Thank you for your service.

Today, I celebrate 25 years of employment with Toyota Motors North America. In a bygone era, this accomplishment would have been commemorated with maybe a cake, some coffee and coworkers in the break room or maybe even a group lunch.? However, in these pandemic times, I find myself quarantined at home after contracting COVID from my business trip last week to Arizona.?

With my current time in solitary confinement, I’ve found myself reflecting on what it means to have reached this milestone accomplishment that few in today’s business world may ever achieve. While 25 years may not be much relative to the lightyears of time recently captured in NASA’s Webb Telescope images, to me, it is significant.? It is the realization that while my brain still feels “young”, the general population would now consider me “experienced”.? These years have delivered opportunities for learning, challenges to overcome, successes to celebrate and wisdom that can only be truly valued through age and maturity.?

While my professional career has been devoted to the Toyota & Lexus organization, my jobs and roles have been tremendously varied.? If my memory serves me correctly, in 25 years I have held 17 different positions within the organization. These roles span from Logistics and Warehousing, to Customer Service, to Marketing, Public Relations, Strategic Planning, Finance, International Business and Training & Development. At this point, I consider myself a highly competent business generalist who never tires of learning something new and always has an opinion on something.?

In my career, I’ve enjoyed the incredible opportunity to live overseas and experience life in a Japanese culture much different from my own.? I traveled to more than 35 countries, spanning 6 continents, visiting our affiliate businesses and operations around the globe. And if I include my personal travel explorations, that number jumps even higher.? I have made countless friends and colleagues along the way and cultivated a business network of which I am extremely proud.?

Am I where I thought I’d be?? Absolutely not!??

Do I regret my path and my choices? No way!

As a woman in the Automotive Industry, it is absolutely no surprise that I have been undervalued, under appreciated, dismissed, overlooked, passed-over and disrespected.? My journey has not been any different from the countless women before me and many who will follow behind me. And unfortunately, with the state of current affairs, I must admit that I believe my opportunities were much greater than what I see for the future of women today.??

But rather than focusing on those unpleasant experiences, I choose to celebrate what a glorious career that I have enjoyed despite my challenges. My journey has taught me that time and patience matter and can be some of your most valuable assets when overcoming challenges. I know that asking others for help is not a sign of weakness but an opportunity to enhance your perspective and learn something new.? I have learned that sometimes the fight isn’t worth it and it is better to keep your opinion to yourself and move on rather than become embroiled in petty politics or drama that isn’t worthy of your time.?

I think that people believe that they are owed something for their service and dedication. Through their time and tenure, they have worked hard, and they want to believe that it meant something.? I believe it is part of human nature for us to feel relevant and appreciated.? I can honestly tell you that after 25 years, the fact that my company offered me a toaster oven as a “service gift” is more insulting than appreciated. And while I do empathize with this feeling and can understand where it comes from, I also can’t help but feel gratitude to have worked in a place that I actually wanted to come back to year after year…for twenty five of them!??

I feel lucky to have been inspired and to have found a culture that felt more like a family than a business. I have learned from some amazing people in my career and while some of my favorites are no longer with us, I am grateful that their time on earth intersected with mine as they have left an invaluable mark on my soul. I am so thankful that I have been paid to pursue diverse opportunities, advanced education and experience amazing adventures. I am blessed and it is not lost on me.??

When I started Toyota on July 14, 1997 we were still a small Japanese import automotive business in the United States with 7% market share when companies like GM and Ford were sitting at 30% and 25%. Our global production was 2.8 million units whereas, today we top 10.4 million when you include all the affiliates under the Toyota umbrella.?

While in Southern California, I rode the wave of our expansion and growth and got to experience some incredible times in our industry. And now that we have moved our operations to Texas, I am still learning and growing from my experience with this organization as we diversify into a mobility company and expand our connected technologies.?

I feel sorry that more people won’t have the opportunity to reflect back on how their company has changed and evolved over 25 years and how they themselves have grown in that time-span. And while sometimes the changes aren’t always for the better, when you look over the long run, it is the progress that counts, the connections that were made, and it is quite remarkable what gets accomplished.

Twenty five years…wow! Some days felt like forever in the moment but sitting here today, it was a blink. To those who have helped me along my journey, I genuinely thank you.? To those who have made my life more difficult, I believe karma already has you covered. I look forward to the years to come in my career and how I can continue to positively contribute to the world around me. It’s been quite a ride and the road trip is just getting started!?

If you enjoyed reading this, feel free to share with others.? It’s just one woman’s perspective from 25 years of corporate life.??

And if you want to congratulate me on my achievement, Venmo me a donation so my husband and I can enjoy a nice dinner (when I’m COVID free) rather than the one I will make in my new toaster oven. ;-)

Venmo: @ERIN-ILGEN

*Here’s the list of job roles my mind was able to cobble together:

Logistics Management Trainee - Vehicle Distribution - Toyota HQ

Logistics Management Trainee - Parts Operations - North American Parts Center California

Kaizen Coordinator - North American Parts Center California

Storage Kaizen Assistant Group Leader - North American Parts Center California

Customer Support Administrator - North American Parts Center California

Inventory Control Administrator - Toyota HQ

Strategic Planning Administrator - Toyota HQ

Curriculum Development Administrator - Global Knowledge Center

Curriculum Development Manager - Global Knowledge Center

Field Operations Manager - Global Knowledge Center

Strategic Projects Manager - Global Knowledge Center

Strategic Educational Support Manager - Lexus International

Distributor Support Manager - Lexus International

Global Lexus Communications Manager -Lexus International

Global Events & Market Strategy Manager -Lexus International

Finance & Strategy Manager - Lexus International

Lexus College Dealer Education Manager - Lexus HQ