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By Sara Ann Hutto \u201917<\/b>
\nIllustrations by Chris Koelle<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><\/p>\n
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Navigating a career comes with many challenges and hard decisions \u2014 it\u2019s the name of the game. We sat down with four alumni business leaders to ask their advice on how to play.<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div> Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde chase you around every turn on the glowing arcade screen as your little yellow avatar races to eat up all of the Pac-Dots without falling into their ghostly multicolored clutches. You only have a few dots left before you win, but then \u2014 panic! You make a wrong turn, only to find Inky waiting on the other side. Pac-Man dissolves miserably on the screen. Game over? MEET THE PLAYERS\u00a0\u2192<\/span><\/em><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div> SKILLS:<\/span><\/em><\/b> Cheri Dunmore Phyfer \u201993, M \u201999<\/em><\/b><\/span> Cheri Phyfer got acquainted with the Carolinas in her childhood, traveling from her Maryland home just outside of Washington, D.C., to visit her grandfather in Florida. In high school, she put Clemson on her list of schools to visit; when she did, she fell in love with the University. Phyfer earned a management degree and, later, her MBA from Clemson. SKILLS:<\/span><\/em><\/b> Jeff Brown \u201995<\/em><\/b><\/span> Jeff Brown earned a degree in economics from Clemson before moving back to his home state of Ohio to work at Abercrombie and Fitch’s headquarters in Columbus for about a year and a half. Following a brief stint working for his father\u2019s small international dairy business, he landed at Nations Bank (now Bank of America) as an analyst in Charlotte, North Carolina. Brown moved through the ranks at Bank of America until he had the opportunity to join Ally as CEO, a position he\u2019s held for the past five years. SKILLS:<\/span><\/em><\/b> Tanya Chisolm Sanders \u201997<\/em><\/b><\/span> \u201cI\u2019m an Army brat,\u201d Tanya Sanders laughs. Growing up, she moved around often due to her dad\u2019s position in the military, but she knew he would retire in his home state of South Carolina, which is one reason why she went to Clemson. The other reason? Engineering.\u00a0<\/span> SKILLS:<\/span><\/em><\/b>
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\nNavigating a career can often feel like playing a high-stakes video game, whether you\u2019re chasing down interview opportunities or stressing about making mistakes in a new role. Modern technology and advancements have increased communication and efficiency but have also made the game harder, if you will, leaving you trying to keep up with digital marketing trends or managing endless phone pings on \u201cvacation.\u201d Whether you\u2019re a recent grad or a seasoned pro changing career paths, entering the job market or a new workplace can feel like being swallowed up by a legion of emails, entry-level positions and dead ends.
\nThe landscape may be shifting across many industries, but that doesn’t mean the time isn\u2019t right to level up your career. We asked four Clemson alumni at the top of their respective fields to give advice on leadership and failure in the workplace as well as some pointers on communication, pursuing position changes and more.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
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\nLeadership \u00a0+<\/span>\u00a0 Organization \u00a0+<\/span>\u00a0 Adapting\u00a0to change<\/b><\/em><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
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\nPresident, Fortune Brands Global Plumbing Group<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u201cStraight out of college, I started with Sherwin-Williams in their manager training program and quickly evolved into the sales side,\u201d she says. This began her 24-year career at the company, which would see her become vice president of marketing, where she ran Sherwin-Williams\u2019 Southwest and Southeast divisions. Then Phyfer moved to Cleveland to run their consumer brands group, which sells to stores like Lowe\u2019s, Menards and Ace. At that point, Sherwin-Williams was selling around 60 brands of paint globally, according to Phyfer.
