Meet, SVP, Lauren Tosi

“Our CEO, Jeff Beck, once said to me, ‘Everyone looks great as a leader in a good year, but when you have a tough year, that’s when you really see leadership come out.’ (Leadership) is about mobilizing people, collaborating, and working together to produce the appropriate solution,” -Lauren Tosi

Coming to Window Nation at the height of COVID, Lauren arrived in a time of uncertainty, but it was her leadership that has, and continues to propel the Marking Department forward.

As the Senior Vice President of Marketing, Lauren doesn't just oversee how the marketing budget is being spent, but she also takes a significant role in helping to guide the overall marketing strategy. When asked what she was most proud of, Lauren beamed stating, “I’m most proud of the teams I help lead and work alongside here at Window Nation,” we've had some hills to climb over the last few years but we have an incredible team in place and its really exciting to witness the fruits of those labors come to life.”?

Getting to this point in her career was not easy. It took hard work, but also great mentorship experiences that left a significant impact on Lauren’s career. When asked if she'd be willing to share the first core memory that plays a role in her day-to-day navigation, “I can share two,” she says with a smile. ?“My first experience was at the company right before Window Nation. I was a manager at the time, the CMO left, and I will never forget the very first day (the CMO’s replacement) came and sat with me and she said, ‘I have heard a lot of good things about you. I am going to teach you everything I know, and you will be the next Vice President of Marketing.’ It was her style of leadership that helped shape who I am because she was not threatened by me – she celebrated the type of person, the type of leader I was.?

“In so doing, the better I did, the better she did, and that always framed the type of leader I always wanted to be which is really having a shared vision, and also collaborate and recognize the contributions that other team members make because we’re a team – there is no “I” – and so she really helped shape that you shouldn’t be threatened of the people who are working with you – you should celebrate all the people you work with.??

And the second? “The other was at Window Nation with Yang Chang. One day, I asked her a question and said, ‘I don’t really want to bother you,’ and she said, ‘Women have to help women.’??

“I remember thinking, ‘What a wonderful statement, that is so true.’ It was reshaping how people work together, and I remember just leaning into that and saying, ‘You’re right – women must help women. We must help each other.’ And those have been two impactful memories that I will forever take with me.”?

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When it comes to a work-life balance, Lauren stresses the lessons she has learned, sharing, “This one is tough for me, mostly because work is important. For a long time, it was how I defined myself and, frankly, I love it, but it is important to create that work-life balance. I don’t always do the best job of it, but I really started creating a healthier lifestyle and every night before bed, without fail, I will read something for 30 minutes. It doesn’t matter what it is, but that is my downtime. Those are my decompressing moments so I can recalibrate for the next day.”?

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When asked what's the one piece of advise she'd share with women aspiring for leadership roles,?

?“When you are looking to be a leader, or when you are looking to advance your career, you must be introspective and look at what is important to you. Ask yourself, “What am I looking for?” Then make your value visible. It is not always for the job to provide those opportunities to you. It is partly that – you must put in the work and make sure the people around you see what you are capable of.”?

Throughout this month we will continue highlighting and sharing insight from some of the Wonderful Women at Window Nation.

Stay tuned ??