Employee Spotlight – Sabrina Keeler-Beggs
2018-11-21
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1) How long have you been at GM and what is your current role?
I’ve been at GM for 10 years in various roles such as District Manager, Retail Planning, Assistant Brand Manager, and Advertising for our Certified Service. For the past two years I have held the role of Retail Experience Manager for Cadillac Canada. My roles have taken me from Alberta, Saskatchewan and currently, Ontario.
What is the best part about your job?
Within my current role there are two things that really stand out to me as huge contributors to my motivation and drive for results on a daily basis. The first is interacting with our Dealer partners, and being able to create and implement programs that will impact our network for the long term. The second is the culture of our team. We’re very close – like a tight knit family. We celebrate each other’s wins and we have each other’s backs.
2) What brought you to GM?
I’m not sure it’s necessarily what “brought” me to GM but more what has “kept” me at GM over the past 10+ years. The opportunity to have had several roles within various parts of the business is something I do not take for granted. Each role has allowed me to develop a varied skill set. The roles have taken me across the country and have allowed me to interact with some truly fantastic colleagues and dealers. I’ve been lucky to have been involved in projects that have fundamentally changed the network.
I’m proud about having been a part of the transformation that the company has taken and am eager to see the impact that GM will have on the transportation industry as the landscape changes over the coming years. I’d like to think that what I’m doing on a daily basis will contribute to that, even if only in a small way.
3) Cadillac’s motto is to Dare Greatly. What does that mean to you?
To me, Daring Greatly means being vulnerable enough to take the risk. It means put yourself out there and know that you might fail…. But – you also might not. And if you don’t, the success is made that much sweeter knowing that it was in you the whole time.
4) What type of Dare Greatly challenges does Cadillac run throughout the year?
Since I’ve been with Cadillac I’ve completed two challenges with the team. The first was climbing Mount Washington and the second was hiking and biking through the Nevada desert. Last year the team also cycled from Montreal to Toronto followed by the National Cadillac Dealer Ride – a 150km bike ride from the Canadian Headquarters in Oshawa to the CN tower and back. While the big physical challenge is always the culmination, we train together weekly throughout the year and have multiple mini-challenges to train and push us towards our end goal.
We worked hard to hone the skills we would need for each of the events; we didn’t just go in blind. Many people think that only “fit”/”sporty” people can do the challenges but we want to demonstrate that isn’t the case; anyone can do it. I am a prime example! Someone just needs to want to participate and with some hard work, determination and drive they will complete the challenge with the team. This year we added in a Second City Improv component as well. Which, for some, was harder than the physical elements.
5) We heard that you participated in the Dare Greatly challenge in Nevada this September. What was it like?
Hot. 😊 This year’s challenge was a three-day hike and bike ride through the Nevada desert. It included our Cadillac team, Cadillac Dealers and Agency partners as well as two entrepreneurs. This year’s challenge was especially hard for me as it included cycling – which was way beyond my comfort zone. Prior to this year I hadn’t been on a bike since I was young, and while I have always managed to avoid the embarrassing revelation of “I don’t know how”, this year it was an integral part of the challenge and I could not escape it.
It was terrifying, as an adult, to try and learn but I knew I needed to figure it out. I didn’t want to let my team down. It took a lot of practice, some motivating pep talks from teammates and our coaches, and a LOT of cuts and bruises. And while I was nowhere near the fastest (in fact, I was always at the back of the pack) I accomplished my goal and finished the challenge with the team. I had “Dared Greatly” and succeeded!
6) What was your biggest takeaway or accomplishment from the event?
Each of our challenges has had an impact on me – whether it was overcoming the mental struggles of putting one foot in front of the other in a snowstorm on the side of an actual mountain, or challenging myself to get on a bike. The biggest takeaway has been perseverance and teamwork.
While everyone has their own obstacles to overcome, not everything can be accomplished by yourself. Sometimes it takes the encouragement, guidance, or pushing (figurative or literal) of your teammates to help get you up that proverbial mountain. And that is totally ok. If you’re going to go far, go together.