The Armstrong Company

As a VP of Corporate Relocation, how do you define influence in your role, and how has it evolved as you’ve progressed in your career?

Influence is leadership. The ability to help someone, see the possibilities, and then act. Early in my career, I was playing golf with a business executive while sponsoring a business retreat. During our round, he would share how much he enjoyed playing golf and how he has played courses around the world. I wondered how a busy person has that much time for golf, so I asked how he does it. He replied, “I schedule it.” That person, that moment, that idea influenced me to be more intentional about my schedule.

I have evolved from looking at my days, to reviewing weekly, to looking out one to even 10 years. You are influenced every day, how you do work, how you plan, how you use AI, how you network, how you use social media and more. There is no one-size-fits-all for anything in this world of work, so it’s essential to watch and listen to different perspectives and then act on what works best for you.

When I joined my company, I didn’t share much perspective because I didn’t feel like I had the experience others had around me to influence. I wanted to learn from those around me. Today, I am a more experienced executive and still want to hear from others, but find myself sharing more knowledge and strategy to positively influence others on their journey. It’s why I publish books, host a podcast and give keynote performances at conferences across the US. People are watching you and are influenced by the moves you make in the workplace and the community!

• In your view, how closely are employee brand and corporate brand connected, especially in the context of mobility and relocation?

Building a personal brand is about standing out in your company, your market, and your industry. It’s not reserved for executives or entrepreneurs. It’s just as relevant for every role, from the president to the person who sweeps the floor.

“You don’t need a big budget or a fancy strategy to be a good person”

When I joined The Armstrong Company over 20 years ago, I wasn’t thinking about building a “brand.” But I was thinking about how I could bring value, make an impact, and stand out in meaningful ways. When you think about corporate brand, you think about structure, the mission, and how you do business as a company. However, the personal brand will drive your career in so many ways.

Your personal brand is like your logo—when people think of you, they associate you with certain values, behaviors, and contributions. It impacts:

• Opportunities

• Relationships

• Trust

It also differentiates you from others in your field. Whether you’re:

• Early in your career, trying to stand out

• Mid-level, positioning yourself for leadership

•Or a leader, looking to inspire and influence—

• A strong brand helps you do it more effectively. One of my favorite quotes is from Jim Rohn:

• “You can’t pursue success—you need to attract it.”

And a great personal brand? It’s magnetic. It draws in talent, partners, customers, and opportunities.

Think about someone in your organization who has that reputation. Their brand is built on reliability, initiative, and results. That brand can open doors to promotions, better pay, and lasting relationships.

Want to build a meaningful brand? Try walking slowly through the crowd. Ask people about their story. Be present. When’s the last time you asked a teammate how they’re doing? What do they enjoy about their work? Do they have ideas for improvement?

Those small moments add up and shape how people remember you.

• Can you share an example where you had to rally diverse stakeholders around a complex relocation initiative? How did you approach it?

My first week in a new job leading operations in Dallas, corporate executives traveled to our office to let our team know that if we didn’t get our quality scores up, we would be shut down. That was an eye-opening day and influenced me to rally the team. I quickly hired some key people and shared the focus we needed to improve quality for relocating talent.

We trained our staff and moving crews in the warehouse by watching videos, posting scores, and discussing the material daily. People began to change the way they dressed, the way they showed up ready for work, and most importantly, the way they smiled. Fast forward, nine months later, we had the highest quality scores in the country and number one in our area. Everyone could see the work they were putting in was paying off, and that is the key. You have to not only share the vision, but keep it alive every day!

• What advice would you give to emerging leaders who want to strengthen their influence without relying solely on their title or formal authority?

In my book, Life in the Leadership Lane, I share five steps to developing your influence. Build trust, define a problem, build a business case, develop sponsors, and be persistent. It’s easy and it’s hard. Building trust is about building relationships. People often try to skip this step and just try to work on problems, because it can take a long time.

However, the best advice I ever received was to lead without a title and influence others, which I learned when I attended our national sales meeting in Memphis, Tennessee. Our chairman of the board walked up to the podium to share this wisdom. I am a note taker, and I quickly grabbed my pen as he reminded us that you can build a brand and influence others in the simplest ways.

You don’t need a big budget or a fancy strategy to be a good person. You just need to start with these four things:

1. Live by the Golden Rule

2. Help the people around you

3. Be generous

4. Practice good manners

These simple actions can set your brand apart more than you might think. And when practiced consistently, they build trust, credibility, and influence, and that is a brand that will get your boss’s attention and accelerate your career! Remember, there’s always room for the person who says, I’ll get it done.