I’m not an Engineer… but a Girl can Dream!

Posted on by Charli Matthews
Photo of Charli K. Matthews

Engineering wasn’t something that was even mentioned as an option when I was deciding what career path I should follow.  Now… I am surrounded by engineers each and every day and I find myself wondering… Could I have been an Engineer?

I graduated from the University of Alabama with what I thought was the hardest major I could have chosen – FINANCE. The classes I really loved were Economics, Risk Management, and GBA490 (Strategic Management). So, it’s not that I was given the option of becoming and engineer and thought – oh that’s too hard, or that’s not for me…  I just don’t think it even came up.. and Math and Science were my best subjects.

So.. This is something I want to help change! As you know I have two boys and a girl, and I talk to them on a regular basis about engineering, pumps, and making a 100 (meaning always ‘do your best’). But, is that enough?… Is it enough for us to only talk to and educate our own children? The more engineers I meet, the more I feel a sense of responsibility to spread the word about these amazing people, and the outstanding opportunities the engineering field offers to my community and network. I started Pump Person of the week 3 years ago to help showcase technical leaders, such as engineers, in the pump community – so I guess even then my need to do more was strong.

This week I went to my kid’s elementary school and lead a day of introducing children to engineering. It was one of my all-time favorite experiences!  I learned so much, had a LOT of fun, and I of course gained more respect for our amazing teachers!

I started the presentation with who I was and that I worked for a digital media company that, as part of its mission, connected engineers and helped inform and educate them about products and resources that could be used to improve their systems… And like Pumps… Engineering is everywhere and vital to life! Then we watched this really cool video: https://youtu.be/FAJGx3zP-Eo

I loved watching the kids in the class light up as the video talked about all the cool things engineers do. Its message is clear; engineer’s touch every part of our lives and without them progress would stop…wow! I think this is something we should be constantly reminded about.

After the video, I asked the question, Can you see yourself as an engineer?  I let them know that we were all going to be engineers in training and start a project to build boats out of aluminum foil. The engineering design process was on the wall in the classroom which was excellent! So, I learned that it is:

Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Communicate, Improve

And then I let them work together in teams… The best was watching the girls team win especially after the boys saying “oh that’s the girl table”.  I was so proud of them… It happened several times.  I had to hold back the words #BeThatEngineer GIRLS!  But their work spoke for itself… Plus they were able to then stand in the front of the class and communicate how they built their design and what other should do to improve theirs… I was so proud. I especially like the girl on my son’s team who told him it was her design that won.

I think it is important that we introduce our children to engineering and these possibilities it offers, otherwise, they just won’t know!

So I have a goal to promote the engineers I know and the engineering community while encouraging the little ones I know to DreamBIG! And I encourage you to do the same; y’all could start by showing your kids the engineering video and then building the aluminum boat project***. I guarantee you’ll have fun watching your children problem solve, but you also may just ignite the spark that creates another fabulous engineer that will help change the world and keep progress moving forward.

***Aluminum Penny Boat Project

In this easy science experiment you will be designing a tin foil boat that will hold the greatest number of pennies. Get your kids together with some friends and have a contest to see who can design a cargo boat that will hold the most pennies.

http://www.kids-fun-science.com/easy-science-experiment.html

More activities here: http://www.discovere.org/our-activities

Inspire an Engineer… They Create the Future!

Posted on by Charli Matthews

Inspire an Engineer

Yay, it’s finally Engineering Week! I have been looking forward to this all year!  I am planning to visit my children’s school and present “What is engineering?” and do a design/build project to show that being an engineer is a blast!

Did you know that The National Society of Professional Engineers founded Eweek in 1951 to ensure a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce!? “Today, EWeek is a formal coalition of more than 70 engineering, education, and cultural societies, and more than 50 corporations and government agencies. Dedicated to raising public awareness of engineers’ positive contributions to quality of life, EWeek promotes recognition among parents, teachers, and students of the importance of a technical education and a high level of math, science, and technology literacy, and motivates youth, to pursue engineering careers in order to provide a diverse and vigorous engineering workforce.” You can learn more here: https://www.nspe.org/resources/partners-and-state-societies/national-engineers-week

The sad truth is we just don’t have enough students planning to be engineers!  I encourage my family (two boys and a girl) to study engineering and I’m hopeful they will one day post #ILookLikeAnEngineer!   I have talked about how engineering is really cool and fun and that engineers work in all industry! Opportunities are vast, the work is rewarding, and you can really make a difference in people’s lives!

This year I have signed up to be a #GirlDay role model! Karli and I have already built our Foil Boat since I will be in Chicago on the 23rd, which is the official #GirlDay. If you were wondering, this topic is very close to my heart, and I do have real concerns about pushing my daughter to be an engineer, especially when I read the stories about women who graduate in engineering but then don’t join the engineering workforce.  They are instead being offered secretarial or administrative type projects instead of “real” engineering.  This is not something I want to still be an obstacle when my daughter graduates!

