Coaching Winning Teams from the CMO Seat with State Farm and Atlanta Hawks

There is no better duo to talk about coaching winning teams from the CMO seat than Kristyn Cook, Chief Agency, Sales & Marketing Officer at State Farm, and Melissa Proctor, Chief Marketing Officer & EVP at Atlanta Hawks. In this episode on the MTM Visionaries podcast, they share about their dynamic partnership and winning formula:  

1. Lead Like a Coach 
2. Center Everyone around a Common Mission 
3. Delight Fans by Showing up in Culture 
4. Be a Valuable Member of the Community 
5. Give all Stakeholders a Position to Play 
6. Join Forces with Brands that Help you Win 
7. Ignite Internal Teams around a Bigger Purpose 

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Transcript

State Farm + Atlanta Hawks Podcast

[00:00:00] 

 Hello everyone. Welcome to Visionaries. I'm very excited to have two wonderful women leaders with me today. And we are going to talk about something really fun, which is coaching winning teams from the CMO seat before I invite them here to join me.

[00:00:57] Nadine Dietz: Just a couple of notes for you. First of all, I'm your [00:01:00] host. I'm Nadine Dietz. I'm the GM at Marketers That Matter and the EVP at MTM's parent company, which is 24 seven. And, we are very excited to bring visionaries to you almost every week. Um, so thank you for those of you who are coming and joining us again and welcome to anybody.

Who's new. and then last, but certainly not least, I have to give a big shout out to our partner, the Wall Street Journal, thanking them for all of their support along the way.

So with that, I'd like to invite my two guests to join me here today. I please join me, Kristen Cook, who is the chief agency sales and marketing officer at state farm and Melissa Proctor, who is the chief marketing officer and EVP at Atlanta Hawks. . There's Melissa and there's Kristen.

Hello, ladies. Hello. Hi. Well, we have a lot to cover today. It's going to be a fun session and I just can't wait to dig in. But we always start with learning a little bit more about you. So, Kristen, why don't you kick us off? Tell us a little bit about your role today and a quick summary of the journey that led you 

[00:01:58] Kristyn Cook: here.

Well, first of all, thank you [00:02:00] for having me. I'm excited to be here with you and to do this with Melissa and highlight some of our great partnership. And so. I think it's fitting to start when I think about State Farm like a good neighbor. State Farm is there. Um, it's more than just a jingle. It's who we are, what we stand for, guides our actions, but how we tell our story and show up in the world.

Um, and our success at our company is grounded in our mission to help people and the opportunity that we have to leverage the power of our brand to impact customers and communities. And for me, it's very personal, Nadine. Um, when I was 11 years old, uh, my parents, my dad was a wrestling coach. My mom was a basketball player.

social worker. Um, they took almost all of their life savings and they invested in starting a safe farm agency because they wanted a better life for me and my sisters. And that decision changed my life. Um, and so I've been very fortunate to build a career of my own here at safe farm. I've had many different roles through sales and marketing.

Um, one of the most impactful, um, I was, [00:03:00] State Farm agent in Chicago, and I got to experience firsthand, um, what it means to focus on the customer and to be there at the good and the challenging times and to deliver on the promises that are so important, um, for our brand. And so, um, today I'm very privileged.

I'm the chief agency sales and marketing officer. I work with a tremendous Um, we are a Very creative, very bold and together we have the privilege and responsibility of stewarding this iconic brand forward. And a modernized way. We've been an industry leader for decades, yet it's a never be satisfied mindset relative to how we think about creativity in the intersection relative to our business strategy and.

On the other side of my role. I also have the responsibility for the sales aspect of our organization and. Leading 19, 400 agents who live, work, and give back in their local communities. And, um, leading at that intersection for [00:04:00] me around sales and marketing is, is fascinating. And I've had a chance to live in different markets, work with different people.

Um, but we're all united by our passion for our mission and the family feel we have helping people bring that to life. Um, I think the Hawks are a great example of that. I look forward to talking more about that as we go. Um, but thank you for letting me tell my story. Yeah, absolutely. What a fascinating story, 

[00:04:23] Nadine Dietz: too.

