The Brains Behind the Beauty Industry:
Five questions with Thia Breen
The recently retired president of Estee Lauder North America dishes on how she moved from middle management to the top of the corporate heap.
Thia Breen, Minnesota, worked her way up the beauty industry ladder over her 40-year career. This year marks a new endeavor for Thia: retirement. So, how has she handled swapping her conference calls for house calls? Check out Thia’s thoughts on her storied career and her new retired life as well as her workplace advice for women of any age.
Q. What’s your advice for women just starting out or those who are questioning whether or not they’ve chosen the right field?
A. Building a professional career is a lot of hard work—and I didn't
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What advice do you have for professional women of all ages in the workplace?
A. Women need to be more purposeful about what they want. Throughout my career, my male colleagues left no doubt about their goals. They had an intention and made it known. Women oftentimes wait to be recognized—but we shouldn't wait. It's important that we need to be very clear about our goals and that we are more vocal about what each of us thinks our careers should look
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Don't fall under the notion that a promotion will be bestowed on you when after a certain amount of time has passed or a particular milestone has been achieved. You need to champion yourself and flag your interests. All of these points are moot if you are not an engaged professional. Make sure you have the results to back up your claim to that promotion or raise!
Q. How did you know it was time for retirement?
A. The decision to retire was an instinct I had and couldn't ignore. I knew that I was ready for the next chapter in my life, so I had a conversation with my boss. I was with the Estée Lauder Companies for 40 great years and it was time to do something different. When you know, you know.
Q. You've often referred to your professional career as an epic series of chapters in your life. As your story continues to unfold, what's ahead in your next chapter?
A. You know, everyone keeps asking me that. One piece of advice I got was to do absolutely nothing for six months. So, I'm trying that out. Let's see how it goes.
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//Marginal call