\nAfter over two decades with Sherwin-Williams, it was time for a change. Phyfer turned to Moen, joining as the U.S. president. In 2019, she was named president of the larger group, Fortune Brands Global Plumbing Group, where she can be found out with customers, working with large partners, meeting with the outside sales organization and looking for innovation opportunities with suppliers: \u201cIt\u2019s a fun job, and if you can picture every component of manufacturing, distributing, selling, inspiring \u2014 it\u2019s all part of it.\u201d
\nWhat was it like moving to Moen after being with another company for so long? What advice would you give for those wanting to make a similar move?<\/em><\/b><\/span>
\nI will tell you there was fear. All of a sudden, I was thinking, \u201cAm I only successful here? Is this the organization in which I\u2019ve had success? Will that transfer?\u201d I was very fortunate that I came into a great organization. I had credibility from the career I\u2019d had, and I learned to have some confidence in the leadership style that I bring.
\nYou have to get your arms around the role you\u2019re in, and then I think you should be asking for more. Have proactive conversations and let people know where you aspire to go, especially for women. You have to lean in. And if you\u2019re not seeing the opportunities, I would say be open to external ones. Make sure when you\u2019re joining a company that you\u2019re not just joining a company but a brand that you\u2019re proud of, a company that\u2019s moral and ethical, and, most importantly, a culture in which you see yourself succeeding.
\nIn the job, how do you stay informed and keep learning about your role and your field?<\/em><\/b><\/span>
\nCustomer engagement is really important to understand what\u2019s happening out there in the industry. I\u2019m very blessed that I serve on a couple of boards, and I think that exposure to other businesses and other business opportunities or issues really helps me stay informed on the people side, on the legislation side and on the trend side. We\u2019ve started a board matching program to get all of our presidents and above serving on a nonprofit board. I think it helps the nonprofit, it helps a person develop and it helps our organization.
\nWhether you\u2019re a leader or a team player, how should you approach a meeting?<\/em><\/b><\/span>
\nMore and more organizations are moving to matrix organizations [where leadership positions are organized more as a grid than the traditional hierarchy], so I think communication is really important. The most important thing in being effective is having effective meetings. Put together an agenda, make sure there\u2019s a pre-read and make sure there is a goal coming out of that meeting. Meetings should not be data dumps; that should be happening in the pre-read.
\nAlso, make sure you have the right people in the meeting, and make sure people who aren\u2019t in the meeting can find a place to be informed; that\u2019s really linking to the IT side of it. You don\u2019t have to be in a meeting, but you can read the pre-read, the agenda, what happened afterwards. Then you know when it\u2019s going to hit your desk because when you\u2019re taking a product from A to Z, there\u2019s going to be a piece that you own. There are going to be a lot of pieces that you don\u2019t own, and you\u2019re going to have to trust the people bringing it in and trust the people that you hand it off to.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
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\nTransparency \u00a0+<\/span>\u00a0 Treating others fairly \u00a0+<\/span>\u00a0 Inclusivity<\/b><\/em><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
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\nCEO, Ally Financial<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n
\nAs one of Ally\u2019s major leaders, Brown is focused on creating and maintaining a culture devoted to teamwork: \u201cWe all are a part of one company. We\u2019re going to respect each other. We\u2019re going to trust each other. And we\u2019re going to work with each other to build something better. \u2026 I view culture as a living, breathing creature, and you\u2019ve got to care for it and nurture it every single day.\u201d
\nDo you have any personal mantras or guidelines you\u2019ve followed throughout your career?<\/em><\/b><\/span>
\nNo. 1: I do what I say I\u2019ll do. Credible communication matters, and it still amazes me today when people don\u2019t follow through on their word. No. 2: I surround myself with good people. That is truly the art of being a good leader. No. 3: I\u2019ve always had this philosophy that my boss should be my biggest advocate. I\u2019m going to protect my boss at all times, obviously within ethical standards. Today, that\u2019s how I treat my board. I try to make sure there are no surprises and that they understand the good, the bad and the ugly. If you have that degree of transparency, I think you can have a really awesome career.