So you've technically been at State Farm since you were like 13. Uh, 

[00:04:26] Kristyn Cook: yeah, I guess. I mean, if you did the math, um, yeah, it's, uh, it's part of my lifeline. Well, no one 

[00:04:35] Nadine Dietz: will know it better than you. So we're going to dig in more on your team, your structure, your mission and just a bit of, but Melissa, I, you know, I am fortunate.

I know a little bit about your background. You also have a story that goes back to your teenage years. So tell us a little bit about your current role in your journey. 

[00:04:50] Melissa Proctor: Yeah, absolutely. Well, you know, I, I, as you know, I started my career in basketball when I was 15 years old, um, as a ball girl, uh, for the Miami heat [00:05:00] in high school.

I was always an artist and a creative, but had a passion for basketball, never played, but just love the game. And so my mom was like, get a job and whatever you want to do for the rest of your life. I decided I was going to be a coach. Uh, and that was the goal. And so I got, got on with the Miami heat and, you know, the rest was history.

Yeah. Really focused on, you know, in college and communications, but ended up coming to Atlanta and worked at Turner Broadcasting for 11 years, really focusing on brand strategy, business strategy, um, and had a passion for it, but still always worked in basketball. So I was a ball girl in Atlanta, actually, when I first moved here and was an intern at Turner.

And after 11 fantastic years at Turner, a number of different roles, um, ended up coming back to the Atlanta Hawks more in a leadership position. Really focusing on helping to build our brand and now in chief marketing officer and in this position, you know, it's so interesting because around the league, every CMO's role is very different.

And so here at the Hawks, it's so much around what we do within the community, but also how do we just build that brand relevance? And [00:06:00] so, uh, across the teams, it's everything from our game day presentation, you know, we have a new department called entertainment industry relations based on being here in Atlanta with this huge focus on culture and television and music entertainment space.

Obviously, all things marketing. We have an internal agency called Hawk Studios that we led and my creative roots love that. Um, but then also looking at community impact and a lot of our work that we get to do with State Farm on a regular basis. All of our youth basketball initiatives are retail. We take a lot of pride in what we do from a collab perspective from both retail and retail all happening internally.

Within our organization, but you know, it's a lot of fun. And especially being here in Atlanta makes it all even sweeter. So thank you for having me. 

[00:06:43] Nadine Dietz: Absolutely. Well, I couldn't be more delighted to have you both here and to talk about what it takes to coach winning teams from the CMO seat. And boy, you guys have fascinating backgrounds that make you incredible coaches, but we're gonna learn more about what that means in just a minute.

Melissa, let's continue on with you [00:07:00] for just a second, because Kristen started talking a bit about purpose and Kristen, I want to come back and dig in more with you on that. But what is your purpose mission as CMO 

[00:07:09] Melissa Proctor: for the Atlanta Hawks? You know, it's easy and it's one of the reasons Chris and I are so aligned because from day one when I got here and really once Tony Ressler and our current ownership team came on board, they said we exist to be a civic asset.

for our community before we are a basketball team. That is why we exist. And I truly believe that's been a part of our DNA from day one. So we're here for our community and that's what we do. And it's an honor to be able to do that in a city like Atlanta based on our roots and civil rights and entertainment and culture and being at the intersection of all of that.

And while yes, it's important that we grow revenue and relevance at the crux of all of it is community. And you know, since I've been here, we've done. So much in the community and by aligning with our partners, especially partners like State Farm, we've been able to amplify that work and really do what the community needs at that time.

And I think to, you know, during COVID, we really switched [00:08:00] gears and we went to what was necessary. And even now coming out of it, really being focused on mental wellness and food insecurity and all those things. And so for us, our purpose, and that's right in line with our DNA is being a civic asset before we are anything else.

Amazing. 

