ROGERS - Wal-Mart/ Sam’s Club’s corporate culture is loosely discussed as a cornerstone of its business though executives seldom get the chance to discuss it much in public.
One character trait associated with that culture - authenticity - eluded Sam’s Club President and Chief Executive Officer Rosalind Brewer early in her career.
“I really didn’t have the self-confidence to reallyproject who I was in every setting of my life,” Brewer told a room of 600 people at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center early Thursday. The event was the sixth annual LPGA Women’s Day Breakfast.
She said she realized at midcareer that she was “one person at work and one person at home.” At the time, she was working for Kimberly-Clark Corp., the maker of personal-care products.
“I just had to bring thetwo of those personalities together,” she said. “At that point was actually where my career began to excel because I was confident, I was consistent, I could bring my heart and my head together consistently.”
Brewer was joined on stage by ESPN sportscaster and author Linda Cohn. The two shared many a good laugh as they swapped stories about raising kids, rising up through the ranks of businesses dominated by men and finding work patterns that enabled them to reach the level of success each now enjoys.
The confidence that camewith real authenticity helped her be a better manager, Brewer said.
“It’s made me a better leader, it’s made me a better mom, it’s made me a better wife because you really get what you get,” she said. “[I’m] just pretty comfortable.” She also describes herself as outspoken and direct. She feels good, she said, when she gets things off her chest.”
“It just takes the stress off of the day.”
Brewer went to work as a scientist for Kimberly-Clark armed with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Spelman College in Atlanta. When her career played out there, she joined Wal-Mart as a regional vice president in 2006. Brewer went to Sam’s Club, a members-onlywarehouse segment of Wal-Mart, in February of last year. She was honored by Fortune magazine in 2010 and 2011 as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business.
Brewer described being CEO of Sam’s as “an out-ofbody experience.”
When she goes in to a club store, she said, she puts her BlackBerry away and gives the employees her undivided, face-to-face attention.
“I’m there to learn. They’re there to show off the great things about their club. But then it’s also a chance for me to impart something on them,” she said.
The level of engagement between management and employees is unique to the company.
“It always amazes me howthe lowest levels of the organization know so much more than sometimes the top of the organization does,” she said. “
Cohn, who played goalie on an otherwise all-boys hockey team in high school in Long Island, N.Y., admitted having a problem with her self-esteem in high school.
Sports helped fill the void, she said.
Gaining entry to the broadcasting business at a time when it was devoid of women took a lot of hard work and careful maneuvering, Cohn said.
“You have to put yourself into a position to be lucky,” she said. “Because let’s face face it, it doesn’t matter what business you’re in, luck and who you know are a big part of the pie.”
Business, Pages 23 on 06/21/2013