Interview by: Chandler Crump
Styling: Sheryl Adkins-Green
What is the logline to your craft?
SHERYL ADKINS-GREEN: At the essence of my [craft] is adding value and creating value for others. Whether that’s through family, friends, and certainly professionally, how am I creating value? I believe that I create value by making connections.
I like to identify synergy opportunities by connecting people, connecting ideas, and connecting resources. The theme of connections is common in throughout much of all that I do, how I think about opportunities and, how I think about potential.
And can you tell us a bit about where you grew up? Were you always drawn to the world of entrepreneurship and makeup and advertising? Are there any core memories from growing up and going to grade school that planted the seeds for this journey?
I do like to give some credit to my Barbie doll as my career inspiration. When I was five, I just had to have a Barbie doll for Christmas. It's all I wanted nothing else. My father told me it was difficult to find them in the stores because every little girl wanted a Barbie that year. So, he became a man on a mission, enlisting all of his co-workers, telling them “If you see a Barbie, please grab it - it's the only thing my daughter wants.”
I not only loved shopping for my Barbies – I also began designing and sewing clothes for them. My interest in fashion began that early. At a time when there wasn't nearly as much representation in the fashion magazines – I couldn’t wait for the latest issue of Ebony Magazine to arrive, so I could see the latest Ebony Fashion Fair feature. I had a full wall covered with ad and articles from Ebony and Seventeen Magazine. Speaking of which, I’m proud to share that I did receive an honorable mention in a Seventeen Magazine shoe design contest that I entered!
In regard to my interest in sales and selling, my first experience was selling Girl Scout cookies - I always wanted to sell the most boxes in my troop, and most years, I did. Going door-to-door, asking neighbors to support a worthy cause taught me a lot about selling – and about staying positive, no matter how many “No’s” and “Not todays” I received.
When you marry the interest in fashion, beauty, shopping, and consumer behavior, that ultimately inspired me to pursue a degree in fashion retailing which combined my creative talents and business interests.
In terms of that major, what was the gender demographic and atmosphere during academia?
The retail and fashion fields at the time were careers where women were making their mark in business. My part-time jobs in high school and college were in retail sales. What I enjoyed most about retail sales was helping other people achieve their goals. Fashion, hairstyling, and makeup are all forms of self-expression. To be helpful and add value, I learned that I needed to quickly understand what someone was looking to achieve before I could assist them with their purchase. And when couples were shopping together, I learned how to quickly assess the various roles in the purchase decisions.
As much as I enjoyed the fashion retailing major, by my senior year, I began to think more carefully about “life after college.” When I considered retail hours and the pay, versus the fact I wanted to live in Manhattan in an apartment without a roommate, and a budget for my wardrobe…the math on that wasn’t going to work! So I started to look more broadly at a career that brought my interests together: both advertising, as well as product management and marketing, still had those creative elements and an opportunity to develop my business skills.
I wasn’t sure of how or when it was going to happen, but I had aspirations to run a company or possibly, a business unit of a large company. As I thought about business experiences, it was always through the lens of What Can I Learn? What’s Going to Prepare Me to Run a Significant Business at some point. Throughout my career, it was making choices that would broaden and deepen my business knowledge and leadership experience.
After completing your undergraduate degree, did you immediately jump into the prospect of graduate school, or did you take [time] before you applied to Harvard?
I made [the] decision during my senior year to apply to business school. I didn’t know if I would be admitted directly, so I was concurrently interviewing for a position. Most schools had a preference that you had at least two years’ work experience. I had tentatively accepted a position with an ad agency in Chicago, Leo Burnett. But as the universe would have it, I was admitted to Harvard Business School directly from undergraduate school.
Harvard Business School, Class of 1981.
When you applied to business school, what did business mean to you? Especially “business” being dominated by white men, did you aim to transform the definition of the industry?