[00:08:15] Nadine Dietz: Well, I think, you know, a thing or two about being a civic asset as well, Kristen. So tell us more about State Farm and your, your purpose and your mission 

[00:08:23] Kristyn Cook: as CMO. Um, when I think about that and to your point earlier around coaching, winning teams, the coaching really resonated with me. I grew up the daughter of a coach, um, before my dad became a State Farm agent and played college basketball at Syracuse.

And so surrounded about, around great teams and great coaching. And I think, I think leadership is about coaching and I think that's. That's what I focus on. I take inspiration from the late great John Wooden, who says that success is a piece of mind, a direct result, satisfaction, knowing that you work to become the best that you're capable of becoming.

And so, to that end, my role, helping State Farm [00:09:00] team, our partners, it's, it's all about that. And so when we think about. What we get to do on a daily basis. It starts with this relentless focus on the customer and, and focusing and doubling down on relevant insights that matter to customers. And when we think about our mission to help people recover from the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected and realize their dreams, that's what we're trying to bring it life.

At State Farm. Um, certainly our goal is driving business outcomes to achieve growth. We're in a very competitive category. It's very price sensitive, but it's about who we are and why we're different and then how that guides our actions. And as I kind of said earlier, um, we strive to create that brand value through like a good neighbor State Farms there.

We want to be a company for everyone. But like many, we're leaning to the younger generations, um, they want an affordable price, they want ease in terms of how they work with us, and we strive to deliver on that and to [00:10:00] storytell around that and cultural relevancy is our currency or State Farm Agents is our competitive advantage, and so, um, how we bring things to life in terms The marketplace.

We leverage our valuable brand assets that iconic jingle are highly recognizable logo. The color red. Um, we can't forget about Jake from State Farm. I think he's officially a cultural icon now. We're very, very proud that he represents all of us. Um, and we also focus on innovation. And so we're often first movers in the gaming space.

Um, we're in the metaverse through our partnership with I Heartland, um, bringing music and entertainment to people in very Different unique ways, um, NFTs, leveraging Tik TOK, our influencer strategy that all exists to help us capture that culture moment. And so when we think about all of this, um, and I think relevant to this conversation is about sports, um, and how we bring all that to the life of sports.

We strive to be [00:11:00] synonymous with sports. And we feel like there's very few things today that captures people's attention that ignites their passion, that connects communities, like Melissa says. to sports, brings fans, family, neighbors together. It's a great fit for our brand. And so we focus on award winning sponsorships, best in class, creative groundbreaking talent deals, but most importantly is community improving efforts with partnerships like we have with the Hawks in particular.

It's a shining example. We're very proud of it. Um, we just hit five years of a partnership and I look forward to talking more about it. 

[00:11:36] Nadine Dietz: Wow. Wow. And I can't wait to hear some of the examples of the things that you love doing most, because that's a lot of stuff that you're doing there, Kristen. And equally with you, Melissa, I mean, it's not just about your internal team or the team on the court.

As you said, it's about the entire community and all your stakeholders. How do you think about that? Like, on a daily basis, as you set out to accomplish 

[00:11:58] Melissa Proctor: your mission? You know, [00:12:00] it's interesting because people think team and basketball, you automatically go for their basketball team, you know, and we've built such great relationships with all of our partners as well as, you know, looking at our basketball on court partners, head coach, all the rest.

But one of the things that's interesting to me is when people think about sports, they don't realize how much of a diverse business. It is across the board with one of the busiest restaurants in the city of Atlanta and talk about, you know, having a store with retail and having. Um, you know, security and all of our employees from a day to day perspective.

So for us, that's critical that, you know, we are all operating, working together as a team across the board. And when we talk about, uh, for us, when we think through partnerships and looking with people like State Farm for everything. It's so varied because our fan base is so broad and there's so many people that look at sports as the power to unite the entire city.

And so we really look at our fans as our team members, more than anything else, our season ticket members on a regular basis. But when we go out into the [00:13:00] community. You know, what we've done with State Farm, with our community courts, our good neighbor clubs, massively successful annual event, this million meal pack that we're able to do, that takes hundreds, almost thousands of volunteers to get together to pack a million meals around the city of Atlanta.

