Penny McIntyre – Group President, Newell Rubbermaid

Newell Rubbermaid’s newest exec tells how to make your first 90 days on a job count.

By Taylor Mallory

“I’m standing on the shoulders of those who have proceeded me – listening, listening and listening some more.” That’s how former Coca-Cola exec Penny McIntyre is making her mark four months into her new role as group president of Newell Rubbermaid’s $2 billion office products group (which includes such brands as Sharpie, Paper Mate and Expo). She tells PINK she’s already spent time with every business unit and traveled to Europe three times, Asia once, North America and Latin America. “I’m learning what works and what doesn’t, and I’m getting a sense of the people,” says McIntyre, who urges execs coming into new roles, “even turnaround situations,” to remember “there are people there who have done good work or are able to do good work.” People aren’t always the problem, she says. “Sometimes the problem is the problem. People want to add value at work. If that’s not happening, find the root cause.”

Here, she shares her success secrets and hopes for the future of business.

PINK: What is your biggest workplace pet peeve?
Penny McIntyre: Having worked for so much of my life outside of the U.S., I am amazed how much the sports idioms have pervaded business here. When men use sports analogies, for instance, I often have no clue what they mean. At first I found it humorous, but it eventually became frustrating. During the “warm-up” conversations before big meetings, all the guys will discuss some big game that happened last night or last weekend. It’s not inclusive – and not just to women who aren’t into sports. If you come from another country and don’t know anything about basketball or American football, you’d be as lost as I am. So when I was giving a town hall speech recently for our Sharpie business unit, I purposefully used a jewelry analogy. I told them, “I’m purposefully not using a sports analogy, guys, to include others in the discussion.”

PINK: How has the recession changed your leadership style?
P.M.: I don’t know that it has changed my style, but it has heightened certain elements. I tend to get a little more into the details now. When you’re in an economic downturn, you have to be on top of every single opportunity and give time and energy to the operational rhythm of working with your team – making decisions with them, brainstorming about cost cutting and finding new channels for growth. That means having a good set of reports and key business indicators you’re reviewing with team members on a regular basis, so you can track, spot and exploit trends. By looking at specific indicators about your business, competition, and category, and the economy in general, you’re more knowledgeable and will be open to that gut feeling, which is born from an intimate knowledge of your business.

PINK: How do you manage your Life/Work balance?
P.M.: I have two children – Sarah, 16, and Jon, 13. I’m very fortunate that my husband, Peter, has stayed home with the children since they were born. I would never say he doesn’t work. Some days he works harder than I do. He coaches at their school and occasionally substitutes there. So I’m fortunate and grateful for that support. And balance is also a function of knowing when to say no. I could go to business dinners every day. But three nights a week, I try to make sure I’m home for dinner. And it feels empowering to make that decision. I try to instill this in my team. Sometimes I plan breakfast or after-hour meetings. But I tell them to let me know if they already have personal plans. It’s their responsibility to tell me. If it’s urgent, I’ll let them know I really need them to be there. But if not, they don’t need to break their plans. I want them to feel empowered to say, “I’m sorry, I can’t do this for this reason.” That’s not true in all workplaces yet, but hopefully as we get more women in business, we’ll change the culture so people can say, “My family is important.”

PINK: What will be the biggest business imperative after the recession?
P.M.: One word with two meanings will be critical – value. Consumers look for good quality at the right price and companies that stand for something. Each company and each worker has to look deep and figure out what they stand for. Not only are we investing in new products that give consumers great value – like Sharpie 2-in-1 markers, we’re also employing our values to help others. For example, we learned that teachers spend up to $500 of their own money outfitting their classrooms each year. So during our back-to-school program, we promoted our dry erase markers and encouraged consumers to buy one for the teacher when they bought one for themselves. People want to buy and be associated with a brand consistent with their own values. Most people understand the role that teachers play and want to help them. And so do we.

PINK: What are your hopes for the future of business?
P.M.: A world in which we don’t need to see gender or race, just leadership potential. Today, organizations hire based more on experience than potential, which can disadvantage women and minorities. What you have done may be a good prediction of the future, but isn’t it more important to ask what you can do when hired? I recently discussed this with another female executive. I told her, “I don’t look at myself in the mirror in the morning and say, ‘Oh, you’re a woman.'” Maybe, “Oh, you have another wrinkle.” (She laughs.) When I’m hiring, I try to ensure that we are clear about the caliber of person the role requires, that we have a diverse slate of candidates and that we hire the right person for the job, not simply someone who has had prior experience. That fulfills the balancing act for me – push the slate to be diverse and see the candidates for what they can be. If we do that enough, it will become second nature.

PINK: How do you relax and rejuvenate yourself?
P.M.: I exercise. I try to walk at least every other day and definitely on the weekends. I also read a lot of novels for fun and relaxation. I’m one of those weird people who likes to read science fiction. It makes you more tolerant of ambiguity. Not everything in business always ties together, and you just have to just go with it. Being comfortable with the unknown and the unclear helps you think more innovatively.

PINK: What inspires you?
P.M.: When I see one of our associates reach out and touch someone purely because the other person needs them. I haven’t been at Newell long enough to see this in action here. But when the tsunami happened in Thailand, I was working for Coca-Cola. Six months later, I was in Asia and saw our employees, of their own volition, go out and help. There were tears in my eyes as I thought about how wonderful that was. There are so many common heroes who do things just because they can, just because they should. It reaffirms that so much is right in this world. I try to hold myself to that high level of integrity, where you do what’s right just because it’s right and find goodness in everyday situations.