6927: “…Being Black Is Where My Heart Is.”

From The Chicago Tribune…

Appreciating differences gave Kraft Foods executive perspective

Mary Beth West, chief marketing officer, wants to get the best out of everybody

By Ann Therese Palmer, Special to the Tribune

In high school, Mary Beth West said she spent “lots of time figuring out who I was. It involved picking a race that would define me.”

Adopted by an upstate New York white couple, West describes herself as “three-quarters black and one-quarter Polish, light-skinned, with white brothers and white sisters.”

Joining her high school’s Black Student Association, of which she eventually was elected president, “helped me find my way,” she said.

“I discovered being black is where my heart is.”

West, 46, now chief marketing officer at Northfield-based Kraft Foods, said she discovered throughout her career that “being different is an incredible asset.”

“It’s made me the type of leader who tries to make people feel comfortable, understand their story, where they’re coming from, what they’re dealing with and how to get the best out of them,” she said.

“It makes me sensitive to people who look and act different. It gives me a perspective on diversity and the power diversity can bring to the workplace, to innovation and, ultimately, to grow businesses. The more different perspectives in the room, the better endpoint you’ll get to—richer, deeper, more compelling.”

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Q. Managing an effective team involves more than racial diversity. It involves working with people of varying abilities. Where did you acquire that skill?

A. There were five kids in our family. Four of us were adopted. My sister has a borderline IQ. One of my brothers spent five years in 20 foster homes. We had different capability levels.

My mom taught me how to get the best out of everyone. She made each of us feel as special and accomplished as the rest. That idea, that people can be as successful as they can at their capacity level, wasn’t prevalent back then. That was a real leadership gift from my mom.

Q. What’s the most effective way you provide leadership at work?

A. A long time ago somebody told me, “Don’t give people the answer.” As a leader, the challenge is to guide and provide inspiration and insight. Let your team discover their own answers. For one thing, you could be wrong. Also, that’s the only way they’ll learn for themselves.

Q. What are you doing more of than when you started?

A. As a brand manager, my job was making recommendations based on a lot of data analysis.

Today, my days are spent influencing, inspiring and enabling my team to get Kraft Foods marketing worldwide to optimum levels. It involves much more emphasis on strategic thinking.

Q. How do you manage yourself?

A. Every five years, I deliberately take time to ask myself, “Are you doing the right thing? Do you love what you’re doing?” Doing what I do is a deliberate decision.

I used to work out every day for an hour. Now I’m lucky if I squeeze in two hours weekly. I’ve got three children, ranging from 16 months to 6 years. Something’s got to give.

My husband, Hiry, a small-business consultant, is my reality check.

When I got this job, I said to him, “Can you believe I’m the chief marketing officer of a $42 billion company?”

He replied, “Just remember, when you come home, you’re a summer intern.”

When I walk in the front door, I’m a wife and mom, responsible for getting dinner. That’s who I am. I love it.