Women Who Mean Business: Briana Nelson, General Manager, Toyota New York Region

EverSoPopular: Take us to the beginning. Please share your career path at Toyota.

Briana Nelson: I started my career on July 8, 1996. This was my first “real” job after graduating college. My title was Management Trainee which is a training program for college grads that Toyota offers for various departments. This July will be my 25th anniversary and during this tenure, I’ve held 13 different positions in five different regional offices (Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver and New Jersey) and a rotation at HQ. A few of the departments I’ve worked in are Sales - Toyota, Sales - Scion, Demand and Supply, Merchandising/Marketing and Market Representation.

ESP: Tell me about your current role. (What are your main priorities, objectives and/or job functions?)

Briana Nelson: My current role is General Manager of the New York Region for Toyota. The New York Region is the liaison to 113 Toyota dealerships in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. My responsibility is to set the vision and strategy for both internal team members and the dealer body. The vision is inclusive of certain KPIs such as increasing sales and market share for new vehicles and Toyota Certified Used Vehicles (TCUV), increasing sales of parts and accessories, increasing Toyota brand awareness within the community working with our agency, customer satisfaction and retention. There are 70 team members who work in the New York Region and each of the 113 dealerships are independently owned and operated so I spend most of my time ensuring all parties understand the vision and strategy and are on the same page.

ESP: What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned as you’ve changed roles and advanced in your career?

Briana Nelson: Early in my career I was always concerned with the notion of the “career ladder” and was focused on achieving promotional opportunities. For lack of a better term, I was truly an individual contributor. As I’ve matured in my career, I’ve realized that the “career ladder” is an outdated way of thinking and I should focus on my “career landscape”. Each position is an opportunity for growth and new learnings which make me a well-rounded team member. (please see the clip that demonstrates career lattice.”  I also no longer use the lens of “individual contributor” because if I work to empower and help other team members, it strengthens the overall team.

Another area I’ve embraced is the notion of “staying curious”. Regardless of what position I hold, I want to learn more and will continue to ask questions to assist that learning.

A key lesson I’ve also learned is “asking for help is a sign of strength not weakness”. Early in my career I felt that if I asked questions, management would think that I didn’t know my job. Guess what, you don’t know what you don’t know! Ask for help and you will then learn and be able to teach others. The sooner you realize this, the quicker you can start the learning process.

ESP: How do you create work/life balance?

Briana Nelson: The term “work/life” balance to me isn’t real and can’t be defined using a broad brush, it looks and is defined differently by everyone. Last year I read a book by Randi Zuckerberg which really resonated with me. The notion is that you can only pick 3 things (buckets) to focus on per day. These 3 can change daily but at least you understand that you can’t do it all every day. Looking at your schedule, it will be easy to see which buckets to focus on each day.

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ESP: What are your hobbies or interests (outside of work)?

Briana Nelson: There are two things outside of work that I always focus on regardless of where I live. Running is huge in my life; it helps me both physically and mentally. It’s amazing how you can work out problems during a run. The next area is charitable or “giving back”. I have an amazing life and I want to ensure that I do my best to help others achieve their best life too. I’m currently involved in two organizations; Impact100 Essex and Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills. Both allow me to help better my community while also meeting new people. 

ESP: Tell me a little about what prompted the creation of Toyota’s WISE (Women in Sales Event)?

Briana Nelson: Toyota has a Business Partnering Group (BPG) titled Women Impacting and Influencing Toyota (WIIT). This is a great group and support network for women who work in our plants and at HQ. Working in the field for most of my career, I can attest that the environment is very different than the corporate environment at HQ. Therefore, Bill Fay, a now retired executive, tasked seven current/former field team members to form a committee to address this issue. Women in Sales (WISE) was born after extensive research, interviews and identifying our own experiences. I am one of the original seven council members and together we continue to expand our reach by creating larger events, smaller regional gatherings, identifying training opportunities and just holding “talks” virtually to see what’s on the minds of our female field travelers. Here on the East Coast, I sponsor our “Wolfpack”. We coined the name after reading Abby Wambach’s book “Wolfpack”. This group consists of the females from Toyota’s New York Region, Lexus Eastern, Lexus Southern and we just included our private distributor, Southeast Toyota (SET).

ESP: What advice do you have for women in competitive fields? 

Briana Nelson: You are never alone. Many times, it may seem that you are alone but there are many women who have the same experience, you just need to reach out and find them. You don’t have to be in the same industry, sometimes it actually helps to listen to others in different industries. I recently was accepted into Chief (https://www.chief.com/ late last year where I have met many women outside of automotive who have had similar experiences. I know reaching out to someone (“cold calling”) is daunting, however, I can guarantee that the women on the other end of the phone or email, will be more than happy to set-up time to listen and converse…you just need to take that first step of connecting.

ESP: What are some of the biggest steps that can be made at any company to ensure the support of women? 

Briana Nelson: The idea of attraction, retention and support of women needs to be top of mind. That goal needs to be communicated at all levels and ideally should be incorporated into pay plans. There is also a belief that a female needs to lead the charge. That is incorrect, it doesn’t matter the gender as long as there is someone in an executive level to support and champion the cause. Budget is another area that can help. Having funds for events and training shows that a company is willing to support this cause with precious funds.

ESP: Do you have tips for career advancement?

Briana Nelson: Don’t wait to apply for a job. Many women won’t apply for a position if they don’t meet all of the requirements. Guess what, if you meet all of the requirements you are probably already have that job. 

Network upstream and laterally

Volunteer for special projects
Join Business Partnering Groups

Stay curious and ask questions

Seek training opportunities outside the company, it shows initiative and respect for your self.

ESP: What are your tips for networking in the digital age?

Briana Nelson: I still prefer face to face networking as I feel it’s more personable. If you don’t have that luxury, use Teams/Zoom for meetings. It’s important to still be able to see people and their body language/expressions when networking. Since we all have many virtual meetings, I would keep the scheduled networking to shorter meetings i.e. 30 minutes at most. When you’re in-person you can schedule for longer.

ESP: What is the best advice you’ve received?

Briana Nelson: Be thoughtful about when you speak in meetings. When I was younger, I felt that I needed to prove I knew whatever subject was discussed in a meeting, so I always had something to say. I had a mentor who advised that if I “spoke just to speak” my words would lose power and impact. He stated that if I spoke less but was more thoughtful with my comments, people who really listen to what I had to say.

ESP: What is the best advice you’ve given?

Briana Nelson: Be yourself. When I first started in my career, I lacked confidence and would try to emulate someone who I felt did a great job. As I became more confident, I realized that I was hired for my personality and to be me. I shouldn’t change my personality or act like someone because that is considered the imposter syndrome and is also exhausting! Just be yourself!!!

In everyone’s career, there will be ups and downs. When you are down, don’t make any rash decisions. I feel career decisions should be only be made when you are “up” in your career. Also, find something that you enjoy. We spend so much time at work, that if you don’t enjoy it, life will be hard and you will bring that negativity home and into your personal life.