Crystal Maggelet - We Will All Get Through This Together

In this week’s episode of the Eccles Business Buzz, we are
honored to have Crystal Maggelet, current CEO and Chairman of the
Board at FJ Management Inc. She is a former Eccles School
Advisory Board member, current Board of Higher Education for Utah
board member, and one of our generous donors.





Crystal shares a little bit of her background growing up in a
family-owned business, pursuing an education, and eventually
venturing into entrepreneurship herself. She talks about her
experience quickly moving from a stay-at-home mom to becoming the
CEO of FJ Management for the past 12 years. She also narrates how
the pandemic impacted their businesses and how they learned to
navigate this new normal while supporting both employees and
customers with empathy.





Crystal shares her definition of empathy, why she is passionate
about education, and why women shouldn’t feel intimidated in
their careers, even if they are the only woman in the room!



Episode Quotes:




On being a mother and a CEO - "It was a very
different transition. So, as a mom, it was really hard when I had
my mom hat on. As an executive or as an individual, it was very
stimulating intellectually. I was always trying to do the best I
could. In general, I found the situation extremely intellectually
challenging, and it made me realize that really, for me, working
was a part of who I was, and having a career would always likely
need to be a part of what I do."





On having an entrepreneurial spirit - "I view an
entrepreneur as someone who can come up with an idea and execute
it. I have never really had to do that. I've had to execute on
someone else's idea. If I am given something and I need to make
decisions and I've given facts around that, I can do quite a good
job usually of collaborating people in ideas and making
decisions, whether that's entrepreneurial or not."





On investing in employees and their families -
"I believe that if you treat people right, they will have your
back. I do take pride in treating our employees with respect. And
usually, I get it back. The three guiding principles of our
overall company are integrity, mutual respect, and excellence.
And even though they're basic and many companies could say that,
I try to live by those things and have our employees live by
those things. I think that they're key to being successful and
longevity for business."





On coping up with a global pandemic - "I believe
that if we could all come together, we would get through
anything. Even an economic downturn would not be as bad if people
would work together to get through all of what's going on."





Her definition of empathy - "I have felt so
blessed my entire life since when I was a small child. I have
looked around the world, and I have seen the opportunities that
have come my way, and I took them. I could have made a choice not
to take them, but I had them; they came my way. And I think for
me, I feel because I've had those opportunities, it is my
obligation to have empathy for others to do the best I can to
have their lives be as good as mine or create opportunities for
them like I've had."





"I want all people to be in good places and to be happy. I hope
to be able to impact not the masses, but I hope to impact several
people along the way. And I think my contribution will be, and
that all comes really from my empathy about just how fortunate
I've been and that not everybody is as fortunate. How can I take
optimistic and hardworking people and help them a little bit
along the way? And to me, that's my definition of empathy."





Why education stands out for her - "In general,
I feel like there are a lot of people out there who don't get cut
a break, and if they can get an education, they can help the rest
of their family with the other basic needs. And if I can find
those out there who have worked hard in school and help them get
to a better place, to be making a better living for their future
generations and families, I think that multiplies more than other
things that I could do. I think that can make a big difference
over a long period."





Her advice to women to avoid feeling intimidated
- "Believe in yourself, and don't let people intimidate you. Be
yourself. People always respect people who are confident and who
are honest and have integrity. You can't get through life without
confidence. You've got to be who you are, and you've got to admit
when you make mistakes. You've got to learn from those mistakes.
You can't be perfect in life. You've got to be confident enough
to pick yourself up and move on to your next battle."

Show Links:




LinkedIn

FJ Management