And so for us, it's been really, really important to do that. And the only way we can do that is through team, you know, and our internal team is almost more important than anything else, because we really value our internal culture and our employees, but we can't get any of that done without working together.

Amazing 

[00:13:30] Nadine Dietz: and sort of a good lead into 1 of the questions we got from the audience. Alex, I think I, I read your question correctly, but it's kind of an add on to what you're talking about. And that's how you build that consumer trust and you were describing all the efforts in the community. Obviously, that has an impact on your fans, which are your consumers.

Um, so how to build on that a little bit for me, Melissa. And then, Kristen, I want to come back to you as well, because obviously, trust is critical in 

[00:13:59] Melissa Proctor: [00:14:00] state farm and what you do. Yeah, and it's so interesting because when I first started in this organization, we had so much consumer trust that we had to build.

And so it was kind of saying what you're going to do, do what you say you're going to do and then continue to beat that drumbeat over and over again. And so for us, we actually came up with the tagline. True to Atlanta out of truth and basketball. How do we really just maintain authenticity and transparency for our fans and everything that we're doing as an organization, but really bringing it back to the city of Atlanta.

So we went in five years ago and we reopened the building so much of our focus was how do we make this. The place for Atlanta, where we're bringing in Atlanta icons, working with partners like Killer Mike and bringing in a swag shop, and you know, whether it's a Zach Brown band or Old Lady Gang, and really focusing on what we can do to show Atlanta that we are here to exist for them.

First and foremost, we're the very first team in the NBA or in professional sports that have a Chief Diversity and inclusion officer. So many of those things in addition to our work in the community, and you know, we talk about it a lot internally. One of the biggest things we've [00:15:00] done as an organization was when we opened up our building for early voting in the middle of the pandemic and being the first team in pro sports to do that, and it was groundbreaking in so many ways.

And I've had people that have come to us and said, You know what? I don't even like basketball, but I became a season ticket member based on the work that you do. Thank you. Within the community, because it really aligns with my values as a person. And I think that's the highest compliment that anyone can pay.

And so for us, we build that trust by doing actions on a day to day basis that really are in line with our DNA. Wow. Amazing. Thank 

[00:15:31] Nadine Dietz: you so much for that. Hopefully, Alex, that gives you a good peek at the Hawks. But Kristen, let's talk about State Farm. Same thing. 

[00:15:37] Kristyn Cook: Trust. As I think about Melissa too, I think about when you said not everyone likes basketball.

And I'm like, well, who? Tell me who. Right. It's such a wonderful sport. Um, but I think about insurance too. I'm not sure everyone wakes up every day thinking about their insurance. It's probably something most people don't want to think about. And so I think that's why it's important [00:16:00] that we do what we do because when people need us the most, that's when we need to be at our best and everything we do is surrounded around the customer in particular.

And so when we think about. Community in particular that first starts with our competitive advantage or state farm agents. I'd mentioned earlier with 19, 400 agents that serve their markets. They're small business owners. So they work, they give back, they sponsor sports teams, um, they employ people. Um, they're phenomenal.

And so when we think about our partnerships in particular, We always think about our agents and how we can amplify that, and our partnership with the Hawks is a good example of that. I think Melissa talked about some of the efforts that we have, and really our partnership is in alignment with how we think about elevating our impact.

How do we reach larger engaged audiences? How do we increase our brand awareness, but also create that stronger emotional connection [00:17:00] through reinforcing our values? And so several community focused initiatives in Atlanta. Helped us do that. And so we partner with the Hawks as well as us hunger. Um, and we host the largest service initiative that they host in State Farm Arena.

And it's an opportunity to rally people together around a million meal pack. I've had the opportunity to participate myself in years past. Um, this year alone, 5000 volunteers. Over a million meals, 131, 000 pounds of food. That's, that's impact. That's helping people. That's meeting people where they are and their time of need.

