Diversity Woman Magazine

WIN 2016

Leadership and Executive Development for women of all races, cultures and backgrounds

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We Mean Business > 24 D I V E R S I T Y W O M A N W I n t e r 2 0 1 6 d i v e r s i t y w o m a n . c o m personal computers—back when they used foppy disks. I could see that these new computers would make a huge im- pact on the business world and in per- sonal lives, so I switched my major to computer science. DW: After a few years in the computer industry, at Wang, you transitioned into insurance. What appealed to you about that industry? EM: It was actually like nursing; service, helping others. Insurance does great work to help people make sure that their loved ones or businesses are protected, but more important, it has actual liv- ing benefts—accumulation products that help you make the most of your life. I took out insurance at 27 to lock in my insurability and begin saving in a permanent policy for any future needs. And I borrowed money from that policy to launch a consulting frm and supple- ment my income during my hiatus from corporate life. DW: How did your company weather the recession? EM: We don't have stockholders, so we are able to operate conservatively, be- cause we don't have the pressure of in- creasing earnings. So coming into the crisis, we were strong to begin with. I came here in 2008 as chief marketing of- fcer, and we made the conscious decision to keep moving forward—we just were not going to participate in the recession. Tere were so many variables that people got bogged down with back then. Even now, I can't get too upset about what Janet Yellen will do with interest rates—I can't control that. My sense is if you focus on what you can control, you can do some- thing about it. And I control what I do with my business. DW: How has the landscape for life insurance changed? EM: Our company is 168 years old. It was built on men selling to men—heads of households, business owners. Fast- forward, and you see that the demo- graphics have shifted. We need to look like the American demographic, so here in our home ofce, we have a diverse population. Over 40 percent of our C-suites and board are women, so we are walking the walk in terms of both gender and ethnic diversity. DW: How are you reaching out to that wider consumer audience? EM: We have a couple of things in place. We have a program called My Worth, which was designed to help women—in particular, stay-at-home moms—assess their value as chaufeur, cook, babysit- ter: if you had to replace me, what would that cost? I think women often under- estimate the transferable skills and in- sights from their roles of wife, daughter, and mother. DW: It sounds as if you might hire those moms. EM: When I'm interviewing a woman for a job who has been a stay-at-home mom, she'll make excuses, asking for forgive- ness for straying from the workplace. I say, Look at all you've done! You see a smile come across her face. I always say, Don't sell yourself short. DW: How are you working to expand your advisor base in terms of diversity— and age? EM: Te average age of an advisor in this industry is late 50s—we are an ag- ing industry. Recently we took on the title sponsorship of the Collegiate Rugby Championship, and we partnered with NBC. You might say, Why rugby? It's an untapped market and the fastest-growing team sport in the US. In 2016, it will be reintroduced in the Olympics, and it's played on all major college campuses. Rugby was strategically identifed to get us favorable exposure on college campus- es, so we could recruit from that millen- nial population. DW: You've been quoted as saying you've never experienced the glass ceil- ing in your career. What do you say to colleagues who have bumped against it? EM: I say—to men or women—that if you are on a path that is not going well for you, it's up to you to change that path. I have not played the victim, but there have been points in my career when I have had to change my job or company because someone was in my way. Tat will happen. You have to take ownership and accountability. DW: What leadership lessons did you learn the hard way? EM: I was a midlevel supervisor and I had aspirations to grow in the organiza- tion. I was meeting with the CEO, and I kind of fufed the answer to one of his questions. He gave me the best response: "Eileen, we have a hundred other people who know the answer. I'd rather you tell me you don't know or go fnd out." As a leader, you're not expected to know every- thing, but you need to be in tune with every- one's abilities. DW: Are there any books you've read recently that have inspired you? EM: Leading the Life You Want: Skills for Integrating Work and Life by Stewart D. Friedman. It looks at folks like Spring- steen, people who have done a good job both at work and at home—it's an interesting read. Otherwise, some of my best reading is at bedtime with my daughter. Recently we read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—there are many life lessons embedded in these chil- dren's stories. DW If you are on a path that is not going well for you, it's up to you to change.

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