“Can’t is a Cuss Word.” I Swear.
Editor's Note: This post and podcast episode originally published September 2023 and was updated July 2024 when Jenny was named to CRN's 2024 Inclusive Channel Leaders list.
###
You know those people who seem to do it all – and succeed in everything they do? That’s Jenny Krummenacher. She is consistently cheery, no matter how much she has on her plate or how many challenges are thrown her way, and I’ve always wondered if she’s like that all the time or just at work.
As the Director of Channel Sales for Zebra in the U.S. Central Region, Jenny is constantly on the move, meeting with people, trying to make connections that are mutually beneficial for everyone. And, let me tell you, the work she has been doing on behalf of Zebra, our partners and subsequently our customers has been impressive. She’s the one you want to go to when you feel like you’ve hit a wall because she’ll know how to break through it. She also the one who will truly listen to what you have to say and constantly ask for your thoughts. That's among the many reasons she was named to CRN’s Women of the Channel list for a second time in five years and why she was also recognized on CRN's 2024 Inclusive Channel Leaders list. In her own words, she is committed to "leading with integrity and kindness in every situation, while also prioritizing the comfort and well-being of others."
When she’s not doing work for Zebra and our partners, she’s working full time taking care of her family, restoring furniture to donate to those in need in the community, and volunteering in a dozen other ways. She also got her Bachelor’s degree – a three-year program – in just 14 months in the middle of the pandemic, without pulling back on any of her other professional or personal activities. (Yep, you’re going to want to hear that story.)
At some point, you’d think Jenny would run out of steam. Yet, she doesn’t. What we might view as exhausting, she sees as energizing. That’s because she’s not a fan of failure, so she just does whatever it takes to succeed – and she does it all with a laissez faire attitude and genuinely authentic brand of humor and grit. She just rolls, and laughs, with the punches, and everything seems to work out exactly how it’s supposed to. She is definitely someone who will wow you when you meet her – and when you hear what she shared in our latest episode of Women Who Wow.
LISTEN NOW
Curious why this post is titled, “Can’t is a Cuss Word”?
Well, that’s a story best told by Jenny. So, hit play to listen to our entire conversation. She also shares why…
She has come to love channel sales. (Spoiler alert: Our channel partners energize our business, and Jenny is all about energizing those around her.)
She feels Zebra’s channel is different from other tech companies’ channels.
Sales is all about connections. (Not just who you know, either.)
You should use “down” periods to get back to the basics to reenergize your people.
She leans so much into humor, especially in business dealings.
It’s okay to step back from a leadership position (and you won’t be less of a person or leader for it).
She long felt inadequate, even though she was more than capable of doing the job at hand. (She also shares the moment that she finally felt good enough.)
Even the seemingly impossible is always possible. (And it’s actually a good thing to fail when trying to make the impossible possible.)
HIT PLAY (OR DOWNLOAD TO LISTEN LATER)
###
Want to hear more inspiring stories from Women Who Wow? Check out these past interviews:
Julie Johnson
Julie Johnson has been a global technology business leader for almost 30 years, creating growth and value in product lines and new market segments for the consumer electronics, enterprise, and Fintech/payment markets. She has combined an awareness of customer needs and technology proficiency with passion and recognized leadership, delivering growth in highly competitive markets.
Currently, as Vice President & General Manager of Zebra Technologies’ $2.1B Mobile Computing business, Julie creates and delivers Android and Windows hardware, software, and cloud-based SaaS solutions to retail, field mobility, warehouse, healthcare, and government channels globally, providing visibility and intelligent collaboration across enterprise employees. She is developing robotics automation, computer vision and augmented reality solutions for warehouse, retail, and field mobility customers.
Julie has a successful track record of creating innovative product solutions that meet customer needs, prevailing over tough competitors. As Corporate Vice President of Product Management at Google, she led the Droid Android mobile phone product line, winning exclusive, volume-based contracts with Verizon Wireless to provide their entire Droid product line, competing against leading Asian competitors. As Corporate Vice President of Product Management at Lenovo, Julie owned a global P&L of up to $5B, surpassing Samsung’s market share in South America, launching a new line of devices to meet market needs and launching the first device with an unbreakable display, winning top smartphone in 2012 Consumer’s Report. Julie spent 9 years of her career at Motorola in manufacturing operations, running factories in a fast-growth, rapidly changing technology environment, understanding the need to vastly lower operating costs while maintaining flexibility and investing for future enablers.
As Director, Julie currently serves on the board of Lumentum (NASDAQ: LITE), a global leader in optical communications and 3D sensing for facial recognition, and Superconductor Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCON), a technology leader in the provision of high temperature superconducting materials and related technologies. Julie’s strategic insight, experience in global product, technology, and commercialization, and pragmatic execution skills have had positive impact in Lumentum’s development of their 3D sensing market and the development of STI’s superconducting wire business to date.
Her distinctive expertise is in market segment expansion and product line growth, helping companies develop market strategies, create product solution roadmaps, and prioritize M&A vs. organic investments. Having worked in every global market, she understands the financial conflict between differing market needs and diverse product lines. She is a passionate, collaborative team player who strives to create value.
Julie earned a Master of Science in Business Administration degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Science Degree in Materials Science & Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has a Bachelor degree in Math and Physics from Albion College.
