Cloud Girls is honored to have amazingly accomplished, professional women in tech as our members. We take every opportunity to showcase their expertise and accomplishments – promotions, speaking engagements, publications and more. Now, we are excited to shine a spotlight on one of our members each month.
October Cloud Expert of the Month is Michelle Hyde
Michelle Hyde, president and founder of Hyde Group, has been serving Pacific Northwest enterprises with excellence for more than 20 years. Her history of applying the right technology at the right time to critical business issues that clients face has propelled the Hyde Group’s success and advanced its reputation as a true client advocate. Hyde Group has a passion for finding solutions to client challenges during their digital transformation through teamwork and enablement of scalable solutions in cloud, SaaS and emerging technologies. Hyde currently serves on the Advisory Council for Cloud Girls and is a past member of its Board of Directors.
When did you join Cloud Girls and why?
I joined Cloud Girls right at the formation of the association in Jan of 2012 and helped with the formation of our monthly endeavor. I then joined the board in Jan 2013 as the Operations Chair role until Jan 2018, and then took the Finance Chair and moved into the role of Advisory Council member after that in Jan 2019 where I still serve. It was an exciting endeavor to be part of the founding members of what would become a true premier organization; creating vision, structure, process and growth over the years.
What do you value about being a Cloud Girl?
The Cloud Girls organization is a true point of pride for me, not just being a part of its foundation, but being aligned with such amazing women that have become sincere friends, endearing colleagues and so many that have guided and influenced me over the years. I can honestly say that I would not be as far in my career or with such success without the aid of the women in this organization.
What is the biggest risk that you’ve taken?
The biggest career risk I have taken is certainly starting my own consulting firm 3 months after having a second child and right after my 39th birthday. I chock it up to the fact my hormones were not all there postpartum, and having the mindset of “what could possibly go wrong here?” Starting a business, a tangent from what I was doing at the time, thinking I knew more than I did, and simply wanting success and autonomy in my world seemed to be the right mix. I did all that I could to establish myself and created an amazingly supportive network around me that wanted me to also have success. There are certainly days and weeks over the last 10 years I have had to throw elbows around to get my voice heard or my point across, but I would not change a thing. Now that nearly 10 years have passed, I am getting pretty comfortable in my skin and am ready to take it to the next level and start looking at greater risks to take!
What is the best professional/business book you’ve read and why?
With my drive to get to the next level in my business, I am reading a book called ‘Scale – 7 Proven Principles to Grow Your Business and Get Your Life Back’, and although I have listened to it on Audible, I have to get the book because the worksheets are essential here. I am examining merging with 2 other companies and this book will directly pertain to us. It identifies where we are at in the 3 stages, and the 7 principles of getting through the next stage(s) for a successful small business growth trajectory. There are other books I am reading right now too, Getting Things Done by David Allen and Power Trips, by a friend of mine, Norman Rawlings and How to Train A Wild Elephant and Other Adventures in Mindfulness, by Jan Chozen Bays MD. There is no shortage of things I want to read – my nightstand is stacked a foot high with desired reads.
What are the most exciting opportunities for women in tech?
Over the next 10 years, technology is going to be exploding in areas we are talking about as ‘future tech’ today. I just read an article about how the tech we talk about to as ‘being in the future’ will be here within 4 years–fully flushed out and executed and market ready products. The acceleration of tech is truly at an unprecedented acceleration. Women really do have the opportunity to influence, create, and be an essential part of this wave. It is an exciting time for young women, and a time like no other in terms of the culture-shift to acceptance to not only women, but diversity of women of varying cultures. Women just need to keep an assertive posture and own that they are accepted and wanted and talented and to keep pushing upward!