Louise Sams – Counsel & President, International, Turner Broadcasting System

A top woman exec from Turner Broadcasting System talks the value of networking – especially during a recession.

By Taylor Mallory

Louise Sams says she’s “sort of lousy” at networking, all the more reason she’s passionate about encouraging women to prioritize it, even if you working longer hours because of downsizing. “People might think that at a time when the economy isn’t so great and people are really buckling down, networking seems frivolous. But you need to be doing it all the time, in and outside your company, no matter what is going on in the economy. Don’t let the recession change your career strategy,” says Sams, general counsel and president of international for Turner Broadcasting System, where she has worked for nearly 16 years and oversees 200 employees in her legal capacity and 2,550 in the international division. Besides, your relationships can help you during challenging times. “You can talk to people and get ideas about cost-savings, best practices and keeping morale up. If you’re unemployed or think your job is in jeopardy, it’s even more important.”

“The word ‘networking’ has negative connotations, like you’re glad-handing or trying to rub elbows. But it’s not inauthentic,” says Sams. “It’s building relationships.” And those relationships have helped her tremendously in her career – whether it’s calling a lawyer she worked with in the past to get feedback on an issue or legal strategy or talking to global connections about her international leadership role. “I feel I can pick up the phone and talk to someone experienced about different issues that come up.”

Sams talks to PINK about leadership, recession survival and at least trying to create balance.

PINK: What is your professional success secret?
Louise Sams: I’ve never turned down work. Early on at Turner, I was willing to take on whatever came across my desk. That gave me the opportunity to work with and learn from lots of people at the company. I had been in private legal practice but had almost no exposure to the television and entertainments worlds, so I knew I had a steep learning curve. I didn’t fear any transaction or project and jumped in with both feet. I was very involved early on in the acquisitions of New Line and Castle Rock that transformed the company. So I was dealing with top execs in the company very early in my career here, sitting in on board meetings when Turner was a public company. I learned things quickly and got exposure to well-connected people in the company. And I got a really good introduction to the industry. It gave me a bit of courage to do all these different things I wouldn’t have thought I knew enough to do.

PINK: What has been the biggest challenge you’re facing at work right now, and how are you resolving it?
L.S.: We’re all challenged with the recession. On the international side, it’s really about identifying the best markets for growth and prioritizing all the different projects we could pursue. International is a complex business, very different from the U.S. It takes longer to get the returns we often need to justify investments. But Time Warner is very interested in international growth. So we’re deciding which investments are going to be best with the cloud of recession over us. It requires a lot of discussion with people on the ground and lots of as we try to uncover the future business prospects in areas that may have been adversely impacted economically. We know there’s a bit of a downturn in the ad market globally, so we’re trying to figure out when it might pick up in a particular region and what that will look like by looking at how they came out of recessions in the past. But we’re also seeing growth in some areas (like certain countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America) that is offsetting some of the decline in others. So we do a lot of analysis, then put faith in our decisions and move forward. Because of the recession, we’ve really accelerated a lot of that research. We’re not changing the way we do business, just doing it more efficiently. I think that’s the recession’s silver lining for most companies. It’s forcing all companies to look hard for more efficient ways to work, like we should have been doing all along.

PINK: Who or what inspires you most?
L.S.: I look to people with positive attitudes, who get real joy out of what they do. I try to take that to heart, because I do think that employees in our companies are looking at executives for inspiration. If we’re walking around with long faces, looking stressed and unhappy, that’s not a good thing. In the same way I look to positive people for inspiration, I need to remember that other people may need that from me.

PINK: How do you manage your Life/Work balance?
L.S.: I think I have an easier time balancing than a lot of women because I don’t have children. I just go home and do want I want. I don’t have to worry about feeding people. I get time for myself, which I think some women don’t get, but is so important. That’s the first thing that gets sacrificed for too many women. They put themselves last. I like to think of life as a journey with different chapters – some when you focus more on personal issues – kids, elderly parents, illness, or maybe just yourself from time to time – and other times when you focus more on work. Hopefully, across all of that, there is overall balance. I can’t say whether it’s achievable or not, but I think you should shoot for it in long run. I sit on panels and hear other top women say there is no such thing and that young women are kidding themselves if they think they’ll find it. I always want to say, “Let them try. They might achieve it. We all just figure it out at any given time.”

PINK: Turner was just announced one of PINK’s 2009 Top Companies for Women in Business. What makes it a place women want to work?
L.S.: I think there is a very healthy environment here, which probably comes in part from the entrepreneurial spirit that was at the foundation of Turner. People feel they can contribute ideas and value to the company and feel somewhat empowered across the board. While that environment is harder and harder to maintain the larger company becomes, we’ve done everything we can to foster that. It’s empowerment to the point of allowing flexible schedules and part-time when necessary – so people feel more in control of their jobs and lives. And it’s a really interesting industry. For instance, our lawyers are doing similar work to what they’d do at another company, but there’s something about working for a television company and dealing with cool programming and more sexy issues.

PINK: How do you define “success”?
L.S.: Having a job where I’m always challenged – and feeling that I’m challenging and helping develop the people who report to me. The higher you move up the ranks, the more you often struggle with how much value you feel like you’re adding. People who move up are usually doers. Then you go from doing everything to managing – resources, departments, people. So at this level, my success is based, in large part, on how much value I add as a manager. I hope I am managing my folks in the best possible way, giving them guidance, helping them prioritize, setting goals for our business and helping them see their role in that picture – and helping them grow.

PINK: What do you do to relax and rejuvenate yourself?
L.S.: I exercise a lot, often with a trainer. I run, bike, walk and work out with weights. That gets all the stress or something out. I like to hang out, collect wine and art and travel. I travel a lot in my job, but I also enjoy seeing new places. My last trip was to Europe. I did business in London, Munich and Rome and then took a few extra days in Rome for brief holiday. I went sightseeing with my husband, who had never been to Rome. It’s one of my favorite cities. I also love Sidney and Buenos Aires. It would be hard to pick a favorite city. I could probably make a list, but it’s long. When you love to travel, you keep adding to the list, but you don’t often take places off.