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The Family Place’s Mimi Crume Sterling

The former Neiman Marcus exec wants to work herself out of a job caring for domestic violence victims.

story by WILL MADDOX

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it is mimi crume sterling’s third day on the job when we speak about her new role as CEO of The Family Place. She is sitting in her car outside the home of her predecessor, Paige Flink, about to embark on a field trip. That day, the two women toured the nonprofit’s facilities, which offer shelter to victims of domestic violence and their families in North Texas.

Flink, who led the organization for 30 years, is helping onboard Sterling as she transitions from her role as vice president of environment, social, governance, and belonging at Neiman Marcus Group. “Every meeting, Paige kicks off with, ‘I was part of the process. I helped pick Mimi. She’s going to be great.’ She’s giving me her seal of approval, which is smoothing the transition for the organization that has known only her for so long.” Sterling says.

Her resume reads like an international woman of intrigue, from an elite education at Phillips Academy— Andover to positions at Hermès and overseeing public relations at Harper’s Bazaar, Good Housekeeping, and O, The Oprah Magazine. Raised in Boston, Indianapolis, and New York, she has also lived in Paris, Milan, and Morocco. So, why would a woman with this pedigree walk away from corporate America to lead a Dallas-based

domestic violence nonprofit? The answer: Servant leadership. Sterling’s first job was washing dishes as a pre-teen at Lantern Brunch in Andover, Massachusetts. She attended Phillips and college on financial aid and was a varsity rower. After graduating, she arrived in New York with $2,000 in her pocket, crashed at a friend’s grandmother’s apartment for six weeks, and began building her career. Sterling’s shift to the nonprofit world makes sense with a better understanding of her international travel and luxury retail career. Her high school’s motto was non sibi (not for self), and the ideal has permeated her career. And at Neiman Marcus she focused on recruiting diverse talent into the pipeline. “My role has been serving people for a very long time,” Sterling says. “Whether it’s a Neiman Marcus customer or associate as a customer in people services, I am a servant leader. My happiest place is serving others.” When a friend of hers on the board at The Family Place suggested she think about the job, it seemed a natural fit, even though she wasn’t looking to leave. “They need you, and you need them,” her friend pitched. “This is an amazing opportunity.” As the leader of “I AM A SERVANT one of the state’s largest family violence services agency, Ster-

LEADER. MY ling will have plenty of opporHAPPIEST PLACE IS tunities to practice the service SERVING OTHERS.” she has long valued. MIMI CRUME STERLING The Family Place She has fallen in love with the arts and diversity of North Texas, is plugged into Dallas ISD via her three children, and thinks her new role at The Family Place will be a long-term opportunity. Sterling hopes that the organization can both respond to crises and address domestic violence at its roots. “My goal is not to serve more people,” she says. “My goal is to work myself out of a job and be able to close up our shelters because this service is no longer needed.”

A Holistic Home

Founded in 1978, The Family Place provides safe housing, counseling, and skills to build independence while advocating for social change to stop family violence. Its three emergency shelters offer 177 beds for families in need; the organization also provides transitional housing and career development. With an annual budget of $13.5 million and about 200 employees, it provides services to more than 12,000 clients. Sterling aims to build on the organization’s solid foundation and lean into her roles as fundraiser and community ambassador to deepen relationships in Dallas and beyond. “There are a lot of opportunities to continue to develop relationships with other organizations and build a nationwide network around family and domestic violence.”

ASK THE EXPERT

Persuasion Skills Part Six: Promote “Winning”

ROGGE DUNN, CEO, ROGGE DUNN GROUP

c-level execs, managers, and entrepreneurs make sales pitches every day. Whether you’re trying to motivate an employee, sell goods or services, obtain funding from a PE firm, or win an argument with family or friends, persuasion skills are essential. This article details another proven persuasion technique.

People are inherently competitive and want to win in nearly every aspect of life. Athletes compete to win first place, just like attorneys go into trial hoping to win--not minimize--their client’s loss. Ultimately, humans strive for success above all else, sometimes even when the cost of competing outweighs the profit of winning. This “win at all costs” concept is present in business deals, heated debates at the dinner table, and athletic competitions. Far too often, people go to great lengths to win and end up paying a considerable price in the process. Thus, when negotiating, play into people’s hunger to win. If you lead them to believe that by complying with your suggestions, they are winning, then they are far more likely to do so.

The “what if” syndrome is why Olympic bronze medalists are often happier than silver medalists. Andrea Luangrath’s studies show silver medalists often create alternative scenarios in which they would have won gold, causing them to be unhappy with second place. Comparatively, bronze medalists’ satisfaction is higher because they often compare their situation to that of the fourth-place finisher. Thus, when persuading someone, it’s crucial that they feel they won and did not settle for less than they deserve.

One way to convince someone that they “won” is to portray yourself as the loser. If they perceive themselves as winning and you losing, they will likely comply because you make them feel they won the best outcome (a gold medal). If they perceive they won, but did not maximize, they will be unsatisfied like the silver medalist.

The “What if” Syndrome Winning is not always sufficient; people also value the idea of achieving their best. In short, if the person you are trying to persuade does not believe they maximized their outcome, they will not be satisfied purely by “winning.” When a scenario does not meet someone’s expectations, they consider “what ifs”. If they feel an alternative would have been better for them, they will be more reluctant to comply with the outcome you are subtly pushing them toward.

Trump Tapped Into The Win/Win Technique Another technique is promoting a win/win outcome in which both people win and maximize their best result, comparable to two athletes tying for gold. Donald Trump successfully utilized this persuasive technique in his first presidential election campaign. Trump’s mantra was, “We’re going to win. We’re going to win so much that you may even get tired of winning.” By framing his election as a win/win for everyone, Trump appealed to the voters’ innate desire to win. The takeaway: promote 500 N. Akard Street, Suite 1900 Dallas, Texas 75201 others “winning” to win 214.888.5000 | info@roggedunngroup.com your next sales pitch. ROGGE DUNN represents companies, executives, and entrepreneurs in business and employment matters.

These include the CEOs/ presidents of American Airlines, Baker Hughes, Beck Group, Blucora, Crow Holdings, Dave & Busters, Gold’s Gym, FedEx, HKS, Texas Motor Speedway, Texas Capital Bancshares, Texas Tech University, and Whataburger.

Dunn’s corporate clients include Adecco, Beal Bank, Benihana, Cawley Partners, CBRE, Match.com, Thackeray Partners, Rent-A-Center, and Outback Steakhouse.

In 2021 Dunn was included in DCEO Magazines’ Dallas 500 list, which recognizes the most influential business leaders in North Texas.

He has been honored as a Texas Super Lawyer every year that award has been given and recognized as one of the top 100 attorneys in Texas by Texas Monthly (a Thompson Reuters service) and a D Magazine Best Lawyer 12 times.