Mostly you talked about fighting food insecurity and, and I can't think of a way, um, better way to do that. And we're looking to do more. We're looking to lean in more. Um, I absolutely love our good neighbor clubs. Um, this is near and dear to my heart. Um, these are opportunities for people to come and learn.

Um, to also entertain. Um, it's all around this [00:18:00] ongoing court renovation that the Hawks have been leading to increase access to play, um, to get outside and to play through the Atlanta metro area and think about just the impact on kids and giving them an opportunity to kind of, um, collaborate, partner together, build friendships.

learn the sport, learn the game. And so we're very proud of that. I think Melissa, our 10th, um, location is coming in 2024. Um, but certainly there's the big brand stuff, the awareness, um, certainly there's business value with State Farm Arena in terms of what it brings from an entertainment standpoint. Um, obviously our partnership with the NBA partnership with you all, um, but then also it's the community stuff that matters and our agents are all a part of that.

And I think that's, that's the, that's the one big formula when you think about winning teams. 

[00:18:51] Melissa Proctor: Yeah. And one quick thing on that, you know, what I love most about those good neighbor clubs, it's. They're all different and going into each community and understanding what their needs are for some [00:19:00] it's a dance studio for some it may be a full gymnasium for some it may just be a safe place to go and do homework or, you know, use computers and make it a computer lab that we've been so it's been great over the years and seeing how varied those experiences are in every community and really meeting the community where they are.

And you mentioned that million meal pack I think I've gotten more requests of people who are upset they couldn't volunteer. Yeah, that volunteer line goes so quickly but you can see. It's just really there's passion and desire from the fans and from the community to participate and help out. So completely agree.

Wow, it 

[00:19:34] Nadine Dietz: doesn't I don't think they're going to be a better fit between your 2 companies to partner together. And I want to learn a little bit more about how you chose to partner, how you partner successfully. We do have another question in from the audience, which is a really good question. Um, and. We're we're planning on tackling this in in just a little bit, but I want to let you know what the question is, because I think it's a really good build to what we're talking about right now, which is have your methods of [00:20:00] coaching teams changed over the last few difficult years.

What are your tips on team morale right now? Um, which goes along with what we're going to talk about in just a few minutes around career advice and growth. But to close us out on your partnership for this segment, tell us a little bit more about what it takes to be good partners. Um, who wants to go first?

[00:20:24] Melissa Proctor: Yeah, yeah, I'm happy to. I mean, I think, you know, years ago, when we were looking at naming rights for the arena, you know, there were a lot of different conversations and a lot of things happening. And I came in, you know, when we started having conversations with state farm, and it was that awareness of, you know, at the time we had started to go and do some of those works in the communities regarding those courts.

And it was like, okay, this is what we were focused on. We made a focus on Plan to the city of Atlanta. We said we're going to do a certain number of courts in a certain time. And everything as I learned about state from actually have a good friend who works at State Farm as well. We went to high school together and I learned so much about the organization, but [00:21:00] it's really about its people.

And we thought, okay, you know, we really see our arena as the town hall of the city of Atlanta. If anything happens, we have a place where people can gather and all come together. And a really big part of what the conversation was with State Farm was how we can really be a community asset and be good neighbors.

Collectively, and we're like, all right, you know, I really think this feels good. And once we really started getting into the conversation and looking at all the different ways that we wanted to activate in the community and the ways that State Farm was already activating in the community, to me, it was a match made in heaven.

And it really just made sense and completely in line, as I mentioned, with our DNA and our whole mission of becoming a civic asset. I kind of said it 

[00:21:39] Kristyn Cook: better. Um, I think at the end of the day, um, for us, um, we had a growing presence in Atlanta. We made a commitment to the Atlanta market. Um, we were headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, that this is where I am now.

Actually, we were founded in 1922 by a farmer who decided that, um, you know, farmers [00:22:00] needed a different insurance approach than people that lived in the city and that expanded to state. And then it became State Farm. It's kind of the modern day success story that we've all grown accustomed to. And so we recognize in order to attract and recruit great talent, um, to also compliment Our strong agency force that we have in Atlanta to is, um, we built a hub there.

