Women In Tech - Trayce Marcelle

Based in Chicago, IL, Trayce is a highly experienced Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) and Legal Technology consultant with a proven track record of transforming business processes through strategic initiatives, including technology solutions and business process optimization. With over 20 years of expertise in the intersection of legal operations, contract management, and enterprise technology, Trayce has successfully led numerous organizations through the complex process of integrating post-transaction, designing best-in-class legal operations departments, and evaluating, selecting, and implementing CLM solutions tailored to their unique needs.

How did you get into this industry?

I have always been in the consulting world to some extent, helping clients understand what they need and how to get there.  However, there is a more interesting story about how I ended up in my current role.

I had taken some time off due to a personal issue and received a phone call from someone who asked me to help get a client off the fence. I was not ready to go back to work, but I thought it would be a good idea to start easing myself back in slowly. I agreed to visit the client and talk them through their challenges; it has always been easy for me to gain a client's confidence and move a project along. I would take one meeting, simple stuff, and then I would go back to figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. Oh, was I wrong.

Through prep, I realized this was a project they had been trying to close for a year with a very recognizable company. Before I knew it, I was on a flight to California. By the end of that meeting, the client asked for a statement of work and when we could get started.

They wanted me to start immediately in the office five days a week. So many things needed to be done, and I would have to rush to do them all. I do not live in California and I have a nice life in Chicago, so I pushed back and almost walked away until I started to think about the potential. I felt my spark returning, so I decided to give it a go.

Every Monday morning, I headed to California on a 6 a.m. flight out of Chicago and returned home every Friday at midnight for a good while, but I was learning so much. I knew this was what I was destined to be doing. Using what I had learned from my previous consulting engagements and coupling that with what I had to "figure out" allowed me to create a method for working that plays on all my strengths.

I have been in the Legal Consulting industry for over twenty years, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.  I love what I do.

What were some pivotal moments in your career that helped to get you to where you are today?

My answer will probably be different than what you expect. There was one key moment. Often, being the only female in the room when you are very young and short on experience, you find yourself either fighting to be heard or sitting back and watching the meeting happen as a casual observer. There isn’t a balance, and I am no wallflower.

About 25 years ago, I was given the responsibility of the largest project in our portfolio. That project was in a group outside of my own, so I didn’t know anyone. My Managing Director arranged a meeting, and his assistant handled all the logistics, so I had no exposure to the team (and they had none to me) until the day of the meeting.

I arrived early, put my things at the head of the table where I would be presenting, and headed to the back to grab some coffee. As people filed into the room, I noticed that everyone was male. There were 21 people at the meeting. No one gave me the courtesy of a greeting, maybe just a sideways glance occasionally.

When everyone was seated in the room, and the noise died down, I pushed away from the wall to head to my seat. One of the attendees in the middle of the back table grabbed my jacket and said, “Hey, sweetheart, grab me a cup of coffee.”  Everyone turned. I was humiliated.

I caught the eye of my Director, who was pleading with his eyes for me not to lose my mind. I took a breath and said, “Sure, cream and sugar?”  He confirmed, and I made his coffee, sat it in front of him, and headed to my seat.

There was a moment of stillness, and I felt a shift in the energy. I started the meeting. We were productive and collaborative, and the meeting was a huge success. This is where I learned that lions do not need to roar.

I could have made a scene, disrespected him as he did me, or done a lot of other things, but what I did was establish myself as a level-headed and capable person who did not let trivial things distract me from my goal. I learned that, given the chance to show my knowledge and experience, people see me as valued and valuable. I found my voice and how to use it.

I don’t try to fight for my voice today; I don’t have to. I have an unshakable confidence because I know what I know, and I know what I do not know, and I am comfortable saying either. This one incident is how I knew what I needed to do and how to do it.

What is your advice for someone working in a predominately male workplace?

When you are a hammer, everything is a nail.  If you allow yourself to think you are being discriminated against because you are a woman, it will be evident in everything you do or say. Some people communicate in a way that does not resonate with you.

You cannot give energy to the notion that you accept that someone sees a woman as “less than” because, as a rule, they probably don’t. When someone treats you in a way that is not ideal, it probably isn’t personal and probably has nothing to do with you.  Always remember that you cannot control how people treat you, but you can control how you react to it, and this is the real differentiator for women.  Society holds us to a different standard, and it is not always with intent, but we must be aware of it to succeed.

It may sound a little tone-deaf to say that I do not feel like I have ever been discriminated against in the workplace because of my gender. I do not think I have ever been passed over for a job or have been paid less because of my gender, and, most often, I feel I am treated with respect. There are always cases where you might question that, but I am not sure it is always gender-related because I do not allow myself to focus on it.

Have you ever noticed a time in your career where your gender proved to differentiate you?

For a while, it was a novelty but not so much anymore. I still often find myself being the only woman in the room or on a project but it isn’t a surprise anymore. I do bring a different perspective and approach things in a different way which really resonates with clients.

What do you think companies could do to motivate more women to pursue careers in technology?

We are there with interest but not with experience. Yet. Experienced people are making the hiring decisions.

It will take time to catch up in experience, and the more women we have in these roles, the more women it will attract. I do not think there should be an imbalance either way; we should always hire the best person for the job.

We need to get to a place where we have competent people in roles to make these decisions, people who value diversity and respect differing opinions. In an advisory role, we must speak freely and confidently to our clients about an alternative path then one they have chosen. We need to be able to step outside of what we think and realize that no client is the same, and hiring people who all come from the same place and say the same thing gives you no differentiator.

It is in our DNA to look at things differently. Men take more risks, women consider the perspective of others, and the combination of the two makes for a hard-to-beat advisory team.

We need to be able to speak with our colleagues about a situation we cannot entirely resolve. We must have healthy debates about resolving a problem; we cannot do that if we all look, think, and sound alike.  Building a team of intelligent, diverse people will attract smart people.

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