5 Office Must-Haves: Claudia Lugo in Credit

If you want to get to know Leggett & Platt, you should get to know our people first. What better way than by seeing a few of their favorite things?

Claudia’s role: Credit Manager I – Remote Specialist

Job in a nutshell: Finding ways to control, reduce, or eliminate higher-risk transactions with international customers by doing evaluations of creditworthiness.

  1. Space heater – I try to bring summer inside my office! Since I’m a cold-blooded person, I’m freezing all. the. time. So, my heater is one of my essential items!
  2. Snacks – I definitely need to be snacking through the day or I can’t make it. I typically have a protein bar and green tea during the morning, and fruit and spicy Mexican candy in the afternoon. (Yes, the Mexican candy must be spicy to keep me going.)
  3. My computer – Obviously this is a must-have item for most professionals. In my role, I’m responsible for the collection of accounts receivables within the agreed-upon terms, and a lot of this day-to-day activity happens on my computer.
  4. Colorful pens – Who said reports need to be boring in black and white?
  5. Headset & phone – As much as I love email, I also make a lot of phone calls to other Leggett locations. It’s always nice to talk to other L&P employees and put a voice to the name!

Want to see more? Check out a few Office Must-Haves from the past.

Happy National Inventors’ Day!

In celebration of National Inventors’ Day, we’re sharing the work of our original inventor, J.P. Leggett. Here’s our very first official patent!

Patent

In 1883, J.P. Leggett invented the first spiral-steel, coiled bedspring. It was revolutionary in design and offered the best night’s sleep available. Leggett was granted an official patent in 1885, as indicated by this drawing from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Top 5 Tips for Presenting to a Group

You may not find yourself behind a microphone on a regular basis. However, it’s just as important to have great presentation skills when you’re presenting to your own circles of influence.

Hi, we’re the Communications Team. We’ve witnessed a wide variety of presentation styles over the years. Here are our Top 5 tips on how to be a more effective presenter.

1. Be Prepared. Practice, but don’t cram. Nerves can kick in whether you’re speaking to a large audience or a small, informal committee. Go over your notes until you’re comfortable with the material and can speak to it with confidence. An overly polished presentation can lose authenticity though — be sure to find a good balance.

2. Bring your personality out to play. Your audience will be more engaged if you’re enthusiastic and passionate about the project or topic. Personal anecdotes or humor can be great tools for maintaining attention too. Lose the note cards and just be yourself.

3. Stay positive. The audience is your friend.

4. Look at people, not your slides. Make eye contact with as many people as you can. A good rule of thumb is a gaze of 3-5 seconds before shifting to the next friendly face. This makes them feel both important and included.

5. Breathe. Relax and pause when you need to collect your thoughts. Oxygen is essential.

5 Office Must-Haves: Jeff Bean in IT

If you want to get to know Leggett & Platt, you should get to know our people first. What better way than by seeing a few of their favorite things?

Jeff’s role: Senior Internal Consultant

Job in a nutshell: Connecting dots, building bridges, and finding ways for people, data, and systems to achieve better outcomes for everyone.

  1. Pen & Blank Paper – I am often in meetings and this is a great place to start. The manual process of writing seems to help my recall of potentially useful information as much as the actual notes do.
  2. Headphones – After reading Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family (Davis, 2010), I refuse to talk on a cell phone without a wired- or Bluetooth connection. When my kids were younger, I banned them from talking more than 30 seconds on a cell phone without a headset or at least a finger’s width of air between their head and the phone… but I digress. My point is that I always have headphones handy.
  3. An Innerspring – I work for a company whose past and future fortunes are tied to making products which improve people’s lives. I keep a spring as a reminder of both what we do and the folks who make it happen.
  4. Coffee Mug – Having a mug in my hand gives me a physical reminder to be a better listener (can’t talk and drink at the same time!) and sets a more conversational tone for meetings. Also, the HydroFlask mug was a Father’s Day gift that can keep coffee hot for hours… it’s remarkable!
  5. Post-It Notes – For important “focus” items. So nothing falls through the cracks. It’s a very sophisticated system.

Want to see more? Check out a few Office Must-Haves from the past.

New Year, New Perspectives – Gavin DePaul

It’s a new year, folks, and we’ve got some new faces at L&P! Throughout January, we’ve introduced you to several of our recent hires and their thoughts on the year ahead.

Last but not least, meet Gavin DePaul, Software Engineer at our IDEA Center. He started with us in August.

What brought you to Leggett?

I interacted with L&P during a business seminar in high school, so it’s been on my radar for a while. I decided to pursue a Computer Science degree in college, and so when I graduated, the research and development facility at L&P seemed like the perfect fit!

What’s something surprising about you?

I’m 22 and my brother is 17, but he is already taller than me. This might not be super surprising, but when I’m not at work, I like to do web development as a hobby.

What’s your biggest goal for 2019?

I’d really love to learn more within the software engineering industry. I’m working within the world of IIoT (the industrial internet of things), which means I write code and adjust machine programming to make machines work more efficiently. It’s an exciting field to be in and there’s so much more to learn.

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New Year, New Perspectives – Nathan Terry

It’s a new year, folks, and we’ve got some new faces at L&P! Throughout January, we’ll introduce you to several of our recent hires and their thoughts on the year ahead.

Meet Nathan Terry, Sales & Service Representative for our Global Systems Group.

What brought you to Leggett?

I was born and raised in Carthage, MO, so I’ve grown up hearing good things about L&P. I have a sales background, so I was excited when I noticed this opportunity with the Global Systems Group (GSG). I sell machinery that goes into mattress factory equipment, such as quilters.

What’s something surprising about you?

I’m a singer! I have been singing in gospel groups for 20 years. I also lead worship at my church.

What’s your biggest goal for 2019?

My biggest goal this year is to help my team make 2019 a success for GSG, and in turn help L&P reach new heights. I’ll be traveling a lot in my new role because I’m a Sales Representative for the Western United States and Canada. In fact, just within the next few weeks, I’ll be heading to Los Angeles, then Phoenix, and then Seattle!

Happy National Fun at Work Day!

In the spirit of having fun at work, here are our Internal Auditors during a teambuilding painting activity last month. No matter how you’re celebrating today, we hope your workday is a great one!

Top 5 Ways to Develop Your Professional Self

When it comes to navigating a career, Alissa Owsley really knows her stuff.

As Director of Learning & Development, she spends every day creating and improving training opportunities here at L&P. We asked her to share her Top 5 tips to develop yourself professionally. Here are her thoughts:

1. Be the boss! If you’re waiting for your manager or the company to hand you development opportunities on a golden platter, you’ve already failed. No one cares more about your professional growth than you. Stop waiting, grab the steering wheel, and be the boss of your own career development!

2. Get comfortable with discomfort. True change happens outside of your comfort zone. If you want to develop professionally, you’re going to have to face a little discomfort. Challenge yourself to take on tasks or assignments that stretch the limits of your abilities.

3. Build a social network. No, I don’t mean jumping on Facebook. There is a deep, abiding truth to the saying, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” If you stay in your office, and eat with the same people every day in the cafeteria, you’re going to go nowhere fast. Put your name and face in the minds of influencers.

4. Slide sideways. Gone are the days where career advancement means climbing an invisible ladder. Be open to lateral moves. Experience is invaluable wherever it may be found.

5. Get a coach. We all have blind spots when it comes to our own abilities and attitude. Find someone you trust to coach you on the road to professional development. We all need another set of eyes to navigate the career obstacles in our path.