We’ve all had a friend who likes to play matchmaker, whether it’s setting you up on a date or introducing you to a new friend at a party.
But these casual introductions aren’t just useful for your personal life. One might just lead to your next big career move.
That’s exactly how Carrie Johnson found out about a sales job at Cox Business in 2012.
“You never know where you’re going to meet your next boss — it could be at a pool party,” Carrie said.
Carrie, who was living in Wichita, KS, at the time, explained that she’d heard great things about the company and wanted to get her foot in the door.
“Cox Communications is one of the larger businesses in that city and always had a very strong reputation — like you wanted to work at Cox, it was a great place to work, the employees were happy,” she said.
The woman Carrie met at her friend’s pool party went on to become her boss for the first seven years of her career at the company.
“One of the things that she said to me at the time was, ‘I never wake up not wanting to go to work,’ and I was like, ‘OK, that’s a good sign,’” Carrie said.
Now, Carrie is a director of client services at Cox Automotive based in St. Petersburg, FL.
Here, Carrie talks about her career journey across the different divisions at Cox, and how she’s learned to embrace change and stay open to opportunities.
Making a move
Carrie always wanted to move to Florida. She loves the water, the beach and being outdoors and wanted to live somewhere with beautiful weather year-round.
At the same time, she didn’t want to leave Cox. In the span of eight years with Cox Business in Wichita, she’d advanced her career from account executive to sales manager.
In 2021, a path opened up to make the move to Florida by transitioning to another division across the family of businesses: Cox Automotive.
Carrie explained that the connections she’s made across the company helped her make this transition. A few years earlier, she participated in a sales leadership program for sales leaders across the company. A member of her cohort worked at Cox Automotive, and she stayed in touch with him and let him know about her move to Florida.
While she initially took a step away from leadership during her transition to Cox Automotive, Carrie said her connection called her to let her know about a leadership opportunity she could apply to.
“Ultimately, he connected me to my first leadership role over here,” she said. “It goes to show you that these programs make a difference.”
Opportunities to grow
Just like she did with the leadership academy, Carrie always looked for ways to network and grow at the company.
When she started with Cox Business back in 2012, her manager at the time told her she’d make a great leader. She wasn’t sure she wanted to pivot from being an individual contributor, but when she got the chance to step into a temporary leadership position, she fell in love with it.
“That’s basically all it took,” she said. “I needed them to give me the opportunity on a trial basis. Then I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s go. I can do this.’ And I’ve never looked back.”
Carrie has also sought opportunities to be a part of various groups and initiatives within the company. This includes volunteering out in the community, taking on extra projects and joining employee resource groups (ERGs) and committees.
“Anytime something like that has been available to me, I have raised my hand,” Carrie said. “That’s your opportunity to step outside your core group. It’s always been important to me, from day one, that I meet people across the enterprise.”
She also stays connected to people she’s worked with over the years, including her first manager that she met at a pool party. They’ve done speaking engagements at colleges together to talk about careers at the company.
Embracing change
Carrie said that what she loves most about her current role and overall time at Cox is that “nothing’s mundane.”
“That’s exciting to me,” she said. “Every day is different.”
As someone who’s worked at both of Cox’s major divisions, Carrie said there’s a lot to love about working in sales for either part of the business. She grew up with Cox Communications’ name recognition back in Wichita and said that Cox Automotive is a well-known brand in the vehicle industry, which is a plus. She appreciates that the company is constantly growing and evolving by adding new products and acquiring new businesses.
“I feel like we arm our salespeople with endless products to offer their clients,” Carrie said. “We really can be a one-stop shop for the client.”
The best advice she’s ever received is, “You teach people how to treat you.” Carrie said in leadership, she instills a sense of respect with her team and among her clients.
For salespeople considering a career at Cox, she emphasizes that flexibility is crucial for success.
“If you’re applying for a job at Cox or looking for a career here, you need to be someone that can embrace change,” Carrie said. “We’re constantly growing, and we’re constantly adjusting to the market. At times, that can come with big change.”