And so, um, we just don't operate transactionally. We invest in the community like I talked about earlier, and we look for ways to do that and how we can intersect that with our business strategy. And so the Hawks in particular, State Farm Arena. Um, was a no brainer. Um, I think it gave us an opportunity to reach large engaged audiences in that local community there.

And, you know, checkmark on all the things associated with that. But more than anything, it was alignment relative to values. We're a [00:23:00] relationship based company. And we look at things in terms of long term and how are we helping people? How are we giving back to the community? There's so much energy and there continues to be with our organizations.

In fact, Melissa and I were just talking earlier. I was looking for time to make it back to a Hawks game. And it's not just about. Sharing the joy of basketball and watching a game. It's it's coming back. Spending time with friends and partners and supporting each other and figuring out what more can we do together?

So I think it's an intersection of the values and the relationship that makes us connection. So very important, amazing. 

[00:23:39] Nadine Dietz: Okay. So I feel like the audience is totally in sync with us today because they keep asking really great questions that take us to the next spot. So another question come in. It's actually related to the other questions.

I'm gonna combine the 2. Oops. And, uh, thanks barrel, uh, they. They said, thank you for being here to both you, uh, enjoying the conversation, but wanted to know such [00:24:00] a strong bond externally. How do you foster a strong bond internally with your team? So, in line with the other question, let's talk about that in terms of today.

And then how things have changed over the last few years, because it has been a bit of a tough journey. So, Melissa, why don't we start with you? 

[00:24:17] Melissa Proctor: Yeah, no, absolutely. You know, I mentioned voting earlier on and for us during COVID, you know, I have teams of people whose joy is fan experiences. Like we make moments for fans.

That's what we do on a regular basis. So if your entire business is around bringing people together and that stops, it definitely takes something away. So it was really amazing. challenging to get people engaged and, you know, excited about their job during COVID. And thankfully we did have opportunities like voting that would bring people together in a safe way with purpose to help drive that.

Um, since then I'll say, you know, it's tough. We're in sports, you know, and so it's very much. In person, we've been very flexible and really understanding and respecting hybrid workspaces. And it's allowed for a [00:25:00] lot of creativity and innovation, I'd say, in the way in which we do our business. Because when I first started working in sports, it was, you know, 24 seven, you're there all the time.

And I think across industries, we've seen a lot more flexibility and understanding, you know, life, life comes first, and I manage very much in that way. And so I'd say with our teams, it's how are we able to maintain that? With this workforce, and so, you know, there are some roles that we have that are completely remote, which is very different, very different world that it probably was before.

But we've been able to make it work with technology and with understanding and how we kind of collaborate across our teams altogether. Um, but in terms of, you know, motivation, I'll say it's just really having an additional. More almost more effort and energy putting into that space. And I say it across all of my teams.

Thankfully, I have a really great leadership team. We've been together for a long time. So we understand one another and it's leaving space for people to be people and not necessarily always just focusing on the work. And I think. You know, I was, I have a nine year old daughter. I was a, I was teaching first grade and being a [00:26:00] CMO at the same time for about a year during COVID.

And so now there's just a greater understanding of, you know, having grace with one another as we do that. And in sports, it's hard, you know, based on what's happening on a nightly basis. We also manage all the events. And state farming as well. And so for different roles, it really requires different things.

Um, but I really believe that for us, it's really around understanding one another and creating more opportunities to give people what they need in order to be successful, whether that's development, whether that's coaching, whether it's mentorship, providing opportunities for folks to be able to go and do something maybe passionate about.

We've always done that, but almost having a different focus on it now over the past few years. Amazing. 

[00:26:40] Nadine Dietz: Kristen, how about you? 

[00:26:42] Kristyn Cook: Um, I think three things come to mind as we're all, I think, trying to learn our way through, um, you know, new realities, so to speak. Um, I think first and foremost for us, um, it comes back to the way that I started, which is, um, having a sense of purpose for what we do, [00:27:00] and that's what unites us together.

