FedEx’s Laurie Tucker Brings WLC Attendees To Their Feet


How often do you multi-task?
All the time, it's the only way I get things done. Sometimes, I try not to but sometimes I can't help it. Never, I just can't do more than one thing at a time.

Article Tools: Print

| Email

| Add Comment

Share |

FedEx’s Laurie Tucker Brings WLC Attendees To Their Feet
By: Tina Berres Filipski
Issue: 2010jul

Laurie Tucker, senior vice president for FedEx Corporate Marketing, wowed the crowd and earned a standing ovation at today’s keynote luncheon during the PPAI Women’s Leadership Conference. Her talk on building your own personal brand was infused with humor, personal stories from her 30-plus years at FedEx and solid tips focused on helping women be stronger leaders and gain more respect in the workplace.

Her remarks centered around the fact that women tend to be harder on themselves than do their male counterparts. “The worst enemy we have is that voice in our heads,” she said, adding that women are born with three skills most men train to learn—teambuilding, communication and leadership. “Women have to stay focused on outcomes and acquiring business acumen,” she added.

In building a personal brand, she said one needs a visual, a voice and employees who are trained to represent the brand. She advised listeners to know their personal brand and to influence it in a positive way.

“Knowing what your brand is can make you more credible, powerful and help you to differentiate your product or company among competitors,” said Tucker. “Every industry is moving toward being a commodity. You need to constantly improve and make your company more relevant.”

Among her tips to charter one’s own brand attributes, Tucker offered these: integrity (“…the foundation and so valued today…”), flexibility (“If we can’t lose our ability to adapt…we’ve got to be up on technology…), creativity, collaboration, teamwork, leadership, tenaciousness (“Sometimes we give up too easily…”), courage (“Get your facts together and be courageous…”) and resiliency (“The faster you can pop back up, get over it and get back in the game, the better the outcome.”)

Asked about opportunities for the promotional products industry, Tucker challenged listeners to be creative and go beyond expectations. “Think about the things companies are concerned about and come up with solutions,” she advised.

She left listeners with one of her favorite quotes: If you don’t love what you do, you have to change either who you are or what you love. “You’ll always excel at what you love to do,” she said.

Tucker also advised listeners that if they were not spending time with other women—girlfriends, business colleagues—then they should set time on their calendars to do it on a regular basis. “You will gain strength and professional courage,” she said.

Comments (0)

* Name:
* Email:
Company:
* Title:
* Comments: