Discomfort doesn’t scare Jaclyn McQuaid. Neither does failure. The only thing that scares Jaclyn McQuaid is a lack of determination.
The concept of “impossible” never made sense for McQuaid who knew how far hard work and passion could take her. From waiting tables throughout high school and college to working her way up from test engineer to executive chief engineer for full-size trucks at General Motors, McQuaid attributes her success to her confidence and ability to look a challenge in the eye.
If McQuaid has taught us anything, it’s that success is found in the journey, not the destination. It’s not always easy, but when you cultivate a supportive team both in and out of the workplace and strive for excellence instead of perfection, it certainly is rewarding.
How did you make your first dollar and what did that job teach you that still applies today?
Aside from the typical babysitting jobs that most young teenagers do, I began waiting tables as a sophomore in high school and continued all throughout college. In those seven years, I learned several important lessons:
The quality of your work today will dictate your future opportunities tomorrow. The more I demonstrated my willingness to perform all tasks (even the grunt work) with excellence and a positive attitude, the more I was rewarded with desirable shifts and important events.
A strong work ethic will take you very far. I recall many dinner shifts where other waitresses were complaining about having to work rather than being out with friends. I would offer to cover their sections as well as my own and would reap the reward in tip money. When it’s time to work, work hard!
How you treat people will come back to you tenfold. Treat people with kindness and respect—even the grumpiest of guests—and you will receive the same in return.
Today, you’re the Executive Chief Engineer for Full-Size Trucks at Chevy, but take us back to the beginning. I read that you and your twin sister both started at GM as interns and have now been on the team for 21 years! What was the “lightbulb moment” for your career, and what drew you to work in the automotive space?
I honestly can’t say that I had a lightbulb moment. Automotive engineering was simply my dream for as long as I can remember, and I was blessed to have parents that encouraged me to pursue that passion without limitations. It never occurred to me to question if I could compete in this male-dominated field as a woman because my parents never questioned it, so I grew up with complete confidence that I would succeed at whatever I put my mind to.
You work in a traditionally male-dominated industry, but you have really mapped out a blueprint for the women coming up behind you. What advice would you give to women who want to break into the industry?
Don’t put limitations on yourself or question your ability to succeed in a field because it is labeled “male-dominated.” It will continue to be labeled as such until more women challenge that status quo. Find your passion—whatever it may be—and pursue it with your whole self. If that passion is the STEM field, know that there are more and more women every day achieving new heights in this industry who are ready to reach down and help pull you up.
You’re passionate about engaging girls in STEM from a young age, and often volunteer with STEM organizations in hopes of inspiring future generations. How are you making a difference and pushing the automotive industry forward?
I think it’s important for every child to look at an industry they have an interest in and see people who look like them succeeding. This isn’t restricted to gender; I mean each and every child, regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, or anything else. The more diverse we make our workforce in all industries, the more we encourage each child to reach for their passion and to not put any artificial limitations on themselves. And at the end of the day, that’s my true goal. Sure, I would love to see more women enter STEM fields and ideally the automotive industry, but my primary goal is for each child to recognize what their passion is because that’s the first step towards greatness.
Going after what you deserve in life takes confidence and guts. Does confidence come naturally to you or did you have to learn it? What advice can you share for women on cultivating confidence and going after their dreams?
Confidence certainly has been a component of my character since I was a child, but I think confidence can easily be built up or broken down by the people we surround ourselves with. I was blessed with parents who built up my confidence and consistently told me I could do anything I set my mind to. If you don’t have that person in your life, go find him/her/them. Surround yourself with people that emulate the attitude you aspire to because, with the right attitude, you truly can conquer the world. We have three rules in our home for our two children, and rule one states: “The only thing in life you have complete control over is your own attitude.” It’s a rule I remind myself of whenever I feel negativity threatening, and it helps build me back up so I’m prepared to take on whatever challenge I’m dealing with at the time.
