“We began the meeting, and he asked me how things were going, how I was doing, how my kids and husband were doing. Then, he said, Okay, see you next week,” Mari recalled. When the next week came around, they met again and had a similar conversation. She asked Campbell when they would “talk business.” He told her he could get the numbers and other KPIs from the CFO.
“What I really care about,” Campbell said, “is how you are doing because that will affect your ability to be good in your role. If your kids are struggling, if you’re not getting enough exercise or sleep, that’s going to affect your ability to do your job. I can look at the data without you here, Mari. I can only understand that piece when you’re in the room with me.”
The conversation became a new touchpoint for Mari’s own leadership style both at Intuit, where she rose to Senior Vice President as the company grew from 30 to 3,000 employees and went from $7 million to $700 million in revenue, and in a 20+ year career in which she has held CEO, President, and SVP positions in startups and Fortune 50 companies, and built some of the world’s most successful consumer brands including Quicken (Intuit, Inc.), BabyCenter (Johnson & Johnson), and PlayFirst (Diner Dash).
As a three-sport athlete in high school, Mari opted not to try out for Stanford’s track team and satisfy her competitive drive playing intramurals, eventually helping her team win the Intramural Co-Ed Flag Football championship. “Winning that championship was nothing to sneeze at,” averred Mari. Neither is the passion, experience, and perspective Mari brought to every endeavor, including board roles, advising CEOs, mentoring entrepreneurs, and advancing women in leadership.
“In sports, you’re trying to learn something new and go beyond your current skill set,” she noted. “In business, the same happens when people come up to you and say, ‘We need this to happen.’ And you have to be dumb enough to say, ‘Okay, I’ll do that,’ and then go experiment a bit and figure it out!”
The result, Mari adds, is that you’ll become known not as a dummy but as that most valuable of players: the go-to person.
You will learn:
"Don is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. I’ve known him for a long time and every time we talk I walk away wiser and more inspired. He is the best in the business at teaching you a skill – storytelling – that will last you a lifetime.”
“The ability for athletes to get hired is carried on through you because you are putting out the message that lessons learned from sports are important in life. It is embedded in this podcast, what you’re doing is significant.”
We speak the same language. I am inspired by the stories you tell, the people you have met, and the things you’ve done. Those of us that are competitors like to follow others that have been down that journey, so it is always fun talking to you!”
“Many of the leaders I have worked with were excellent athletes, and I think there is a direct correlation. You’re one of the few people that really has pursued this study, Don. Keep up the great work. What you are doing really makes a difference.”
“Don, you have mastered the skill of interviewing and asking great questions. That is a great skill all leaders need in order to understand their team members’ thought processes.”
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