Steve is the Real Hero in the Wonder Women movie

Posted on by Charli Matthews
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Spoiler alert… If you haven’t seen the movie. Stop what you are doing and go buy the movie.  Yes, BUY… It is by far the best super hero movie of all time.  I welcome your different opinions, if you have seen this movie.  Mostly because, I want to watch any one that is better than this!

So, why do I think Steve is the hero.  Think about it… Steve arrives just after Diana realizes she is strong enough to defeat the best of the Amazon warriors.  He also gives her a mission and purpose to use those powers for Good.  The only reason this works is because they are both on the same mission – to stop the war! They make a deal and agree on the terms and they are on their way.  Just Diana and Steve start sailing to an unknown land (for Diana) and they have to trust each other. There is a scene where Diana was asking Steve why he wouldn’t lay beside her because there was plenty of room, and he explained how it is not right to assume these things. He is right and shows he can be trusted.  Sometimes you need to be that close for protection or comfort, but it doesn’t mean Steve is not a gentleman. The next scene is them arriving in the port where they go to get Diana the proper attire to wear.  You know… Suit up for the job you want… to go into a male-dominated meeting. I thought it was so funny when he put the glasses on her to try to hide her face because she is “the most beautiful woman in the world”.

So, when the time comes, when she needs to stand up for what she believes in, she is prepared because she has the right attire for whatever the occasion. This theme plays throughout the entire movie. I am especially fond of the blue dress that drew her enemy close. My favorite part though is when she disagrees with Steve’s comment “this isn’t what we came here to do” and she Suits Up and says “no, But this is what I am going to do”!  Steve observes that she is successful and then decides… Ok, she’s leading the way – I think we can go help her now!  And he does, and they save the day together!  This is where Love arrives but it was a mutual choice!  But this was about Steve… Sorry I got distracted by the love story – I’m a hopeless romantic…

OK, Steve is also on a mission. He needs to stop the war.  When Diana kills the evil general and realizes men were still killing each other.  She doesn’t understand and believes Steve is just like the rest of the men, because he kept her from saving the town from the general’s attack.  But in the end, he was right.  The general wasn’t Aries and she still had work to do!  When Diana resisted, he didn’t force her to come with him.  He said, please come with me.  She refused and Steve took on the current problem… She began the battle with Aries who reveled himself to her even in her sadness she could see the truth and regained her focus on the mission.

Then, he saved the day… spoiler alert!

When Aries does indeed show up, the crew knew that only Diana could beat that enemy, so they would work on the problems they could manage.  There was a plane filled with deadly gas on a timer… So someone had to fly it away or it would be more death and destruction.  He runs to her, he says I have to do this job.  I wish I had more time with you but this is something only I can do.  And then he says…

“I can save today, you can save the world.” –Steve.

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And he does…. And this Empowers Her To Save the World!

As we continue to move the needle, with the Gender Gap, we will need many Steves in Leadership to support Women who have shown they can exceed the standard and kick butt. I challenge you to support women because you are better with a woman by your side and we are better with a man by ours!

Who will be the Steve that supports you and who will be the Aries.  Make sure you get the right one on your side!

An Open Letter to the Women in the Pump Industry – Exceed the Standard

Posted on by Charli Matthews
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The Truth is… I’m not an Entrepreneur. I was fired. I have failed. I will fail again! But… I will Exceed the Standards and raise my voice for doing what is right! I am not perfect, and I don’t pretend to be.  I just don’t like to focus on the negative… I focus on constant Improvement!  This will allow me to penetrate a very difficult landscape for women in male-dominated industry… Here’s my story… I hope it will inspire you to Work Smarter, Work Educated, Work for a Better Tomorrow for Women in our Industry.

I was introduced to the Pump Industry through the publication planning meetings when I worked as an ad sales rep.  We would plan where association “trade-out” columns would go. At the time, HI and FSA were the main ones to provide content for pumps and fluid sealing to the publication. However, we never discussed WHY these organizations were important to the industry.  It was only talked about that they didn’t generate revenue through advertising. This bothers me still today!

This bothers me because I understand the value of the content. Without awesome technical content, you really aren’t serving the industry and its community.  They need answers to the questions they’re facing every day.  It became my mission to help strengthen the relations between these organizations and the media. I worked to get to know these organizations and to understand the needs of not only the marketing team, but the industry as a whole. Media wasn’t allowed at HI at the time, so I started my journey at an FSA meeting.  You can read my story about that experience here!

Long story short, there was a problem to be solved, but since I wanted to do so much more than was allowed “in my position” at the company, I was fired.  I was fired because I put the Pump Industry, my clients, and my passion, before the company… I would do it again!  Because at the CORE of myself… I love a healthy PUMP… from the human heart to the pump system to the people in the heart of manufacturing.

