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| Goldsmith says with Leo around, she doesn't need an alarm clock |
Name: Donna Goldsmith
Position: Tough Mudder Senior VP/Consumer Products & Partnership Marketing
Age: A "little more" than 50
Where I’m from: Franklin Square, Long Island
Where I call home: N.Y. and West Palm Beach, Fla.
Focusing on right now: Getting activations in place for ‘16 global events.
Best advice: You want to make a difference, and if you’re in a job or in a situation that you can’t make a difference anymore, then it’s time to consider your options
Must for a new hire: They have to look me in the eyes. There are so many young people who are not necessarily the best at interpersonal relationships. Be articulate, respectful and without a feeling of entitlement.
Exec I admire most: Former NBA Commissioner DAVID STERN. He took a failing league and turned it around. I worked for the NBA from 1990 to 2000, and I felt like those were very formative years for me. I learned never to go into a meeting ill-prepared. I have my just-in-case file so I could answer any question he may pose. I think there was once when I was less prepared than I should be, and believe me I was never ill-prepared again after that. And I think for as tough as he was, he never forgot or lacked the appreciation of the hard work for the people who worked for him.
Best book I’ve read this year: I only read non-fiction. Most recently, I read “DEEP DOWN DARK,” the story of the 33 Chilean miners who were stuck for 69 days in the San Jose mines, and it was riveting. The writing was so skillful, it read like fiction. The author, HECTOR TOBAR, was specifically chosen by the men to tell the story, and he made me feel as if I was experiencing their fears, their anxieties.
First thing in the morning: My automatic alarm is my pup licking my face. My little rescue dog, Leo, is up about 6:15, 6:30 every day for his morning walk. So we go on a half-hour walk, then I catch up on e-mails while watching “GOOD MORNING AMERICA.”
Talking tech: Everything we do here is via a Google Doc, which is new for me. I have never seen so many Google Docs in my life, so I am getting very Google Doc friendly. These guys are so good at having standard operating procedures and business cases for everything they do.
Must have music: I am a musical theater and Broadway fanatic. I actually like to sing -- I’m not very good, but I like to sing -- so I will create a musical out of anything and everything in my life. I’ve embarrassed friends and family many times by breaking into song in a parking lot, on a subway, in the mall, wherever. My favorite musical theater performer is IDINA MENZEL. Most people know her from “FROZEN,” but I’ve followed her since she started in "RENT."
Food for thought: If I could, I’d store shoes in my oven. I am probably the worst cook in the whole world. I have no desire or inclination ever to turn on the oven, and once way back when I turned on the oven and it was making those clicking sounds, I thought it was broken. I have nothing in my refrigerator -- except the dog food of course. But I am a sugar addict, so chocolate and cookies keep me going.
How I unwind: I love to sit at my pool in my apartment at West Palm Beach. In N.Y., I’m happy to have time to sit on the couch and veg out because it’s so rare. I love guilty-pleasure TV like "THE BACHELOR" or "GENERAL HOSPITAL" -- I’ve been on three soap operas as “person with coffee cup” or “person in bar,” so I like that whole soapy TV world.
Day in the life: One of the things that’s very different for me now is sitting out in the open. I’m the loudest one in the office, so I have to remember to keep my voice down. I’m learning different ways of doing business. All my life, I’ve been in a little bit more corporate environment, so this is definitely different. It is a little challenging, but I don’t think that it’s a huge hill for me to climb.