So, Managers, Leaders, People… this has to be addressed, lets get involved, this link will give you some additional information on how: http://www.discovere.org/our-programs/girl-day

Let’s be honest, this problem is not just in the engineering field… I have experienced this in my own career. This is why it is so important to have a peer group to talk to, we need to share our stories and teach others based on our experiences because unfortunately we have a tendency to judge instead of encouraging one another.  I am looking for a network of women that want to build up ladies and help them know when to speak up, when to ignore, when to negotiate, when not to, and above all.. encourage other ladies they can be #WomeninIndustry!

It is easy to look around our daily lives and see where we are treated differently, but I say embrace our differences… We are women, we are smart, we are attractive, AND we can build a rocket too!  Just ask those ladies in the Hidden Figures movie!  We CAN change the way a girl is treated in the workforce! For #GIRLDAY2017, I will be encouraging my little dancing princess to also be an engineer… and that she can wear a dress and heels to work, if she wants!

This is a great article and well worth taking the time to read: https://goo.gl/1GRwCe Check it out and the hashtags within this post.  They are sure to inspire you! Also, Don’t forget to go and watch DreamBig with your family and friends!

The Gift of You

Posted on by Charli Matthews
Charli K. Matthews

As a lot of you know, February 2nd, was my birthday.  One of the childhood lessons I learned, and one that I truly believe in, is that it is always better to give a gift than to receive one.  So today, I would like to give you a gift…  It is access to CharliKMatthews.com. I want this this to be your window to me.  As you know I have been writing blogs for several years on EmpoweringPumps.com under Charli’s Blog.  I would like to write to YOU as much as possible, about things that may not always relate directly to the pump industry.  So, I hope this site will give me the freedom I need to connect with you more often and on matters that affect us in both Business and Life! I am fortunate to have had many experiences… some good, some bad, BUT I am very lucky that they have connected me to people from all around the globe. I think we learn by storytelling, so…  My gift to you… is ME… & My Story!

Now, I would like to receive the #GiftOfYou! Please send me a message about YOU!  I would like to know more about your hopes, dreams, goals, and inspirations!! I believe we are all connected for a purpose, and I want to help in #EmpoweringConnections so we can better serve each other.

This was probably my toughest growth year at work. Identifying “who we are” and “what we do” took some soul searching, courage, and a lot of strategic planning… thanks Ian!   Empowering Brands was created with a true group effort that really helped us grow as a team.  Writing everything down also gave others the ability to know my plan (the one I’ve been keeping in my head) so they could help make it a reality!   I would like to challenge you to do this.  Write down your top three goals… it can be related to business or life. If you don’t know, get someone to ask you a lot of questions about your hopes and dreams. Then..write down the answers – because this is what starts to making them become a reality.

The more you share about your goals, the more they become a reality. And remember people like to help others and once a goal is known, it can be realized.

I look forward to learning more about YOU!  Share your story with me at Charli@empowering-brands.com

Women in Engineering and the Power of STEM – #Eweek2017

Posted on by Charli Matthews

Women in Engineering and STEM

Today, I snuck away from the office to the movie theatre with my sister.  Hang on! before you get too excited, it was actually to do a little research for writing this very blog… and of course to share the experience with one of the smartest ladies I know…my sister!

The backstory; I recently watch the Golden Globes where I heard about a movie called Hidden Figures, sounded interesting so I took a mental note to go and watch it…  Then, last night I saw a tweet that said this movie had inspired girls to take up careers in ***STEM.  I didn’t read the whole article as it was ‘shut off the phone time’, I did however immediately contacted my sister, a nurse and lover of science and #girlpower, to see when she was available to go see this movie.

Well I just have to say – YOU HAVE TO SEE IT! It is the best movie I have seen in a while.  But, there is more… It is more than just a story. It is a TRUE story.  I’ll try not to give all of it away but consider this your spoiler alert.

It is a movie about three women that work behind the scenes at NASA, until they decide to ‘push the bar’… and move front and center to one of the most important NASA space missions of all time! Think about how their hearts must have been racing as the astronaut successful splashed down safely at the end of his mission, all because of their work! These three women (Numbers – a pure genius in calculating numbers, Engineer – a phenomenal engineering mind, and the Supervisor who thought “mechanically”) had very different jobs but worked for one purpose… To get a man into space and back safely!

These three courageous women had to stand up for themselves individually and work hard, but they also had to be each other’s support group when they needed a little pep talk!

Let’s look at Numbers. She could calculate any problem without a calculator! But it wasn’t until the leader encouraged her (saying she was better at computing than anyone in the room) that you saw her stand up for herself and demand that she be recognized for her work. The leader’s confidence in her work is what helped her to the next level.