I was fired because I stood up for my clients on the value… You do what you say you are going to do!  Some people call this Integrity… I call this doing the RIGHT thing! There was an open meeting where I was asked “What do you think, Charli?” after we were told that we were not going to add the extra distribution to the HVAC industry as promised.  But I had already sold the ad to the client, received their content, and it was an industry that I thought was Extremely important! My response was, “I think it SUCKS! I think we should spend the money and do what we said. After all, Integrity was one of the ideals listed in the company culture.”  I know now that I should have had that discussion in a private setting, but I still stand by what I said 100%. And given the chance I would do it again.. just differently so it would be more effective!   This is something I would like to teach the women of tomorrow. How to Communicate with the C-suite in front of their employees.

The reason the tone came out when asked was because of many other factors, and I was just fed up.  I am sure some of you can relate!

As soon as this happened, I posted to FB “I am no longer with the company where my pump family could find me”.  Within a few minutes, I had calls from those that understand my passion for the industry and that I was a hard worker.  I had several job opportunities to “sell” pumps or pump software… and having been told “JUST SELL” for the previous year,  I wasn’t sure I was ready.  Also, if I took that job, I would be looking for two jobs because my husband’s company thought you had to in the office to make sales… A really funny concept that my sales network should get a kick out of  😀  So, WHAT to DO?

The truth is I had little flexibility. Our life with 3 children under 6 years of age, and only two months of savings – I knew it had to be a job making an advance sales salary… and in 2 month… that just doesn’t happen. Not to mention I was leading in sales at the company for two magazines at the time I was fired… I was expecting my June sales month to really take care of some debt items…

So my daughter was 7 months old and I had unsettled hormones (or I probably wouldn’t have said the word Sucks to my boss’s boss… only amplified by the stress that was being placed on me.  This is not an excuse for my behavior.  I should have had a private meeting… I should have stood up for my situation… I should have documented what happened so I could prove to leadership that I had been exceeding the standards but was being punished for it!  This is something I want to teach women how to manage more effectively.   

And to be honest, it wasn’t the company’s fault.  They just didn’t know any better.  When you don’t have the whole story, it’s sometime hard to understand why people are doing things… So keep up with the story. Get the FACTS.  I had been at the company for 8 years; my first job was moving their office as an admin. I had built their spreadsheet (they still use today), and I was involved… Highly motivated and Passionately involved.  It is all I knew… So when the culture changed, new people came in and roles were siloed… it was HARD. I lost my HEALTH. I needed EDUCATION on how to move forward.  This is also something I want to help women manage!  

I had been loyal to the company for 8 years, and they dismissed me without even letting me gather my own things and say goodbye to my #PumpTalk family. So, I was sad for ONE day… ALL DAY! Then… I reflected on what I had accomplished, what I was most passionate about, and set out to EDUCATE people on social media. Because, after all…. like many of you… I LOVE developing PEOPLE and training the NEXT generation.   My #1 Partner said for me to let him know when I started my own pump digest, so I called him.  With his support and belief in me, along with a handful of others, I set out to CREATE a JOB for myself.  I knew I could grow an audience; I had just been tasked to do that with my last audience and exceeded expectations in the first month (WITH no authority to CALL a meeting). So, I knew I could if I was the BOSS… and well I did graduate from the University of Alabama with a BS in Finance & Banking and a minor in Economics (I LOVE Economics and ALAN is COOL!) So… like many engineers – I am a CREATIVE Problem Solver!  I am a social media guru for the PUMP INDUSTRY and I MADE it because I SET THE STANDARD.  I educated the pump industry while connecting it (well, for the ones that gave me a moment to explain it) how to use Social Media to build a business – I teach and believe it because I LIVED IT, Used it, and became an Influencer in the industry! My standard is based on constant improvement, inclusion, and doing what is right.  So here’s my truth I finally shared with you… I hope it helps you understand how and why people say #SHEMADEIT and inspires you in the future to speak up and become an influencer for your passion!

My passion is for the Heart of the Industry…. And that is the people I call family, friends, and those I LOVE dearly…  As I am recruiting more and more Women to the Pump Industry, I am at peace knowing I have a wonderful team of support!  Thank you ladies!  I solute you for your work building your careers in the Pump Industry!

I would like to invite people to share their stories of ‘getting back up again’ after being knocked down or experiencing a ‘failure’.  You can share them publicly here in the comments or send me a private email. charli @ empoweringpumps.com  I am here for you whatever the need!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s More Than a Birthday Celebration

Posted on by Charli Matthews
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This is my birthday week!  I love birthdays and I love to celebrate them… Life is such a gift and I think your special day should be celebrated.  This year I will be home on my actual birthday for the first time in a while, and it’s on a Friday! YAY happy birthday to me!   Having said that, there will always be another reason that I will be thankful for on my birthday for years to come…

First I need to tell you that last week my children came home from school with their report cards and proudly exclaimed they got good grades!  I am always astonished because I feel that I do very little to contribute to their success. In reality it’s the teachers at their schools prepare them for this success, something else I’m so thankful for.  Having said that I hope that I have taught them to respect their teachers and peers as they attend class without me.

