00:00Hi, everyone. My name is Kimberly Wilson, and I am a senior editor here at Essence.
00:13Today, we'll be chatting with a few experts to help you prepare for and land that job you have
00:19always dreamed up. Many of you may have also wondered how to know when a company value
00:25aligns with yours, and we'll also share a few tips and tricks in helping you to decipher.
00:32Before we get started, let me introduce you to our very special guests. First, we have Maya Bowie.
00:40Maya is the vice president of merchandising health at Walmart, where she manages products both online
00:47and in stores and provides affordable access to health for Americans. We also have Twyla
00:55Brooks. As the vice president and divisional merchandise manager of menswear at Walmart,
01:02Twyla oversees all of menswear across a variety of categories statewide and knows exactly what
01:09loyal consumers need. Welcome, ladies. How are you today? Good to see you. How are you?
01:16I am doing fantastic. Thank you both for joining today. Thanks for having us.
01:21So I can't wait to hear everything you all have to share. Both of you have a tremendous background,
01:28so let's jump right in. So let's talk about this concept of values. Admittedly, I don't think earlier
01:38in my career I was as set in being aligned with the company based off of their values, but as I have
01:45matured and grown both personally and professionally, that is something that is very important to me.
01:52So Maya, I'll ask you, what advice would you give to someone that wants to ensure that the company they
01:58work for is aligned with their values? Yeah, no, it's a really good question. And I, you know,
02:05early in your career, you may recognize a company's brand, how they show up in the marketplace,
02:09but you may not know what it's like inside of the company. And I mentioned the Executive Leadership
02:15Council, and there was a CEO, a black CEO, who spoke once and talked about, you know, if you're
02:21going to do well at a company, it actually has to be a company that you connect with. You have to be
02:25able to be your authentic self and be true. And that has stuck with me for over probably 10, 15 years,
02:32because you're not going to thrive everywhere. And so that alignment of values is really about being
02:37allowed to be yourself and grow and thrive in an environment that reflects who you are. So it's
02:42critical. And the values can mean different things to different people. It's the culture of how
02:47leaders show up, how people treat people, how success is rewarded, what the priorities and focus
02:54of the company is, what the mission is. So it can be very important. What's been interesting,
02:59I've been in retail, you know, for most of my career, but the retailers I've been a part of,
03:04although they all are, you know, for profit seeking, have very different missions. And I've
03:10learned along the way that having a mission tied to serving customers is really, really inspiring.
03:16And, you know, I don't like to overplug, you know, the company I'm with, but that's partly why I came
03:22to Walmart. You know, particularly last year, after everything that happened, seeing how Walmart
03:29responded, seeing our lean in to Black Americans and having real and authentic conversations and
03:36kind of raising the bar, leaning into a racial center for equity, a number of other things was
03:43incredibly attractive to me. Not all organizations do that. And so for me, one part of values is
03:51recognizing that I'm a Black woman. I'm a person of color in this country. And unfortunately, we have
03:56not had a great history altogether. And so a company that can be honest about that and address
04:02it with leaders to then reach associates and then broader customers is just, is the bare men.
04:08And so for me, that was a value that has become more and more important in my career.
04:12Doesn't mean we've got it all right. And I think a lot of organizations are still working towards
04:16progress, but at this stage in my life and my career, and particularly after 2020, it's absolutely
04:22required. But there's other, other types of values that are important too. Are you really, you know,
04:27an ambitious culture? Are you, are you a humble culture? You know, do people put other, other folks
04:32down in meetings or not? These are things to really think about and ask and ask where you'll thrive
04:37because that's going to be so key to your enjoyment, but also your success in an organization.
