International Women’s Day was Monday, March 8.  We will be celebrating accomplished Ford women throughout the month of March with a special series of conversations on @FordOnline.   

A Conversation with Lynn Tyson

What is your role at Ford?

I lead Investor Relations.  My team and I are charged with ensuring the capital markets – the people who determine the value of our company – understand our operations and strategic positioning.  When the capital markets have a high degree of confidence in our ability to execute and strengthen our competitive position, it drives a higher valuation for our company, giving us greater access to the capital we need to grow.

What’s the most valuable experience that shaped your career?
My family is the most valuable experience that shaped my career. My brothers and I had unconditional support from our parents to pursue our dreams – there were no limits.  That’s very empowering.  From a work perspective, it was the investment my first corporate employer, PepsiCo, made in me and my career trajectory.  My moves with the finance organization were planful and challenging.  Year after year, I became stronger as a leader and as a finance athlete.

If you were able to go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self? 
With grey hair hopefully comes wisdom, so there are a lot of things I would tell my younger self.  The two things at the top of the list are patience – as a native New Yorker I am inherently impatient!  The second is to be a better active listener.  I can always learn something, but that requires me to not talk!

What do you think is the key to achieving work/life balance? 
I don’t live life trying to balance work/life.  My priorities are to be happy and fulfilled – those dimensions eclipse “work.”  Being true to who I am, and an integral part of my family, are my guideposts.  Work is what I do – it’s not who I am.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I’m quite happy with the power I already have.

The theme of 2021 International Women’s Day is “Choose to Challenge.”  How will you help forge a gender-equal world? 
To whom much is given, much will be required.  Every day I try to make a difference – whether it be for a colleague, for my company or for my community.  I believe having an impact forces those with biases, those who may pre-judge my capabilities solely by what I look like , to confront this cognitive dissonance and change.