Sales leader Christina Lammers on starting a role and building a team through the pandemic

Photo credit: Cassie Green Photography

There was a lot going on when Christina Lammers became Adobe’s head of mid-market digital media sales and customer experience a year-and-a-half ago. “It was during the pandemic, so I was working for Adobe full-time at home in my garage, I was helping my oldest start kindergarten online, and I was taking care of my one-year-old,” she recalls. “The timing could have been better, but maybe that’s part of what makes the story so good.”

A path to tech, sales, and Adobe

Lammers’ interest in technology goes way back. “My grandparents raised me, and my grandfather worked in IT at a large bank in downtown LA—he was one of the first people in the 80s to have an IT division at a bank, so he was helping them make the transition. I used to go with him on my days off from school. I’d be mesmerized as he let me rattle on the keyboard,” she remembers.

Years later, Lammers followed her grandfather’s path into finance and then into tech through software sales and, eventually, leadership roles. Then, five years ago, she was recruited by Adobe to hire a new team and bring Enterprise Adobe Stock to the market. From there, she was asked to expand mid-market.

Lammers’ team has had great success, meeting their numbers and doubling their sales twice. “It’s because my incredible team is always ready to help each other. At the heart of it, we care about our customers most. Every time we’re in a tough situation, we pause and ask, “What will this do for our customers’ journey?’ ‘How will they feel about it?’ And then we do our best to put that first.”

Over the last couple of years, it’s been especially important for Lammers and her team to really understand their customers. “With COVID, companies need support. They’ve been managing furloughs, compressions, new ways of communicating, and new ways of relying on technology for security, creativity, and all the other aspects of going virtual. They’ve been through a lot in the last few years, so we’re focused on how Adobe can help.”

On being a female leader in high tech—and growing through a pandemic and beyond

“A decade ago, I was the only female leader in my sales organization, and it was very challenging,” says Lammers. “But I’ve really felt the industry’s evolution in its diversification, especially in the last five years at Adobe. My hiring strategy includes building a diverse team across all people. Our customers come from so many different backgrounds, geographies, genders, races, and sexual orientations—and until we have a sales force to match that, we can’t stop evolving. Right now, it feels like we are making strides in the right direction.”

Even with all of the progress, the past two pandemic years have been incredibly hard. But Lammers says the experience has helped her become better at what she does.

“I’ve walked away from it a more authentic and vulnerable leader because my children are watching me, no longer just at home, but they get a front-row seat to watch me work. It gives me even more motivation to be better. Every time I leave a conversation, I think to myself, ‘Was I kind to that person?’ ‘Did I help that person grow in a meaningful way?’ and now ‘What did my kids just take away from observing that?’ Of course, working at home with my kids also makes me a crazy, sleep-deprived, constantly out of balance Mom, and the chaos is exorbitant with my two boys and husband—but my children have been a real growth force; for me, and I’m grateful for that.”

Lammers also credits Adobe with creating an atmosphere for growth in a trying time. Her colleagues were supportive when her kids made cameo appearances on calls, and the company launched programs—such as company-wide wellness days and trainings—designed to help the team manage stress and, as Lammers says, “become better humans.”

Tuning into Adobe’s Employee Meeting with CEO, Shantanu Narayen.

When Lammers talks to people about joining Adobe, she hopes they’ll see how much the company invests in its people, and how vast the possibilities are.

“When I came to Adobe, I took a job—but I came for the career. There are so many opportunities here. For me, it’s remarkable to stop and think about where I started, where I am today, and how much more growth I still have at this company. It’s such a supportive environment where you can stretch, learn, and navigate a really great career.”