I certainly recognized that women or people of color were under-represented in Corporate America, but I didn’t pursue a business career with a goal of transforming the industry. My goal was to acquire and develop the business management and leadership skills that would enable me to make a meaningful difference. I enjoyed creating impact through a business. I loved pursuing opportunities to learn and try new things. As I look back, I wasn’t trying to prove anything other than my ability to be successful in business and help others be successful.
How did your time as a Business Director at Kraft influence your position as Regional pPresident at Citibank?
Certainly the understanding of how people, particularly women, think about supporting their family’s goals provided me with insights that I could apply to financial services. In the food and beverage category, the products often play a role in family connections, whether that be a quick breakfast before dropping the kids at school, or a big Thanksgiving dinner. There’s also a wellbeing, nutritional element that women think about; there’s an element of time, for example, how much time they can devote to meal preparation, and at the same time, balance their time. Understanding the role that products and service play in the lives of consumers enabled me to bring that sensibility into financial services.
Financial services tended to be more transactional and operational at that time, so focusing on insights into how people feel about their finances inspired new perspectives regarding improving the retail bank experience. I believe I brought that sensibility and empathy to my role at Citibank, with the goal of helping clients and customers feel like there was a relationship with their banker.
That was an audacious goal because banks at that time were known for being transactional vs. relationship-oriented. Citibank, at the time, was committed to building connections and client relationships, which is why I was excited to help lead this transformation.
If you think about it from a competitive standpoint, most banks can deliver the same services and transactions. To differentiate your brand and build loyalty, you need to build meaningful and memorable experiences. So, while banking seems to be the polar opposite of beauty, I believe the keys to success are similar: Making each customer feel important and creating memorable experiences.
What led you to Alberto Culver?
An executive recruiter shared an opportunity to be a division president of the multicultural hair care division. Whereas most of my positions were more marketing and sales-focused, this was going to be that opportunity for me to be responsible for the total business operations, and all the key elements that deliver revenue and profitability, including manufacturing and global distribution.
I operated within a bigger corporate structure, however, day-to-day I had the full responsibility of managing and growing sales of the multicultural hair care business in multiple retail channels.
What drew you to Mary Kay in 2009?
I love learning from successful leaders, and the people management principles of Mary Kay Ash truly resonated with me. She built an amazing company and a culture that is grounded in values. Six months to being approached to join the Mary Kay Inc. corporate organization, a friend of mine in Chicago offered to help me expand my network – including introducing me to the then-Chief Marketing Officer of Mary Kay.
We met and had a delightful conversation. More than six months go by, and then I learned that Mary Kay was looking for a Vice President of Brand Development – who knew?! Obviously it all worked out and then – after the fact – when I met the CMO I shared, “Wow, I didn’t know you were looking to fill this role, and that you would consider hiring a senior person from outside” and she said, “When I spoke with you, given everything you were doing, I didn’t think you would be interested in joining Mary Kay.” I share that because it illustrates my mantra: You can’t get what you don’t ask for, and you should always believe that anything is possible! Never be afraid of a ‘no.’ “No” actually means “not yet” or “not now.’
When you started as VP, how would you say Mary Kay positioned itself to consumers and what was your approach in shifting brand and marketing? Is there a before and after how you re-approached Mary Kay’s marketing and advertising?
First and foremost, there’s a book by Stephen Covey, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” and one of the habits is, “seek first to understand and then be understood.” When I joined Mary Kay, I certainly understood they were bringing me in to pursue new opportunities and advance fresh perspectives, but at the same time, I also knew and appreciated that this company had been doing well for more than forty years without me. I wanted to understand first what had been working and why before I began to work with my team to develop new opportunities for products and marketing.
The other thing that was critical for me to understand is that Mary Kay is much more than a “cosmetic company.” Mary Kay is an opportunity company. Mary Kay provides an opportunity for women to achieve their goals, whether those be personal development goals, business skill or financial goals, while they are also balancing their life’s priorities.
