15 Minutes of Your Time: Monica Skipper

How Monica Skipper, VP of brand experience marketing at FedEx, spends the first 15 minutes of her work day

The first thing I do is look at my calendar to ensure that I know where I need to be, when I need to be there.

I have a daily habit at the end of the work day where I get tomorrow’s calendar and either print or read all of the materials for the meetings or decisions that I need to make the next day. I know once I get into the day, it’s going to change. I’m going to get pulled into a different meeting, I’m going to get a call, I’m going to get asked for something else. I try to be as prepared as I can for what I know is coming and allow those other things to pop up.

FedEx also has a media relations briefing that addresses headlines for our business, those of our competitors or things happening in our industry. I always scan that first thing in the morning to see if there’s something that might inform what I’m working on or that I need to address in a meeting.

I have an incredible administrative assistant who keeps me on track. I couldn’t do my work without her. I also have a kind of chief of staff who I’ve recently hired to make sure that we’re keeping on track with deliverables. She’ll also challenge my thinking when we’re trying to address some issue or make a decision.