04:43So Twyla, I'd be curious to hear from you. Have you ever been in a position where a company did not
04:49align with your values? And if so, how did you handle that? You know, first I'll say no, I've
04:56never been with a company that, but I will say that I've had experiences. And I think Kim, that you've
05:03mentioned something that kind of struck a chord with me is that your values will always be the same,
05:10but they will grow or evolve over time as you grow. Right. And, you know, I think in the beginning
05:16when I started, so if we think about retail, you know, we've been in retail for a while and in the
05:22beginning, you know, there weren't a lot of respectful conversations, you know, the way people
05:29were treated, how it was handled, the, the relationships that people had with each other
05:36were different before. And I do think that one of the things that really excited me about coming from
05:43Walmart, coming to Walmart was the fact that they took their core values very seriously. You know,
05:52respect for the individual is one of the things that till this day, I think is one of the most
05:57powerful values that any company can have, no matter what you look like. And then I do think that, you know,
06:05I've grown from, you know, that little associate buyer that ran around in stockings and heels to the
06:13vice president that I am today. And a lot of people say to me, what is some of the things that,
06:18you know, you love about Walmart or you learn from Walmart? And I say, Walmart changed my life.
06:23It changed who I am as a person. It made me more worldly. I've been able to travel all over the world.
06:30I've been able to sit across from CEOs and negotiate deals. And I think that you learn the type of person
06:38that you want to be and the type of person you should be, depending upon the company that you work for.
06:44And I think that the reason why I've been here for so long is because the values of who I've grown into,
06:51the values that I knew that I always had, that my mom and my dad gave me, are so empowered now as the
06:57African-American woman I am today. So every day that I show up, I show up because my values align.
07:03And the day that that stopped happening is the day that I retire and I move on and I do something
07:08different. And I think that as long as you say that there's excitement with growth and then the
07:14values will always be the same, they may evolve. And that's how you empower yourself. I think that
07:20that is kind of my answer. And gosh, I am definitely not the same 22-year-old kid that was running down
07:27the hallways in Los Angeles to living here in Bentonville now. And so progression is key, is what I would say.
07:32I would just want to add to that, Twyla, because I could probably answer your question as a yes,
07:40Kim. And without going down that path too specifically, I couldn't stay at an organization
07:49as long if the values weren't all there. And so I've been at organizations that have been great
07:57in addition to Walmart, but I've also had experiences where people weren't always treated well
08:01and valued. And particularly as you get into a leadership role, that is a challenge. And I think
08:06you said it really well, Twyla, that the company you're with shapes you. And so when I felt that,
08:12it was for me a pull to say, okay, is this a fit for me? And you've got to make that call. Sometimes
08:16you lean into an organization and you see the potential, but you get there and you learn some
08:20things and there might be some good things and some opportunities. And so it can happen in your
08:26career. If you're on the front end can filter it and learn as much as possible and do that research,
08:31it can help. But when it happens, you have to make the call of this may be a shorter stay than you
08:35planned because there's a higher calling. And I, again, wasn't looking in this particular last role
08:41that I had. The company I was with right before Walmart was one that I valued. But I will say the
08:47higher level that quite frankly, Sam Walton set for the organization, and it lives on today,
08:52almost 60 years later does resonate. And what's interesting to me, Twyla, is, you know, so many
08:59organizations talk about the customer. I've never heard a company fight so much for the customer than
09:03my last six months at Walmart. And that for me is a value that feels really good at this stage of my
09:08life and my career. As I think about my own journey with self-care in the workplace, there's always
09:17been a quote that has resonated with me. And it is, if you died today, your job would have your job
09:24posted that next day. And that has shifted how I've thought about work and work-life balance. And
09:31it's carried me to date. So, and Twyla, there was a word that you said that also resonated with me.
09:38Respect. You and your team respect each other. The company respects who you are as individuals
09:45and team members as we think about, you know, living and surviving what we have this past year.
09:51So, I really appreciated just you sharing how you have taken this approach to work-life balance and
09:59also, Maya, your testimony as well. But unfortunately, we have to end the conversation. And I really
10:07appreciated all of the insight that you both were able to provide. I know I've learned a lot.
10:12Any closing words before we head out?
10:16No, I would just say thank you so much, Kim, for having us. Thank you to Essence. And love what you do.
10:24Love it, Twyla. I would agree. Thank you, Essence. Thank you, Kim. And everyone,
10:28lean into yourself, believe in yourself. And I really enjoyed this conversation.
10:32Thank you all. Take care.
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