Christina Meitus is a powerhouse. With over 18 years in the tech industry, Meitus' career began at IBM, starting as a sales representative before moving on to a software sales manager. Her transition to Salesforce, where Meitus is now the Senior Vice President of Sales, was a circumstance of asking the right questions at the right time. Meitus has a vision—for her herself, her team, and her company. A fiery passion for her industry and a determination to change the world means that Meitus is going places—and we can't wait to see what she does next. We talk climbing the ladder, working in male-dominated industries, making mistakes, and more. Here's Meitus:

[When I was young,] I wanted to perform. I was obsessed with the show Fame & the movie Girls Just Want to Have Fun, so anything that had me living in a city and on stage—dancing. Apparently, I am a better-spoken presenter than dancer—so I would say I figured out my path to my dream.

My job was always changing. While I have had the fortune to work for two amazing companies, I don’t think I ever did the same thing for more than two years at a time. I also think it is important to create that space for yourself—and sales allows you to do that. Maybe it’s a new client, a new disruption to the industry or a new product. There is always the ability to reinvent what you do. 

On Her Post-College Career at IBM

I was very lucky. The dean of marketing called me in one month before graduation to “check in.” I was annoyed at first because I had a 4.0 GPA and was a month from graduating—AKA, I was done. At the end of the meeting, he asked if I had a job post-graduation. I did not, and was growing frustrated and a little scared about what was on the other side. He asked if I had thought about technology, and my immediate thought was, "no way." I wasn’t at all technical, and wanted to do something like research on consumer behavior (true story.) However, I wasn’t in a position to turn down ideas—so I was open to what he had to say.

One week later, I was at an interview with the IBM client executive for Walmart. At the end of the lunch, he offered me a job selling software (a new market for IBM at the time) to Wal-Mart for IBM. The offer happened so fast, I immediately realized I had no idea what the job meant or what it looked like. So I asked if I could shadow the team for a day before I made my decision, because I honestly had no idea what I was even being offered. A week later, I spent the day at the Walmart IT HQ, called ISD. I met the team and watched them walk around and talk to all these execs. What really sold me was the team. It was amazing how close this group of 10 people was. I wanted to be part of that team—this gut reaction is the same thing that would one day take me to Salesforce and marry my husband.

On Transitioning to Salesforce

This is one of my favorite stories to tell. I had spent nine years selling software at IBM. Back then, when I was stressed, I would walk to the Virgin Megastore on Michigan Ave and listen to the new CDs that week at their listening station (I mean—this sounds like the dark ages now.) I walked to Virgin and saw that it was closing to make way for a clothing store, and I realized “I” sold CDs too!

Immediately, I called an old friend in the venture capitalism world, and said, "I sell CDs and want to get out of this business as I saw the technology industry evolving, so where do I go?" He said, without hesitation, Salesforce, Google, or Amazon. I went and did my research and read Marc Benioff's book—it was like I had discovered “my people” reading that. And no joke, it’s as if the universe answered—a few weeks later, a former boss of mine at IBM called and told me his plan of going to Salesforce to help build their Enterprise Sales Practices—would I want to go with him? The rest, as they say, is history. I wanted to be a part of that team, and suddenly I was!

On Commitment + How to "Climb the Ladder"

I have always asked for more responsibility and have been an active participant in where we are trying to take this thing (financial services vertical.) It gives you the ability to (sometimes) create your next job. It’s a ton of work—one job is enough—but this is where I go back to the qualities I look for—if you are genuinely curious about the success of your client before yourself, and you want to make things better, you find the energy and excitement in trying to take it to the next level. I also like to scare myself as a proof point that I am still growing, so if an opportunity to take on a task or lead a group makes me a little nervous, I am all in. 

On What She Looks For in a Hire

Track record of success (obviously,) ability to discuss their failures, genuine curiosity for the industry...and while it may sound trite, I want people who want to change the world. There is so much opportunity at Salesforce to fulfill so many pieces of your life—I don’t want anyone who is going to waste it. My advice is to ask yourself this one question: envision the MOST important meeting you could think of—would you want “this” person in the room?

On Her Advice for Women in Male-Dominated Industries

I have been so fortunate to work alongside great men. The only areas where we have had to do some work is around unconscious bias. I actually find the men I work with to appreciate and welcome these things being called out—as they are truly unconscious behaviors. So I think that is the first thing to realize—a lot of professional men are looking to build more diversity in their teams, so help them.

The moments that have been the most struggle is being marginalized by other women—this has been the most upsetting over the years. This really goes back to my early days in my career. It was as if there was only one seat, so it’s either you or me.

I will say that at Salesforce, because Marc Benioff, founder, chairman and co-CEO, and Cindy Robbins, chief people officer and president (and everyone) have so diligently worked toward equality, I think we see less of the “threatened” behavior from the women and more of a supportive “blaze the trail together” mentality. Simple rule, ladies—we are here to lift each other up, not tear each other down. I love my “Femme Force!” Upon my recent promotion, the first people to congratulate me were other women in the organization. It felt amazing to know they were cheering me on, and [served] a reminder of how different things had become from those early years in my career.

My advice is, be proud of your work and never shy from letting any teammate—male or female—realize what you are capable of, and what you bring to the table. I don’t know any woman that wants it to be about gender—we want it to be about the work.

On Making Mistakes

We are human and there is only so much that is in our control. The best advice I would give to women is, DO NOT be afraid to fail—just bring your best self to the table. Find an organization that judges you on your ability to “bounce back” or recover from a loss. We will all have misses. It’s what you learn from it that matters. I have some leaders on my team that use the lotto slogan a lot, “Can’t win if you don’t play.” I truly believe it is how I have handled the setbacks—more so than the wins—that have built my brand and [explained] why people have trusted me to lead.

On Growing + Learning With Salesforce

I feel like I have worked for three different companies in eight years. The startup, the evolving enterprise, and a market maker. I am so grateful for the lessons learned in the first two years. We would edit our corporate pitch almost every three months. At first, it was frustrating—but then you would see the outcomes and how important it is to pivot quickly. [Moving quickly] is now a part of me, and I find that if it starts to get too still, myself or one of my teammates will take another look at things to see how it could be different.

Disruption runs all the way through our DNA at Salesforce, and I think by actively participating, you feel empowered as a disruptor—versus being disrupted. The best technique I know is to try things, and then seek feedback from people you admire (look for the no's more than the yes's.) Make sure you can measure an outcome and take the data and feedback—if it’s working, keep it. If not, kill it.

On What's Next

I am really focused on how to grow and cultivate innovative leaders. As you move up, you get further and further away from the people on the field. So how do you make sure that the environment you want is being carried out and improved by the leaders you have put in place?

I want us to be the team people want to play for. This also extends beyond my day job. I am Chicago to the core and want this city to want to be a part of the Salesforce team too. This helps keep things interesting. I keep a pulse on all things Salesforce and not just what it means to financial services. I love sales, but there is a whole ecosystem to a business that I know nothing about. I am always looking for new “minors” to continually improve my “major.”