This year’s report card day though holds a little extra emotion for Carter and me.  If you have followed Karli’s story, you will know that she was born 4lbs 9oz and spent her first 11 days in the NICU (the angel’s wing).  From the moment she entered this world she has fought so many issues; starting at birth with her weak eyelid, reflux, kidney reflux, and other diet related issues.  On top of all that, she started school a year late due to difficulties in getting her potty-trained.  2018 is the year her speech and friendly behavior have to be addressed.  Karli has had a joy about her since the day she was born which lights my world every day, but unfortunately she also has be labeled with things such as having no boundaries, wild, and last year an over friendly trusting nature.  The combination of all of these items led to a recommendation that my daughter be tested for William Syndrome.  It was one of the most trying times in my life, more so than any other struggle I had overcome in the past.

When reading about the syndrome, it state that she may not be able to have a normal life, hold  a challenging job or be able to care for a family of her own.  This was heartbreaking, and was very hard thing for me to know how to parent. One of the major concerns was for her heart as heart disease is a common symptom of the syndrome.  Just after we heard this news, Karli woke in the night crying of pain in her stomach.  I rushed her to the ER at midnight not knowing what was wrong, and all the things I had researched racing through my mind. Thankfully it was nothing serious – but it did make my fears for Karli feel more real.

Our biggest fear was that we would somehow lose our joyful little girl because her body and mind would begin to deteriorate or that we would actually lose her because she had an increased likelihood of being abducted by a stranger because of her over trusting nature, a symptom of WS…  My Karli’s JOY was a symptom! It was just too much to bear.  I remember one of the sweetest things Carter has ever said was… “well, we will just leave, we just go away from all people and it would be just our family there” This too was a scary thought for me as I love interacting with people but it was perfectly timed statement on his part.  Like the comment, “are you ok?” 15 years earlier that made me want to spend more time with him…

It was really hard to parent in the following weeks. I didn’t know when to discipline or what expectations to have for her.  What to sign her up for and what to keep her away from completely.  It was a couple weeks before engineering week and I was so sad.  The vision I had for my daughter was very different from the ones the doctors, teachers, and the World Wide Web were proclaiming as her fate.  It was one of the most humbling times, and I relied on my faith in god more than ever before… Believing Karli didn’t have this but also seeing how extremely likely it was based on her symptoms… But… we had great faith as a family, extended family, and friend network that got us through this time.  Thankfully, the results for Karli came back negative and she did not have to be labeled with a syndrome.  The label is what would have been the hardest… not the struggles.  We can get through many difficult times – I am proof… but we must have HOPE and FAITH.  I am extremely thankful for both of these traits in me and as you can see I have a lot to celebrate during my birthday week this year.  Thank you for letting me share my story with you!  I look forward to hearing yours when you need to share it!

It’s Just Business…

Posted on by Charli Matthews
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You may be interested to know that I graduated from The University of Alabama (Roll Tide!) with a Business degree, and I have to tell you that deciding to start with a title for this blog as “It’s Just Business” was a struggle for more than one reason. Recently, I was at the #KnowYourValue conference in New York City, and it truly energized me! I took in everything Mika Brzezinski said like it was a prophecy. But when the phrase “It’s just business” came up, I immediately had a negative reaction.  I have never believed that what we do is ‘just’ about business or that our value to the organization we work for is “just business”.  Saying it’s just business seems to devalue what we do each and every working day.

What we do is important… it impacts our ability to make a difference and it’s how we move up in an organization. So many women have a habit of saying ‘it’s just business’ when trying to teach each other not to show emotion when trying to close a deal, negotiate a salary, or when we are excluded from a meeting or key business decision.  But I have to tell you, everyone I have ever seen get chocked up about something of huge importance knew that what they were doing was more than just business.  There is a great purpose behind emotion, and I think we need to get comfortable sharing that purpose.

I often write about business and life, and I see these as two very different things. When they line up, it is awesome! But more often than not, conflicts arise and it is tough. I mean really tough… life changing tough.

There are many times we look to our business leaders to teach us about life however I have frequently found that when we look to life… we understand why we are in business.

If you are building a brand, like I have done many times, you must know what your “more than just business” is about.  What is the purpose? What gets you and your team up in the morning? other than just coffee that is… In all seriousness, if we can’t answer this then our purpose is not clear which also so means our goals are not clear!

I can tell you, for me, it is not and has never been about selling marketing or advertising services.  It has always been about building a person, paying attention, and showing a person that their life and what they do really matters.  Even the little things, the things that often go unnoticed – these little things define you and make you, you! It’s also about the small words or encouragement that make you want to continue working on that project or learn a new skill to master the missing piece of your workflow puzzle.

So take a look at what message you are sending out into the world…is it JUST BUSINESS… if so…. Step back and dig deeper and try to make a true connection with someone. Take the time to really see the people you are connecting with. Then make an effort to let them see you too – the real you!

Get personal… Get passionate… and Get past “it’s just business”