And I think The role that I have, that our teams have, is that how do we focus on everything we do aligning to that purpose. One can't feel like that they live a true life of excellence unless they feel like they're part of something bigger than themselves. That's, that's one of my favorite quotes. And so, um, I think the culture piece of it, having a sense of purpose and then sparring your actions as a result of that is so important.

And there's nothing, more gratifying, I think, than helping people. So I think that's the first thing. Um, the word that I use with my teams quite often these days is one of agility. And I think the environment, whether to Melissa's point, it's remote, hybrid work environment, um, the complexities. Of the external environment, internal environment.

Um, it's never going to become simpler. And at the end of the day, how agile we are relative to our mindset, thinking about what's possible, um, working together as a team. [00:28:00] Um, optimism, sometimes cautious optimism to, um, I think that's important. But then also actions. Um, we're an environment to where we're very impacted by the macro environment, inflation and all markets are different.

Um, we are regulated in 50 different states and sometimes in some places we can be opportunistic and other places. We are restricted to be responsible and how we run the business. And so our mantra with our team is that one door closes, one door opens. What's the opportunity that we have? Um, I've talked a lot about the insurance and what we do to help people there, but we also have financial services where we can help people realize their dreams and save for retirement or send their kids to college.

And so there's always opportunity. It's how we think about that, um, from a mindset standpoint and from an action standpoint. And I think the last piece Nadine, I would say is I just read the Arthur Brooks book with Oprah Winfrey. I highly recommend it in terms of, um, it's, it's, it's, it's [00:29:00] based on happiness.

And so I think my new mantra now is days are long, weeks are long. Months and years are short. Enjoy the ride. Let's enjoy the ride together. Let's let's find a way to support each other. Um, and to find happiness in what we do, because I think that's really important. Wow. 

[00:29:18] Nadine Dietz: Well, what a nice thought to end our session with because unfortunately we are out of time.

[00:29:24] Kristyn Cook: Um, 

[00:29:24] Nadine Dietz: but I'm going to ask you both to stay on with me for just a minute for those who have to log off, please, please go ahead, but I can't let you go without your best career tips that you've ever heard or given. Um, but just for those who have to drop off right now, thank you for joining us. Thank you to the audience for all the wonderful questions.

And, uh, Kristen and Melissa, I'm going to let you close this off with, uh, close this out with your best career tip. So Kristen, why don't you go first and Melissa will hand you the mic and then we'll be done. 

[00:29:51] Kristyn Cook: Um, I think it starts from my years when I found the love of basketball. It carried me through playing at Syracuse.

And now I [00:30:00] think, you know, the game that I play now, um, in my career, it's success is where preparation meets opportunity. And as you think about preparing, whether it's preparing yourself, your teams, the organization, um, working with your partners, um, I think that makes all the difference. And it gives you an opportunity to win.

And if you win... Great. If you don't, you learn. Um, but I think that preparation piece is so important. Amazing. 

[00:30:25] Nadine Dietz: Yeah, it's definitely a Melissa girl to CMO. Let us have it. What is your best 

[00:30:29] Melissa Proctor: career tip? You know, I find that I've been saying it a lot lately. Um, and it's really, really important, especially for, you know, junior level, but even more senior level folks, find a way to be an asset, not a liability.

And I mean that in so many ways, whether it's in your career, whether you're networking, if you have a 30 minute session with someone, find a way to be an asset to them, not a liability on their time. And I think very often, you know, the idea of servant leadership is lost and people aren't necessarily thinking of how they can give back to others, even in asking a question.[00:31:00] 

And so I find that for those who are able to do that success comes because they're always thinking of what they can do to offer and then how that really comes to benefit over time. Wow. 

[00:31:11] Nadine Dietz: Awesome. Well, thank you both. You have been so insightful and so inspirational and I hope for everybody else who tuned in and I hope we, we did a good job answering your questions.

Everyone. , I wish everybody a wonderful day. Thank you, Chris. And thank you, Melissa. Thank you 

[00:31:24] Kristyn Cook: for having us for having us.