2020 presented everybody around the globe with new, unprecedented challenges. How did you #FindNewRoads + switch gears towards your new version of success?
2020 has really forced me to reflect on the quality of relationships I want to have—both with my direct team and with my extended network—and to put forth some extra effort to maintain them. Whereas in the past, I could rely on daily live interactions with my team or casual run-ins with my extended network, the work-from-home situation has required that I make intentional contact with those individuals if I truly value the continuation of the relationship. Although it’s been challenging, it has also been a great opportunity to reaffirm the type of leader and colleague I want to be. Being committed to the relationships has been tougher this year, but that, in and of itself, has been a reward.
It’s easy to celebrate the wins, but how do you handle failure or when something hasn’t worked out for you?
By celebrating that as well and doing so with my team members. Failure is inevitable when you’re pushing yourself to stretch conventional limitations or “find new roads,” as we say. If you’re not failing, you’re not really pushing yourself, and as a result, you’re leaving some of your potential untapped. Every failure has a lesson that an entire team can learn from and when a team sees their leader is willing to openly share her failure and resultant learnings, the rest of the team feels comfortable doing the same. The result is growth for everyone. The worst thing we can do is sweep those experiences under the rug because you’re sweeping innovation under there with it.
What is the biggest work challenge or mistake you’ve faced? What did you learn from it?
About a dozen years into my career, I was asked to take a cross-functional role in the purchasing organization to learn that side of the business. I knew nothing of what that organization did but was immediately put in charge of one of the biggest buys on the vehicle. To say it was challenging is putting it very mildly. It was humbling to be working in a space where I wasn’t the expert and had to rely on other people’s expertise to solve problems which I realized later was the whole point and why I was put in that role. I needed to learn how to listen to others and trust their judgment. I needed to learn how to empower a team rather than feel the need to make all the decisions myself. I needed to learn to let go of the control that I held onto so tightly at the beginning of my career. That experience taught me all that and more. If I could offer one piece of advice it would be to push yourself into uncomfortable roles and be open to the learning experience that creates.
What's the one productivity tip or work hack that truly changed your life?
Make to-do lists and populate them with big and small tasks. It’s amazing how motivating it is to check an item off a list, no matter how small. A couple of checkmarks create great momentum that you can carry into the larger projects.
What is the #1 career or finance book you always recommend and why?
“The Positive Organization” by Robert E. Quinn. As you’ve probably learned about me, I believe that the right attitude is the first step towards success, but it’s not enough for you to only have that mindset; the entire organization needs to be on board. This book is both inspiring and actionable with great examples and ideas so simple you’ll ask yourself why you never thought of that yourself. A great read!
If you could go back to the beginning of your career journey—with the knowledge you have now—what advice would you give yourself?
Perfection is a myth. Anyone who goes through life seeking perfection in themselves or others is doomed for a lifetime of disappointment. What we should seek is excellence, which is very different. Perfection is never making a mistake; excellence is realizing that mistakes are gifts if you’re open to learning from them. Perfection is knowing everything yourself; excellence is understanding the richness that comes from different people with different strengths to create a solution together. Perfection is never dropping the ball; excellence is building strong relationships, so there’s someone there to help you catch it when it starts to fall. Strive for excellence, your life will be much happier and fuller.
Fill in the blanks:
My perfect day begins with…
A truly excellent cup of coffee and 15 minutes of complete silence where I visualize the accomplishments I plan to realize that day.
The best career advice I always give is…
Learn how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, and push yourself into those uncomfortable roles. That’s where the real growth is.
I turn bad days around by...
Calling my husband or sister and allowing myself 15 minutes to talk through my frustrations. Then I move on.
If I wasn’t in my job now, I would be...
Engineering roller coasters! That was my first dream as a child before I shifted to automotive.
The change I’d like to see in my industry is...
A shift from simply selling vehicles to creating a complete experience for our customers. It’s exciting to work for a company that’s leading the industry in this transition, both with our connected services offerings as well as our newly announced OnStar Insurance program.
