Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2013 | Page 22

D OM I N A T O R S
She believes David would be proud of what she
and Team Washington have accomplished.
“But I think he’d be even more proud of the
work/life balance I’ve worked hard to strike.”
women: ‘You have a special strength that
comes through the creative, gentle way we
use our power. Integrity will get you further and help you accomplish things that
others may not. There’s power in being a
leader who has compassion and can even
cry with employees about something. We’re

still competitive at Team Washington, but
we’re like a family.’”
A devout Mormon, Carraway says that
some of her most rewarding times come
from reading about spirituality, spending
time with her children, volunteering in
the community, and chatting with em-

ployees about their families. She believes
David would be proud of what she and
Team Washington have accomplished.
“But I think he’d be even more proud of
the work/life balance I’ve worked hard to
strike. In the end, relationships are what
matters most.”

MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy: Don’t ask somebody to do something you wouldn’t
do. And do ask as kindly as you can.
Management method or style: I have an open-door policy; our employees can talk to me about anything and they know I’ll be fair. I try to lead by
example.
Greatest challenge: Keeping a deep enough bench of people coming up in
management and keeping good people in the stores.
How do others describe you?
Energetic, happy, positive, a motivator,
honest, giving.
One thing I’m looking to do
better: My focus right now is being
better connected to all our stores. We
have so many now that I’m trying to
find the balance and spend more time in
the stores.
How I give my team room to
innovate and experiment: If my
regional directors and vice presidents
have ideas, they share them. We’re very
open and go back and forth easily. We
learn from each other. I send them to
other regions and places to see what
they’re doing—I expose them to a lot
of different things. If they come up with
a good idea, they can run with it. They’re
the ones on the ground and I trust [K