Daring Women: AAA’s Piston

Heather Snavely isn’t one to sit around waiting for something to happen.

She helped lead a comprehensive rebranding effort at Seattle’s PCC Community Markets. She crafted global brand strategies at Seattle’s Brooks Running. She led Microsoft’s consumer communications during a key time for the Xbox.

She’s now leading AAA Washington into a new era. Since taking over as the first woman CEO of the 121-year-old organization almost four years ago, Snavely has established a joint venture insurance startup; launched Everyday Membership, the organization’s first non-emergency membership product; and rolled out a plan to close all 12 of AAA’s retail locations after discovering that fewer than 4% of members visit the stores.

AAA has more than 1.2 million members across Washington state and northern Idaho.

Prominence

There are a lot of ways to tackle this question. You have to work in a culture that values women, and that isn’t always the case. You need to have advocates who see your potential, not just your accomplishments. (Men tend to be judged on their potential, and women on their accomplishments.) But outside of that, the most important thing you can do is to understand the business. Not your slice of it, but the business as a whole. You must understand what drives it, how to understand the financial statements, and what success looks like holistically, not just for your team. Ask questions. Be curious. Show up like a business leader, not just a member of the marketing, HR, IT, or finance team. You can be doing great work but if it doesn’t align to what matters most for the business, you’ll never advance.

Lesson learned/mentorship

The lesson with the greatest ripple effect came early in my career. One of my first jobs was in the PR department at the Minnesota State Lottery. The head of the department, Kate McCarthy, was very clear: If you got your work done — and did it well — she didn’t care when you punched in or punched out. She gave the team a level of autonomy that I had not seen before. Of course, with that autonomy came a high dose of accountability. Her style shaped my approach to managing teams from that moment forward. It’s probably this seed, planted years ago, that influenced my return-to-office philosophy and resulted in our hybrid approach at AAA Washington. Kate also taught me to have your team’s back and give credit where credit is due. Both practices I’ve carried with me through my career.

Advice

Take risks. Ask for what you deserve. Believe in yourself. Ask questions. Be curious. Show up like a business leader, not just a member of the marketing, HR, IT or finance team.

Networking

Networking is the most important thing you can do to advance your career. People hire who they know. Research shows that referred candidates enjoy a higher probability of getting hired than those who are completely unknown. Get out and meet people. This takes different shapes depending on where you are in your career. You can take more of a shotgun approach attending industry events to meet people. You can also mine your own network. Look friends and colleagues up on LinkedIn. If they have connections you’re interested in being introduced to, ask for a warm introduction. Coffee dates are best because they don’t take up much time and can be very casual. Don’t forget to send thank yous! The biggest way ruin goodwill is to fail follow up and show appreciation for a connection made or time spent.

Do differently

Julia Louis-Dreyfus interviewed Carol Burnett for her podcast Wiser Than Me and asked: “Is there something you would go back and tell yourself when you were 21?” Burnett responded: “Nothing, I think. If I gave myself some advice, I wouldn’t be where I am now.” That’s how I feel about this question. There is nothing I would do differently because each decision got me to where I am today.

Saturday afternoon?

At the movies in the winter. Golfing in the summer. Taking my dog on long walks any time of year.