ARMY AL&T
[product managers], and product leads can get the contracts in place that they need, to deliver their products to the warfighter,” she said. “I really just like being able to help people, and this job gives me the opportunity to do that day in and day out, and also connect with people while I’m doing it. It’s an interesting and satis- fying job.”
Te most challenging thing about her job, she said, is finding a way to a “responsi- ble yes.” “I heard once that people tend to think that in contracting our job is to tell everyone ‘No.’ ” But that couldn’t be farther from the truth, she said. “Because there are so many different products, and Army requirements often fluctuate and pivot to different priorities, there’s not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution for contracting.” McQuerrey said she has to be familiar with each of the PMs and their products, and understand what it is they’re trying to accomplish, in order to give them the best advice about how they can achieve their goals. “It takes the basic knowledge of what can we do, what can’t we do, and what may lie in the gray areas in between, where we can think outside the box and get creative,” she said. “It’s being aware of all the different regulations and statutes we have to follow, but still delivering the product we need to.”
If the goal is the “responsible yes,” McQuerrey said the key is active listening. “I have a tendency to want to immedi- ately problem-solve, and my tendency when someone is speaking to me, espe- cially at work, is to not necessarily listen deeply—my brain wants to come up with a response. I’m listening to respond, instead of listening to hear what someone is tell- ing me.” She has learned that she has to make a conscious effort to practice active listening. “When I’m really hearing what their concern is, I’m better able to deter- mine how I can be helpful to them, instead
MONSTER TIME
McQuerrey said she enjoyed spending time with her child, Abby, at an amusement park in Florida. (Photo courtesy of McQuerrey)
of only half listening while simultane- ously trying to come up with a solution.” It’s something she tries to practice in her personal life, as well, with friends and family. “When they come to me, I have to ask, ‘Do you just need me to listen or do you want me to try to give you some advice?’ Depending on the answer, I can change the way that I listen.”
Since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, McQuerrey has focused on solu- tions of her own, as well. She is working remotely and balancing the demands of parenting her school-age daughter. “Right now, our life is pretty busy, you know. I'm working at home, she's doing school at home, so that's been a challenge, I think, but also one that we've figured out how to tackle successfully.” She has spent much of her free time reading, tending to her potted plants and doing yoga in her living room, and she has also taken up an old hobby—playing violin. “I played the violin from elementary through high school, and when I went to college I was in a cham- ber orchestra,” she said. Tough she didn’t
have as much free time after becoming a parent, COVID-19 has provided ample opportunities to practice during the last year. “My daughter is 11 now, and she is very independent, and I just said, ‘You know what, I’m going to get that out and pick it back up.’ ”
Professionally, McQuerrey encourages others to make time for themselves and to focus on work-life balance. “All of our senior leadership, I think, is really support- ive,” she said. “Having a balance in the work-life ratio is emphasized within the PEO IEW&S family. Taking care of yourself, taking care of each other—you know, it's not just about our work prod- ucts, they care about us as people as well.” Tat has always been the bottom line for McQuerrey, both personally and profes- sionally. When presented with any kind of challenge, her first impulse is to listen carefully, assess the situation and then find a way to help.
—ELLEN SUMMEY
https://asc.ar my.mil
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