Interview with Sally Jenkins

By Monica L. Dashwood

Sally Jenkins is Vice President of Consumer Marketing for both the Americas and Global e-commerce for Symantec Corporation, headquartered in Cupertino, California. Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management to help businesses and consumers secure and manage their information.Symantec has operations in more than 40 countries.

Sally shares her words of wisdom and experience to women looking to advance in their work without losing all they value in the process.

Can you tell us a little bit about what you do in your position?

I’m a marketer. I always put the customer first. We’re all consumers, so in my current position, what I do is relevant to my day to day online life—my customers’ online interactions, transactions, and identity are at the core of what I think about.

What has been your greatest professional accomplishment at Symantec?

Striking a balance between work and home and being recognized for that from my team by being nominated “Working Mother of the Year.” It wasn’t anything I expected or necessarily strove for at work. But, of course, we all want to aspire to that, but to be recognized by my team is the ultimate compliment. It validates that I’m setting the right example for the team while still being focused on the right business priorities that produce results.

I assume so, or I wouldn’t be here now. I’m a confident person who gets at the heart of any challenge, outlines a plan while involving the team, and produces results.

How did you get into this industry and how did you know it was the career path for you?

I was an English Literature major from a liberal arts, all-women’s university, Hollins University, back east which gave me the flexibility to take my career in any direction I wanted. I always knew I wanted to be in marketing via advertising or sales. As my career progressed, I’ve been told many times that I’d be great in sales, which makes me an even better marketer. Alignment between marketing and sales is critical to the success of both teams in order to deliver on the expected results.

How would you describe your leadership style?

Direct. Supportive. Collaborative cross-functionally. Action-oriented.

What are your biggest challenges in leading and managing people?

It’s the best part of my job so it’s not challenging to me, but my style means that I expect the same from my team. As part of leading the team, I use the mantra, “first, most, best, only,” within the team to help keep them thinking about how to innovate and differentiate. This mantra has helped the team rally around ideas we can execute and that help set us apart from our competitors in the marketplace.Rewards and recognition are also important to the team, so we take the time to recognize outstanding contributions quarterly with the exec team.

Who are your inspirations and why? Who had the greatest influence on your life?

It’s a mixture between my Dad, my Mom, and managers I’ve had along the way in my career.

My Dad was in sales and never took no for an answer, but was also conservative so his decisions were careful and calculated.

My Mom always encouraged risk-taking and pushed me to try things outside of my comfort zone.

Managers (good and bad) have taught me how to look at things differently and how no one approach, is the “right” approach. They’ve also helped to shape the way I manage. Of course, I manage the way I like to be managed which means I give my team the information and flexibility needed to be successful with staff in their jobs without a lot of handholding.

What are your secrets to balancing a high level position in your career with being a mother?

Managing a joint calendar with my husband because he has just as much of a demanding career as I do so it’s critical we sync our calendars for travel and meetings so we can maximize our time with our twins. The hardest piece to manage as a working mother is having a hard stop at the end of the day. Not something I was ever used to, but now I’ve established a schedule I stick to that works for both work as well as home.

What do you want for your daughter’s future?

Choices. I want her to be able to have an education that provides many different career options for her.

If you had any advice you would like to provide to aspiring women, what would it be?