Understanding that this is really what the Mary Kay brand is; the brand is about each independent beauty consultant and how she adds value to her customers by providing and recommending personalized advice and product recommendations. Each Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant is the Mary Kay ‘brand.’ It's a human brand. The approach that my team and I always take, whether it is around product, marketing campaigns, et cetera, is to look through the lens of “This Mary Kay business is here to enrich women's lives. Our mission is to empower women through their Mary Kay business.”
That is what my North Star has been and will always continue to be in terms of what we do, how we do it, and the message that we want to come through.
What consistent throughline have you seen with women who buy from Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants?
What distinguishes the Mary Kay beauty experience is the fact that it is personalized. The goal is always a lasting relationship that is based on satisfaction with the products, with the advice on how to get the best results with the products and with the convenience of the customer service provided. Think about the salespeople who sell skincare and makeup products in retail stores. Even if they are knowledgeable about the product ingredients and benefits – they don't have a relationship with that customer. As a consumer, you most likely won’t see that salesperson the next time you visit that store. There's no relationship there. There's no investment in that purchase - It is simply a transaction. With Mary Kay, there is always a knowledgeable beauty consultant who cares about understanding her customers’ lifestyle and inner and outer beauty goals.
What was your relationship to makeup before and after working with Mary Kay?
I always liked experimenting with makeup – including my mom’s Mary Kay compact. I do remember one year, around age eight or nine, I was dying Easter eggs. I looked at the blue food dye and I thought, “That would make a really pretty eyeshadow.” I wasn't allowed to wear any makeup then, but I was already thinking about it. I said, “Okay. Blue eyeshadow!” I got some of my mom's cold cream, and I stirred in the blue food dye... I thought I looked amazing, but my mom did not agree!”
Before I joined Mary Kay, I typically switched products and brands all the time. In part, because nobody was really giving me advice on what product or shades would work best. Or, if I found a shade I liked, it wasn't necessarily going to be in-stock the next time I would look for it. I would say my relationship with makeup was a “chaotic” relationship; it lacked stability and reliability.
Before Mary Kay, I had what I think so many women have - that drawer of makeup we bought, got it home, used it maybe once or twice and didn't like it. But we don't throw it away because if we throw it away, that means we are throwing away the money. For some reason we think if we’re keeping it, (but not wearing it), then we haven't wasted the money…it's girl math?
For women who are pursuing careers in business and have C-suite aspirations, what advice would you give to them?
First of all, think deeply about why you want to be in the C-Suite. Is it about the title? Is it about influence and impact? Also think about what type of C-Suite do you want to be in? You could be in the C-Suite of a not-for-profit, or you could be in the C-Suite of a restaurant franchise. You need to be clear on what it is you want to achieve and why.
I remember a conversation with a friend regarding her goal to be the president of her company. At the time she was a Chief Marketing Officer. She said, “You know, I don't know if I'm going to be able to advance at my current company or if I’ll have to go somewhere else.” I responded, “Well, let's say you were president at your current company, what would you do differently in that role versus what you're doing in this role? Is there anything you would do as president that you can't start doing right now or influence to make it happen?” She stopped and realized that while she was focused on the title, she actually had the resources and authority to achieve her vision in her role as CMO.
The next piece of advice is be prepared to lead and focus on developing your skills, your knowledge, and your network. Because those are going to be the things that ultimately get you to the C-Suite. Don’t dilute your focus on achieving result by worrying about when you will be promoted. It's more about “How am I demonstrating my ability to deliver results, and how am I developing talent that will also deliver results.” If you're doing that, you will be in a better position to achieve your professional goals. Keep your focus on what you can control. You can control what you do and how you do it. You can control your attitude. Keeping your energy focused on the things that you can control, and influence are some of the most important things you can do.
The final piece of advice is: Own your bold and embrace who you are. You can certainly learn from other people and what has worked for them. But you're not them. Take inspiration and motivation from others, incorporate it into who you are and what you do best. You are uniquely designed and qualified to achieve your full potential. Believe in you!!
Fin
