Alison Marie Thompson

I attribute my success not only to hard work and passion, but to my team. You have to be willing to put yourself out there and show them that, yes, at the end of the day, you are a manager, but that you've been in their position, that you know what they're going through, and you have to be willing to jump in the trenches and help them. My team knows that I'm not afraid to get up front with them and help out, and when things are rough, I'm right there with them. When you have a team that sees that you're willing to put yourself out there for them, they are willing to support you. And without their support, I would never have gotten where I am.

Mike D, who is our regional now and was the GTM who hired me to Walmart, always encouraged me to be myself, not to change who I was just because it was what people wanted to see. I took that to heart, and one thing that everybody can say about me is what you see is what you get. I don't try to be something that I'm not. I think that's gotten me where I am.

Be yourself. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do what you want to do but don't lose yourself in the process of trying to be what you think you need to be. You have to not be afraid: you can't be afraid to try different things, to admit you don’t know something and ask for help and learn and don't be afraid to start over! Just put yourself out there, knowing that you can do whatever you can put your mind to.

Being a woman in a predominantly male dominated industry presents its own unique challenges and I look forward to the opportunities to prove that I know my business and learn the things I don’t.

Being genuine and setting a good example for my daughter. Be humble, act with integrity and be respectful to yourself and those around you.