Stanley Black & Decker Executive Urges New Graduate Students to Find and Embrace their “Personal Brand”

One of the most important things you’ll bring to the workplace is your “personal brand”—your reputation, your expertise and the widespread perception that you are a valuable asset to the team.

“A brand is a promise of what’s to come,” Corliss Montesi ’86, vice president and corporate controller at Stanley Black & Decker, told hundreds of enthusiastic students at one of several graduate student Convocation events held on Aug. 25 at the Gershon Fox Ballroom in Hartford.

“You want your supervisor to say, ‘I want her on my team!,'” she said.

“Deliver your objectives, partner well with others, and always have an open mind. People will observe you and build expectations of you for the future. Pay attention to how others behave, and do what you can to emulate the best of what you’ve seen. Build on your competencies every single day.”

Montesi held top management jobs at United Technologies and its subsidiaries, Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky Aircraft, for 17 years before joining Stanley Black & Decker in 2014.

Stanley Black & Decker is a 170-year-old company that specializes in tools and storage, security and industrial fasteners. It has 52,000 employees and one of its mottos is: proud, but never arrogant or complacent. Montesi describes it as a business that has experienced a ‘purposeful transformation.’ The organization grew from a $2 billion to a $11 billion, multi-industry company in the last 15 years, due to continual evaluation, diversification, acquisitions and organic growth. New products and innovation and an underlying culture of continual process improvement have forged its success, she said.

Regardless of your industry, Montesi said, there are common and vital new leadership imperatives in this rapidly-changing business climate. They include being agile and adaptable, taking action swiftly and confidently, using technology, always moving forward, and having courage in the face of difficulty, not being paralyzed by risks. Don’t forget to pursue these strategies with a healthy dose of common sense, she said.

She praised the students, many who are entering UConn’s MBA program, for making “an investment in themselves.”

“But don’t just think that earning your degree is enough,” she said. She urged the students to capitalize on their experiences, by making the most of their network, their professors’ knowledge, and the insight from friends and family. Focus on leadership qualities, doing the job well, and finding an appropriate work-life integration. Never lose sight of the skills that you need to develop and evolve three- to five-years down the road, and take a step toward achieving them every day, she said.

Driven by the acceleration of technology, the world is changing rapidly, said Montesi, who gently reminded the audience that she started working before the large-scale introduction of personal computers and cell phones. We live in a 24/7 world, where soon 80 percent of its residents will be digitally connected and where commerce will shift from developed to emerging markets, she said. In this business climate, leaders must be adaptable, she said.

Montesi, who serves on the Dean’s Advisory Cabinet and was inducted into the School of Business Hall of Fame last spring, said it was a challenge to transition from the defense and aerospace business to consumer products.

“When I came to Stanley Black & Decker, I was starting from scratch. I had to prove myself. I needed to understand a new environment to be successful. I still work on it every day,” she said.

Not only must successful managers embrace technology but they must be keenly aware of how it impacts their customers. For instance, Stanley Black & Decker recently introduced a mobile app that teaches do-it-yourselfers how to make home repairs and recommends the tools they will need for the job.

“Passion is mentioned many times in our organization,” Montesi said. “We not only achieve our goals, but we celebrate our achievements together. Business is not an individual sport. It is important to remember that it is always, always a team sport.”