Persistence Paid Off – for 20 Years

Written by Shala Hainer Friday, December 02 2011

Snapshot: Kim Schaefer, president, Mitchell Humphrey & Co.
With a background in public accounting and accounting management, Kim Schaefer reached out to Mitchell Humphrey & Co. for a job in 1991. After receiving no response, she continued to reach out to the company until they granted her an interview and hired her. Starting at the ground level as a consultant, she earned progressively more responsibility, culminating in her current role as president and COO.

Schaefer shoulders the responsibility of managing the company, creating strategies, and maintaining relationships with clients, partners, and employees for the software-solutions company. The position involves a fair amount of travel, as she makes personal visits to clients throughout North America, which include public entities and private companies.

Schaefer lives outside St. Louis, with husband, Wayne. When not working, she enjoys golf, yoga, and riding horses.

Womenetics: How did your background in accounting lead you to Mitchell Humphrey Software?
Kim Schaefer: I was introduced to Mitchell Humphrey Software while I was working as the accounting manager for the American Red Cross-Missouri Region. Several American Red Crosses were using their FMS accounting product, and my colleague raved about how great it was and how she wished we could implement it. That piqued my interest, and I did some research on the company. I liked what I saw.

After five years at the American Red Cross, I really missed the client aspect of public accounting. That’s what prompted me to pursue a career at Mitchell Humphrey. I sent them a blind résumé and didn’t even get a call back the first time. But, I was incredibly resilient. I did more research, and a few months later, I sent them another résumé and called the director until finally I was called for an interview. I started with the company as a client services consultant. Our legacy is built on accounting software, so our best consultants are accountants and financial executives who can bring their real-world experience to the table.

Womenetics: It's rare these days to see someone who has worked with the same company for 20 years. What does it take to create such a strong business relationship?
Schaefer: First, I have to credit the founder of the company. Mitch has a way of nurturing potential when he sees someone with the drive and ability to progress in the company. I was lucky to have Mitch as my mentor early in my career with the company and was provided with many opportunities as a result.

	Kim Schaefer

Second, we have clients that have been with our company longer than I have. For a software company, that is a very big honor. I love our clients. I know all of them. In fact, there are several executive women that I have become close to. Being out, front and center, with my clients is my favorite part of the job.

Third, we are an employee-owned company. I think that definitely brings a pride of ownership to our products and a sort of family atmosphere to our company. I try to carry on Mitch’s legacy of mentorship by providing opportunity; giving honest, straightforward feedback; and cheering the staff on.

Womenetics: What do you consider your biggest break in your career? How did you discover the opportunity?
Schaefer: Definitely coming to Mitchell Humphrey was my biggest break.

Womenetics: You've been described as having a very strong work ethic. How do you pass that trait on to your team at Mitchell Humphrey to help you accomplish your work goals?
Schaefer: My belief is you have to lead by example. I have a strong work ethic because I am very passionate about what I do. I hope that passion is contagious. I worked in sales for a number of years here at Mitchell Humphrey, and to be successful in sales, you have to be positive, optimistic, passionate, and persistent. Those goals are important for leaders as well. You need to be able to articulate your vision in a way that makes others excited about it then cheer them on as they strive to achieve it. Plus, you have to understand emotional intelligence. We look at this in sales all the time. What motivates people? Everyone is very different. But, the bottom line, if they don’t have buy-in to the vision/strategy/goals, it is unlikely they are going to work hard to achieve them.

Womenetics: What has been your biggest obstacle or your biggest sacrifice during your career?
Schaefer: I travel, sometimes a lot, and that takes me away from my family. While being in front of my clients is the best part of my job, it is a Catch-22, because the best part of my job does take me away from my family. So, that is my biggest sacrifice.

Womenetics: What has been the most important secret to success you have learned while rising up the ranks to corporate executive?
Schaefer: There are two things. The first is quite simple, but often overlooked in my opinion. Listen to everyone – regardless of their position. You never know where that next watershed moment will come from. Communication is the key to any relationship whether business or personal. But, listening is the key to good communication.

The other one is to always follow my intuition. I don’t know if “women’s intuition” is real or not. But I think many people have great instincts, but are sometimes afraid to go with them. I have learned over the years, to go with mine. They rarely steer me wrong.

Womenetics: What has been your favorite project that you've worked on with Mitchell Humphrey Software?
Schaefer: By far, it is the project we are on right now. We are developing a product for government on Microsoft Dynamics CRM called FastTrackGov. This product offers multiple deployment options including Software as a Service (which is a whole new business model for us). It is like we are a start-up company outside of our legacy applications and creates a real entrepreneurial spirit throughout the company. We are bootstrapping the funding due to the economy and lack of financing options in the market right now, but that has been our approach to funding throughout our 34 plus-year history. All in all, a very exciting time for our company.

Womenetics: How do you keep up with the ever-changing offerings in technology? How do you make sure your clients are kept up to date as well?
Schaefer: As a Microsoft ISV (independent software vendor), we support certain Microsoft technology within a specified timeframe of its public release – that’s the easy part. We have a senior vice president – application technology who evaluates existing technology and makes recommendations for our software. We do not jump on the newest technology, but we do need to know what is available.

Womenetics: How do you make time for yourself with your busy travel schedule? What do you like to do to unwind?
Schaefer: Yoga helps me to keep focused and relieves stress. My husband and I love to play golf, and we ride horses. We rescue animals (dogs, cats, horses) and have quite a variety to take care of. I spend most of my time with them when I am not working. Plus, I received a Nook as a gift and have become a voracious reader.

Womenetics: What advice would you share with young ladies trying to build a career as a corporate executive?
Schaefer: Here are my top four:

• Ask for what you want. Don’t wait around for that promotion or transfer – ask for it. I told my boss I was interested in my position while we were dancing at the company Christmas party.
  
  
• Dress for the role you would like to have. Appearance is very important in my opinion, even though it seems to be an afterthought for many these days.
  
  
• Find a mentor who is willing to give you honest feedback and to spend time to teach you. A lot of mentoring is teaching you things you didn’t learn in school.
  
  
• Find something you are passionate about. Passion is something you can’t hide. If you have that passion, you are more than halfway there.

Womenetics: What skills help you manage a diverse group of employees as well as deal with the different personalities required to create relationships with clients and partners?
Schaefer: I am going to go back to communication – it’s my favorite. But, seriously I think it is critical to keep people (this goes for clients and staff) informed. People work so much harder when they believe in what they are doing, the goals they are trying to achieve. You have to be able to communicate that. With clients, it’s about keeping them apprised of the situation. They don’t like surprises. They want to know where we, Mitchell Humphrey, are headed strategically. They want to be able to say “Yeah, that’s what they should be focused on.”

Also, I think being able to remain calm in a tough situation helps you to handle some of the more difficult people and situations you run across. I try to be nice to everyone and assume if someone is not nice, there is probably a very good reason for it that has nothing to do with me. So, above all, I try not to take anything personally.

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Based near Atlanta, Shala Hainer has been writing and copyediting since 1995. Beginning her career at newspapers such as the Marietta Daily Journal and the Atlanta Business Chronicle, she most recently wrote and edited articles for several nonprofit organizations before purchasing a flower shop in 2006. She earned a bachelor’s in communications from Jacksonville State University.