‘Freedom to Choose How I Wanted to Lead.’ How This VP Paved a Path to Leadership

When Megan Witherspoon, Vice President of Communications, began her journey with the Altria family of companies 20 years ago, she didn’t aspire to become a VP. In the first 15 years, she took on various roles, including underage tobacco prevention and cessation support, community relations, strategy and business development, investor relations, marketing, and communications, providing her with a valuable and broad organizational perspective. 

In a life-changing conversation with her mentor about career development, Witherspoon explained that she wasn’t looking to become a VP because of the personal and family trade-offs she thought it would require. “I had two young kids, and I didn’t think I’d be able to handle the responsibility, the long nights and weekends, the stress,” Witherspoon explains. “[My mentor] looked at me and said (paraphrasing): ‘Women have enough obstacles to overcome; don’t create new ones that aren’t real. Don’t limit yourself based on assumptions. If you get to that level, you’ll find a way to make it work for you.’”

This conversation opened Witherspoon’s eyes to new possibilities. “It gave me a sense of ownership of my career and a freedom to choose how I wanted to lead, even if that looked different than what I’d seen from others. That piece of advice changed the trajectory of my career.”

Here, we caught up with Witherspoon to learn more about her career journey, her day-to-day work at Altria, and her valuable insights for other women looking to step into leadership roles. 

Tell us a bit about your job. What’s your current role, how long have you been in this role, and what are your responsibilities? 

I’ve been in my current role for five years. I lead a team with responsibility for three primary areas of work: external communications (corporate brand, media relations, corporate websites, social media, issues management, executive thought leadership), internal communications (employee-facing communications, channels, and events), corporate responsibility (strategy, goal setting, progress tracking and reporting, environmental strategy).

How has your day-to-day work changed as you’ve progressed in leadership roles at Altria? What about your overall approach to work?

Early in my career, I thought the key to success was to keep my head down, focus on the task before me, work hard, and let my work speak for itself.  Over time, I learned that to make a meaningful impact, I needed to engage and collaborate with others, influence without authority, be visible and vocal, and challenge the boundaries of my role. I needed to lift my head and look around,  understand the external environment in which we operate, deeply understand our business and business strategy, and learn how to navigate internal processes and politics effectively. 

Today, I’m a leader of a function. While I have positional authority, I know that my success is even more dependent on my ability to inspire and influence others, not to “manage” them. My team members are experts in their fields and often know more than I do about the day-to-day work they lead. It’s not my role to tell them what to do or micromanage their work. My role is to provide enterprise perspective, strategic guidance, support, resources, and feedback. And I have to influence up, down, and across the organization to advance our shared priorities.

What strategies have you used when managing teams that you think have been particularly effective? How do you ensure your direct reports feel well-supported in their lives in and out of the office?

I make it a priority to build trust and foster psychological safety among my team and peers. As we navigate change, we need to feel comfortable voicing our ideas and concerns, raising issues, and challenging one another, knowing we’ll be heard and respected. If we want Altria’s voice to be trusted and believed, those of us shaping it must also be trusted and believed. I’m not perfect, but I try to be very human, vulnerable, and open with my team. I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I’m open about my concerns and challenges. I regularly meet individually with every team member, and we spend at least half our time talking about personal things — life, family, hobbies. I ask them what’s on their minds and what they’re concerned or worried about. When they need to take time off for personal or family reasons, I make it clear that I support them and we’ll cover for them. As a result, I think they know they can come to me with whatever is on their minds.

I believe we’re all people first and employees second. You can’t get the most out of your team if they’re struggling personally, feel run-down, don’t have your support, or can’t be their authentic selves at work.  

What initiatives or projects are you most proud to have led or contributed to at Altria? 

Years ago, I led a team that created a leadership development program, Path to Possibilities, designed to help our members take ownership of their careers. Participants were guided through a process to identify their top skills, values, and passions, articulate their unique “point of difference” (or personal brand), and build a personal Board of Directors to support them and amplify their brand.

Developing this program was rewarding in several ways. First, I benefited immensely from going through the program myself, even while facilitating it. It totally shifted my perspective. I had spent too much time and energy in a deficit mindset,  focusing on my weaknesses, where I needed to develop, and comparing myself to others. This program helped me refocus on my strengths. Instead of trying to measure up and compete with my peers, I began identifying the strengths I could uniquely contribute to the team to complement my peers. Suddenly, I was operating from a more confident, proactive mindset. Rather than trying to prove or “fix” myself, I leaned into things that I do well and that provide added value to the team. I believe the program participants benefited in similar ways. 

This program was so successful that it’s continued for years, well past my involvement. Hundreds of employees have graduated from the program, and feedback continues to be extremely positive. Former participants have become facilitators and coaches of the program, such that those who’ve benefited from it are now paying it forward to others. It’s far more powerful than I ever envisioned.

How do you prioritize and deal with your to-do list each day? 

I’m not the list-making type, but I make sure I’m always very clear about priorities and thoughtful about managing my time. When I think about the work to be done, I ask myself:  Based on company and team priorities, what is the most critical work to deliver this week? What deadlines are looming? What do I need to get a jump on now to allow sufficient time for input and reviews? 

I also try to manage my calendar to block time for focused work, exercise, or a short walk during the day. If my calendar is overwhelmed with meetings, I consider which are essential and which can be skipped or rescheduled.