The Engineer was the most “mouthy” of the group.  She knew what should be done, but also realized not to have unrealistic dreams and focus on doing her work. It wasn’t until her #bossman encouraged her that she decided to become an engineer… She had many obstacles to face and she faced them by research, hard work, and confidence!  This is because her work environment allowed her to grow. I think this is key in any industry that is predominately male… We need more men willing to encourage #WomeninSTEM & #WomeninTECH, and we need more women willing to ‘push the bar’. I’m a believer that this starts by encouraging high school girls that the ****STEM education Classes offered by their schools are great choices and are in fact really fun and cool – who wouldn’t want to learn the basics of robotics, I know I would.

I think the reason these ladies were successful was partly because they had each other… They looked out of one another, encouraged each other, and pushed each other outside their comfort zones. We need this in our industry… any industry.  Women Empowering Women.  Too many times, we judge each other or think only of competing. We can accomplish so much more if we push and support each other instead of pushing each other down. In the movie the leader in the group was the encourager, the one that pushed and supported the others to grow and eventually succeed.

I don’t have an engineering degree or think I could design anything at NASA but I can see talent in others and I believe in “CAN”.   The power of positivity is the topic of many blogs, books, and events – but the reality is that it starts with ‘you’ and it works best when you are encouraged and supported by those around you – just like in the movie….can you tell just how much I loved this movie!

My daughter isn’t an engineer “yet” ? … but I hope to raise a leader who follows her own mind who understands she can accomplish her goals by doing the work!  The Dream Big mind set starts at a young age; and that is why I am actively supporting #Eweek2017.

So, as we look ahead to February we will be covering Engineering and Engineering Week! I am excited to participate in raising awareness to supporting DiscoveryE’s #Girl Day and help #BringitOut! Let’s teach our girls what engineers do, and then let them go #BethatEngineer!

Make sure you follow all the hashtags in this article and comment below with any great engineering stories you know!

***STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. STEM is important because it pervades every part of our lives. Science is everywhere in the world around us. Technology is continuously expanding into every aspect of our lives

****This is the theory behind STEM education. By exposing students to STEM and giving them opportunities to explore STEM-related concepts, they will develop a passion for it and hopefully pursue a job in a STEM field.

Tracking the Shift in My Strengths

Posted on by Charli Matthews

 

Empowering Connections Charli

Many of you have read my blogs about my strengths: Positivity, Empathy, Woo, Developer, Activator.  I didn’t come up with these “strengths” myself. I took a test called the Strengths Finder in my twenties during a ‘Ministry by Strengths’ class. I decided to take the test again when I asked my team to take it a couple months ago. I was shocked… My strengths had changed.  Part of me was upset that the guide I had been living by had changed, but at a deeper look… I found it just was an extension of the traits I had. Which means improvement!

I believe my first writings about my strengths was to help me understand what I needed to do to build my career and truly discover my passion.  I think I have a good handle on that now. I am extremely thankful that my first test had positivity as my first strength.  I really needed to believe in the positives when building my business.  The world and even your most supportive friends and family cannot always make you believe in positive outcomes – thankfully I was able to lean on that inner voice that says “I can. It is Possible!”

My new strengths list is Woo, Maximizer, Futuristic, Strategic, and Communication.  I was so happy to see the Communication strength appear. I have been working hard on improving the ways I communicate with our audience.  I have been forcing myself for several years to reach outside my comfort zone.  I have been presenting at tradeshows, taking on committee leadership roles, and writing when honestly I felt… I had no business doing so… Thankfully, I have a very supportive team and the encouragement and support helped me strengthen that muscle.

I believe that positivity is still there in my Communication strengths. I am focused on sharing positive messages to help build up others in my network as well as educate on the benefit of using digital media tools. I look forward to continue to work this muscle and make it stronger.  You will see more writing, live coverage, and presentations from me this year. That brings me to my next strength: Maximizer. I really love helping others find the strength inside that drives them.  And now, I am working with others who have a common mission to actually help them discover how to build from that knowledge of their strengths and use it to accomplish their career goals.

When I look at my next strengths, Futuristic and Strategic, I see them as a product of owning a company. I also see it as an extension of my Activator trait.  Because I am one to get things started and with a “want to do it right now” attitude, I have had to force myself to be strategic and not jump before thinking about the future or the opportunities that might be lost if I “jump”.  The experience of building a business and running an established one has given me insight that I will hopefully be able to share with my network, help them through some of the obstacles, and identify opportunities.

Lastly, WOO! I like the definition of Woo; it means “ to seek favor and support”.  I am still working to Connect, Inform, and Educate the industry.  I will continue to seek support from strategic partners that have this common mission to amplify the voice of industry and the systems and people that make it all possible!