Today’s guest is Sadie Burnam-Schaumburg, Regional Manager and Corporate Liaison. But when I met her, she was in the HR Department. In fact, she conducted my phone interview, and those initial interactions with her were a large part of why I ultimately chose to join the StorageMart family. As I learned to navigate a new company, I knew I could always turn to Sadie to help me figure things out. Which, I suppose, is not surprising since she’s been with the company since high school. (And, as a Burnam, is literally part of the StorageMart family.) When asked about Sadie’s most current role as part of the operations team, Kathy Winkelman, Global Director of Operations, said: Sadie brought good structure to her region and is always asking them how she can help. She is a great asset to our team and should be proud of all she has accomplished.
What do you do at StorageMart?
My official title is Regional Manager and Corporate Liaison. Loosely, that means I manage the Mid-Missouri region and work with departments in home office to relay important information each way. Whenever home office has a new process they’re thinking of introducing, my region functions as a testing ground.
How long have you been at StorageMart?
I have been with StorageMart since 2013, so I just had my seven-year anniversary.
Is there a particular turning point in your professional experience that helped define your career path?
I would say in January 2019, when I transitioned from a position in human resources to my current position as regional manager. My long-term goal is to learn StorageMart inside and out, and it felt really good to be recognized for my contribution and what I could bring to the table outside of HR, and I feel like I’ve been successful in the operations area.
To what or whom have you turned to for inspiration throughout your career?
I have many, many inspirational things in my life. One is a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt: No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. To me, that means not giving other people the power to affect you. You control how you respond to other people’s critiques, and can choose to make it positive or negative. For me, I feel there is always have more to learn.
Lise Nyrop in HR has been an incredible role model. She’s always been there to talk to and has always asked questions to help guide my career, “What do you want to do next? What do you want to learn?” When I first arrived at StorageMart, she asked what my goals where and actually helped me get there.
Kathy Winkelman in operations has been a big inspiration, too. She started her career with us as a store manager and worked her way up to be the Global Director of Operations. That is an incredible thing to model after.
What are some qualities of strong leadership you consider to be most important in a professional setting?
Transparency and honesty. A lot of people in many organizations feel like the more they divulge, the bigger opportunity there is for things to be misinterpreted. I disagree with that philosophy. In order to be successful, you have to understand the why to have buy in. Knowledge is power, and having more information is an important part of success.
Equally important is transparency. I encourage my employees to come to me anytime they have a question or something they want to know.
I think honesty is just the best policy, always.
Based on your experience, what is one thing managers or execs could do better to support and encourage women in the workplace?
Talk to them. Involve them. Make sure that not only are their voices heard, but asked for.
What is one thing a leader has done to help promote women in the workplace — either organizationally or for you personally?
When Lise asked what my goals were and how she could help achieve them – and then followed through. Outside our organization, I would say women supporting women makes a huge difference. In my experience, being supported by other women who’ve said, “Know your worth, know what’s important to you, and don’t be afraid to ask for it.” Having women in my life who pushed me to not accept less than that mattered.
Tell us a bit about what you do when you aren’t busy being a rock star at work.
Outside of StorageMart, my number one job is mom. I have a three-year-old, Layla, and a six-month-old, Lincoln. My number two job is partner to my husband, Mark. I’m also the board chair for my daughter’s school, and I’m really involved with them. Right now, with COVID-19, I’m not doing much else. I really love to spend time with my family and my dogs, though.
