Leading From The C-Suite: Elicia Azali of American Family Insurance On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective C-Suite Executive
An Interview With Doug Noll
Motherhood will make you better. Being a mom (to four boys!) is a critical part of my identity. Unfortunately, there is still inequity in how mothers and fathers are seen in the workplace, particularly around their commitment, ambition and compensation. I am intentionally vocal about the role I play as a parent to hopefully create space for other parents to not dim their light or downplay their role. Shout out to my husband for providing daily support to our boys.
As a part of our series called “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective C-Suite Executive” we had the pleasure of interviewing Elicia Azali.
Elicia Azali is a bold and purposeful executive who currently serves as Enterprise Chief Marketing Officer at American Family Insurance. As the company’s top marketer, Elicia sets the marketing strategies for American Family’s portfolio of brands, representing $13 billion in sales. In this role, she oversees brand strategy, advertising and media, consumer insights, analytics, technology and user experience for the Enterprise. An experienced brand leader, Elicia was previously the Chief Revenue Officer at The General Insurance, with responsibilities for the company’s marketing, sales and communication departments as well as serving as Executive Advisor for the Diversity & Inclusion efforts. Elicia has also held executive roles at Nationwide® Insurance and Procter & Gamble. Elicia is a leader with purpose and uses her voice to champion diversity, equity and inclusion as well as children and women’s issues. Elicia serves on the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation Board, the Global Board of the MMA and is a founding Board Member of Color Vision, an organization dedicated to developing and celebrating the next generation of creative women of color in marketing & advertising. Elicia was recognized in AdAge’s 40 under 40 Class of 2021 and as ‘Working Mother of the Year’ by She Runs It in 2022. She studied Marketing at The Ohio State University in the Fisher College of Business and earned the college’s top recognition, the Pace Setters Award in 2005 and 2021.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
Throughout most of my college career, I interned at a Black owned real estate firm in Columbus, Ohio as I pursued my finance and real estate degree at The Ohio State University. I was surrounded by Black excellence both by the office staff and the guests we hosted every day. One colleague in particular (hey Mary!) went out of her way to pour into me — she shared everything from how to move in a male dominated industry to conducting myself professionally in the office. On one occasion, she invited me to dinner and shared a Black Enterprise magazine with me. This particular edition celebrated leaders who were making moves in their respective industries. She pointed out how Black women were paving a way for people like me to be successful in the space of media, marketing and advertising. I took heed of her advice and changed my major, which led to my next internship at Procter and Gamble.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
About ten years ago, I was serving in a Chief of Staff role for a CMO and was stressing about my first big meeting with the division president. I arrived early to the meeting, ensured the slides projected correctly, that the sound worked well, that all the meeting materials were distributed appropriately — I was feeling good! Everyone arrived on time and I felt a wave of relief come over my body as the meeting was called to order. As the president was sharing his opening remarks, my phone somehow opened the Pandora app and started playing ‘Hey Ya’ by Outkast at full volume. Thankfully, most folks knew the song and laughed it off. I died a little inside.
Lesson: Turn the volume on your phone OFF.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
“When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”
– Toni Morrison
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on your leadership style? Can you share a story or an example of that?
Not a book necessarily, but a person for me. My mom raised me as a single mom for much of my life. I can remember her hustle — how she took us to school, went to work, got us to activities, did our hair (we had A LOT of hair), cooked meals, helped us with homework, and then she still found a way to dream. She was a fierce advocate for education and how it can transform lives. So after giving her all to us, she still made time to study. For 10 years, she studied to earn her undergraduate degree. During this time, there were challenges. To keep us all motivated, she left Post-It notes with motivational quotes around the house — on the mirrors, the fridge and the walls. The one I remember the most was by Henry David Thoreau: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.” And that she did. She continued with her education earning her Master’s degree and eventually, in 2020, she earned her PhD in Philosophy, Leadership and Change.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Most successful organizations are customer-centric, differentiated versus their competition and have a winning internal employee culture/value proposition. The American Family Insurance Group does all of these things quite well. What makes us stand out is our why — the reason we exist; our organization’s purpose. At our core, we protect our customers’ most valuable assets from unexpected harm. Even more, we see ourselves as champions of dreams and opportunities, committed to doing our part so everyone can rise from their current circumstance.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
I would say that having emotional intelligence, staying humble, and building strong relationships are all character traits that were the most instrumental to my success.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective C-Suite Executive”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.
1. Paper chasing will get you only so far; purpose chasing will get you farther. Growing up with humble beginnings, the early years in my career were absolutely motivated by financial stability. I did not want to ever go without again! Getting clear on my why and centering on the impact I can have on my family and my community has fueled me to dream dreams I didn’t know I had.
2. Emotional intelligence is a differentiator. I’ve seen the ‘smartest person in the room’ not land their ideas because they couldn’t read the human interactions at play. Being in touch, communicating so that everyone can understand what you’re saying, making human connections will take you farther than IQ alone.
3. Being YOU is your superpower. In my early years, I thought being successful was emulating how the more senior leaders showed up in the office. I would try to mirror how they behaved, how they dressed, and how they spoke. I realized the things that made me different and sometimes uncomfortable — my femininity, my experiences, my diverse perspectives — were the same things that gave me power.
4. Softness is a strength. Don’t subscribe to the idea that being cold, distant and harsh is successful. Warmth and empathy are critical in building relationships — and that’s what success is all about.
5. Motherhood will make you better. Being a mom (to four boys!) is a critical part of my identity. Unfortunately, there is still inequity in how mothers and fathers are seen in the workplace, particularly around their commitment, ambition and compensation. I am intentionally vocal about the role I play as a parent to hopefully create space for other parents to not dim their light or downplay their role. Shout out to my husband for providing daily support to our boys.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
In my mind, Issa Rae and I are already BFFs. I would love to start a movement with her and take this mental friendship into the real world. She epitomizes authenticity, always puts culture first and uses her platform to build others.
How can our readers further follow you online?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elicia-azali-b377b56/
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