\nYou\u2019re one of Ally\u2019s major leaders. What\u2019s something you\u2019ve made a priority in the company as CEO?<\/em><\/b><\/span>
\nWhen I reflect on my time with Bank of America, one of the things I thought they did really well was having a true focus not only on diversity but also creating an inclusive environment. When I got to Ally, we didn\u2019t really have that focus. Fast forward, I sit in the CEO chair, and I admit that this is an area that we\u2019re weak on. So, we started employee resource groups, we hired a chief diversity officer, we\u2019ve started new innovative programs. I was recently recognized as the Thurgood Marshall College Fund CEO of the Year, and that\u2019s a huge moment of pride for me \u2014 not so much that it has anything to do with me but because that\u2019s recognition on how far this company has come taking a stance on diversity and inclusion. Very, very proud of all that.
\nIs there a misconception about CEOs that you\u2019d like to clear up?<\/em><\/b><\/span>
\nPeople sometimes say they\u2019re not human. They\u2019re not people. They\u2019re workaholics. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a fair assessment. I think the most effective CEOs are those who recognize, first and foremost, we\u2019re all people. And we have an opportunity to learn in every single engagement with one another, whether it\u2019s with a day-one analyst that comes in with a fresh idea or a 30-year employee. Being a CEO, I embrace that I can learn from everyone; it\u2019s treating people as people versus treating people as employees.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
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\nStaying cool under pressure \u00a0+<\/span>\u00a0 Mental preparedness \u00a0+<\/span>\u00a0 Willing to take risks<\/b><\/em><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
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\nHead of Retail Credit and Fulfillment, Wells Fargo Auto<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n
\nAfter graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering, Sanders got a job at General Electric in Greenville, where she worked on gas turbine and power plant designs. At GE, Sanders went through a two-year rotational engineering training program as well as an internal leadership development program known as Corporate Audit Staff (CAS). CAS opened the door into financial auditing for Sanders, which she took on at GE for four years prior to earning her MBA.
\nWhen she got married to her husband, who was in the Navy, Sanders moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and found a job with Bank of America, \u201cwhich is when I moved into auto finance,\u201d she says. She spent 10 years with Bank of America, five years with JP Morgan Chase and is now the head of retail credit and fulfillment at Wells Fargo Auto, where she\u2019s responsible for developing the company\u2019s long-term lending strategies and goals in terms of auto finance.
\nhow do you stay energized and motivated during long work weeks?<\/em><\/b><\/span>
\nWhat I do, and I\u2019m very religious about it, is three things: I exercise several days a week. It\u2019s the first thing I do in the morning, and I do it when everybody else is sleeping because I\u2019m a mom of three. I meditate every day, which I usually do at the end of the day, and then the third thing I do is I make sure I get sleep. I sleep eight hours a day.
\nYou switched from engineering to a career in finance. What is your advice for those wanting to change jobs or careers but are unsure how?<\/em><\/b><\/span>
\nStep out there and take the risk. I think a lot of times, people try to overthink all of the steps they need to take \u2014 the training or the extra degree or whatever it is they think they need \u2014 in order to make the change. My suggestion is reach out to someone who\u2019s doing what you want to do. If you don\u2019t know what that is, then start setting up exploratory conversations. And don\u2019t assume that there\u2019s only one way or only one right way to make that career change. Start with the first step and then adjust as you learn more.
\nAs a leader, how do you approach a crisis in the workplace?<\/em><\/b><\/span>
\nIf my team were here, they\u2019d say, \u201cOh, Tanya would say, \u2018Calm is contagious.\u2019\u201d It\u2019s actually a quote that I heard from a Navy SEAL. As a SEAL, you\u2019re leading your team into combat; there\u2019s a lot of uncertainty, and there\u2019s a lot at risk. Your team is always looking to you to understand what tone is being set or how afraid or concerned they should be. The leader must be calm and thoughtful and deliberate and confident in how they move through, whether or not they have the answer. I try to make sure there are clear lines of communication to help guide the team through the crisis.
\nEditor\u2019s Note: Sanders was recently named head of transformation at Wells Fargo Auto.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
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\nConnecting to different perspectives \u00a0+<\/span>\u00a0 Taking responsibility \u00a0+<\/span>\u00a0 Prioritizing customers<\/b><\/em><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
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