in for the position, and I got it, which resulted in the most valuable learning experience of my career to date. Without Allison’s belief in me, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be a manager at such a young age (24).
Another woman who believed in my leadership abilities was Allie Sabo. We met through CGI’s Women’s Forum mentoring program. The Women’s Forum is a group committed to connecting, growing and inspiring women across CGI. A year into our mentoring relationship, I got a call from Allie. She said, “So I know you didn’t apply for the position, but we could use your leadership skills. Do you want to be Program Director of the Women’s Forum this year?” Now I’m currently the youngest member of the Women’s Forum Board of Directors.
It is because of Allie that I have the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of women at CGI in such a meaningful way.
The women who supported me
I have always considered Annette Stone to be my unofficial mentor. She was my original boss when I was hired at CGI, but even when she moved into another role, we still kept in touch over the years. I would call on her for advice, and one day, she really came in clutch when I needed her the most. In my role as proposal manager, I ended up doing the work of two people, which led to several months of extreme stress and anxiety as I tried to do it all. Until one day I set up a meeting with Annette. I talked through what was going on with her, and she gave me some advice for what I could do to resolve the situation. At one point during the call, I remember her asking, “Are you crying, Marcie?” I told her, “Yes. Yes, I am.” Shortly after this admission, I told her, “I need help.” And that’s the day everything changed. She got me help, and within 6 months, I was able to find a new position in which I was ultimately a lot happier. Annette has been an invaluable part of my support system at CGI, and I’m extremely grateful for that.
She helped me realize it’s okay to ask for help and I don’t have to do it all alone.
I’ve been lucky enough to not only have an unofficial mentor but also an official mentor as part of the Women’s Forum. As previously mentioned, I was paired with Allie Sabo as my mentor, and during our monthly video calls, she listened to me as I yearned for more leadership responsibility. She encouraged me to start taking on more responsibility within the group and always keep an open line of communication with my manager about my desire to move up. Within a year of working with her, I was promoted to proposal manager and Senior Consultant. And when I was ready to get out of doing proposals, Allie helped me navigate the situation and find a new Communications role more in line with my interests and strengths. I have no doubt that Allie played a large part in my promotion process and ultimately helping me land a Communications position, which is what I’ve always wanted.
In addition to my mentorship with Allie, the Women’s Forum in general has been a support network for me the past two years. Being involved in the Women’s Forum has allowed me to build connections with so many women I never would have met otherwise.
Being able to access this online community of talented CGI women has been so vital in helping me grow both personally and professionally.
The women who inspired me
I have been extremely inspired by the female leaders at CGI, for example Pam Smith. What inspired me most about her is that she became VP of our entire group when all the other leaders were male. And she never tried to fit the mold of a typical male leader. She was unapologetically and unequivocally herself. She always went the extra mile to mentor her members, sending weekly messages where she would give free-of-charge leadership advice. I took her words to heart and tried to learn as much as I could from her vast experience. I have a long way to go in order to get to “Pam level,” but her advice has really made a difference in my thinking about where I spend my time and how to delegate in order to advance my career. I admire all the accomplishments she’s made over her career, and I hope to one day be a strong female leader like her.
Another female leader at CGI who inspires me is my current manager, Lisa Porterfield. What I admire most about Lisa is her leadership style. Even though she has a huge plate of responsibilities, she has always made member management a priority. She gives me enough freedom in order to take initiative and come up with my own ideas but enough guidance to make sure I’m headed in the right direction. Plus she always makes sure to provide recognition when it’s due. She challenges me and brings out the best in me, which I think is the sign of a truly great leader.
I’m excited to see so many great female leaders at CGI, as I hope to one day follow in their footsteps.
The woman who carried me
All the women I’ve mentioned thus far have been a part of my professional career, so I’d like to take a moment to recognize a woman in my personal life, the woman who both literally and figuratively carried me: my mother, Elaine Veit. She has been gone for 2 years now, but there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of the impact she’s had on my life and how she has made me who I am today.
My mom believed in me. My mom supported me. My mom inspired me. She is the ultimate woman who carried me and one I will never be able to thank for everything she’s done for me now that she’s gone. I just hope I can make her proud.
Footprints
The list of women I’ve mentioned in this article is not by any means exhaustive. There are so many more women who have carried me and made such an impact on my life, both personally and professionally. I’ve been so lucky to have been surrounded by such strong and supportive women. Without all of these women in my life, I’m not sure where I would be today. Would there be one or two sets of footprints in the sand?
Mom’s favorite poem was “Footprints,” so it’s only fitting we had the poem printed on the prayer card for her funeral. While I can never repay her for all she did to carry me throughout the years, I keep that prayer card in my wallet at all times and carry a little piece of her with me.
