Growing up in Devils Lake, ND, with her husband Dale (they have been in school together from kindergarten through college), Cindy remembers well her first airplane ride. It was flying to Minneapolis for her Honeywell interview! Although she enjoyed her small town upbringing, she also has made sure to expose her own children (Steph, 21, Andrew, 17, and Taylor, 14) to the greater world beyond their Edina neighborhood.

Cindy credit’s the international component of her Carlson School Executive MBA program as life changing for her and her family. “That first trip to South America really taught me how small the world is. My husband and I now work hard to teach our kids that other cultures and perspectives are just a short plane ride away. We have also changed our conversations with them from what kind of impact do you want to make in the Twin Cities to what do you want to be in the world.”

Teaching and learning is a common theme with Cindy as is evident in our interview below. Enjoy!

Biggest challenge over the next 3-6 months:

“As a company, we’re continuing to improve on client experience while managing top line growth. We’re experiencing a lot of change right now, so I spend time coaching my team through that change – getting them to trust that leadership knows where the company is going, getting them to trust each other to get there, and getting them to trust in themselves to stretch and perform at the top of their abilities. As a leader, the challenge is finding time to think, away from the day-to-day responsibilities  of my daily work.”

Exciting things happening:

Lawrence Merchandising Services has recently undergone a company rebranding initiative and a rebuild of the management team. “The work we’re doing right now creates opportunities for our employees to grow. Plus, it’s exciting to see top line growth as a result of our recent marketing initiatives.”

Professional accomplishments:
“Receiving my CPA designation was a dormant goal that was realized once the requirements changed and I no longer needed the public accounting experience. I surprised myself with how important it became for me to achieve that professional certification. Completing the MBA program was also important to me, as was achieving the goal of becoming a CFO and most recently, a COO.”

Favorite free-time activity:
Playing the piano is Cindy’s favorite activity these days, although she is not sure it’s a favorite for her family. “Having just learned to play in 2008, I am not only enjoying the challenge but it’s also good for your kids to see that you are never too old to learn something new.”

Best advice:

Hire talent and teach skills. “If people have the intangible talent skills, you can round out the other parts through coaching and experience.”

Favorite author, restaurant or CD:

“I enjoy anything written by David Baldacci and Vince Flynn. Bacio in Minnetonka is my favorite restaurant and my car disc changer is full of Spanish language CDs. Something I took away from my MBA experience was  the goal to be proficient in Spanish. I’m getting there!”

If I didn’t need to work…
Cindy would find a charity where she could continue to coach and mentor other women to success. “I am currently a mentor for the Carlson School and Menttium, as well as through my church’s Stephen’s Ministry program. I find that walking other women’s opportunities and challenges by listening and supporting their endeavors, has a profound impact on myself and the women I help.”

Best vacation:

Renting a house on the ocean in Jamaica is a favorite family vacation memory for Cindy. “Our best vacations have to involve sun and water and this one had it all – including plenty of space, which is a necessity when you have teenagers.”

Something you’ve done that would surprise people:

Cindy starting taking piano lessons 18 months ago with her kids and is finding the learning curve to be fun and frustrating at the same time. “I have wanted to learn how to play the piano since I was a teenager and am finally living out one of my dreams. So now every Monday at 5 p.m. you can find me at my piano teacher’s house playing away.”

Motto to live by:

Imagine what you could do if you knew you could not fail. “It’s hard to live by that motto all of the time, but there is so much truth in this statement that I do my best to always live in the spirit of it.”

What I enjoy most about FEWnet:

“I have enjoyed the opportunity to network with some very talented executive women.  Through my small group participation, I look forward to meeting regularly with an incredible group of leaders who see the power and value in supporting each other. I also think the FEWnet and Nextworking groups are what really differentiate Certes as a staffing firm. They’ve taken a fresh approach to serving the finance and accounting community and I appreciate the way they have made networking easy and fun.”

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