What Drives Her: Infiniti’s Trisha Jung’s Authenticity and Family Life Helped Shape Her Success
Sara Lacey
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A love of outer space launched her on her path. Desire to make technology more accessible kept her on it.
Trisha Jung’s friends didn’t have to do all the chores she had to. Mowing the lawn and doing yard work was what needed to get done, and her father, who was the oldest of five boys and a veteran of the Army, made no bones about expectations that she was the one who would do it. “You live in this household and will do what I ask you to do” was his typical response when she complained.
But she wasn’t left untethered. He father gave her guidance and support, even though he made her do her own taxes. “He even made me do my taxes as a teenager when I started working during the summers. He would help, but not do it for me. I thought it was the end of the world trying to do a 1040EZ for my summer job, but I got through it. I didn’t realize how much confidence I was gaining by doing all of these tasks…I really believe that so much of who I am today is because of the expectations and support he gave me growing up.”
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While she credits her dad for her discipline and fondness for math and engineering, it was her mother who encouraged her to get an MBA so that she could work on the business side of engineering if she wanted to. Her mom worked as a lab manager before moving into medical device sales. Today, Trisha is the Director of Model Line Planning, Incentives, and Pricing at Infiniti. She manages Infiniti models already in the market, and develops marketing and sales plans for new products.
Trisha Jung shows off her baby, the 2022 Infiniti QX60. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Accessibility Became The Focus
Her current work was born out of her family’s comfort with new technology. “They were very comfortable with new technology and STEM areas. I grew up when microwaves, computers, and video consoles all became popular; my family embraced all of it.” She also had a passion for outer space. “I also loved outer space at an early age and dreamt of going into outer space. I didn’t see that happening as an astronaut,” she says. “I decided I wanted to become a strategic leader within a technical company so that I could help make technology more accessible to people and eventually get society to a point where regular people could go into space”
Though the desire to go to space landed her in a more terrestrial role, the work is similar. “I always wanted to be doing this type of work – vehicles are an amazing product. They are technical and complex in design, development, and manufacturing but at the same time people will name their cars and look at their vehicle as a personal extension of who they are so it is a wonderful product to be bringing to market.”
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Trisha Jung Closeup. Photo- Infiniti
The QX60 is one of those cars. She loves the engineering of the 2022 QX60, of course, but she also loves the luxury and refinement. “I realize that I can truly relate as a woman and consumer to this product, feel how well it represents me and how much I would like to drive one.”
The entirety of the project was unique and special to Trisha. “Every now and then you know when you are working on a project that truly excels in every way. The design is amazing, the target customer so clear, the execution of the features and packaging that just makes sense at every step of the walk, great engineering and manufacturing that create a confident and delightful driving experience, advertising and social engagement that completely hits a home run at reaching the customer in a way that makes sense for them. This vehicle is all of that. Every aspect, you can feel the passion and excellence in how the vehicle delivers or brings out the best in the team in what element they are planning or executing. This vehicle has no compromises and requires no apologies.” She continues, “I am genuinely happy, comfortable and confident when I think about every aspect of this vehicle and the experience it gives to our customers.”
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Trisha Jung Brings Her True Self to Work
Being comfortable and confident was something Trisha has learned over time and with experience. She learned that trying to fit in didn’t always result in the kind of work relationships she wanted. “I used to think that I had to cover my femininity and try to be more like ‘one of the guys,’ but many times that would make things awkward. The more I have just been myself, relationships with my colleagues have grown and when conflicts arise, we have a mutual respect and a better foundation to work from. This brings an authenticity to how I react to and resolve situations. “
“Trying to fit in to be like everyone around you can seem effective at first, but because it isn’t truly authentic, there can be barriers to how far relationships can develop while creating inconsistencies in reacting to stressful situations, that can be confusing to the work group.”
“The more consistent I am in being myself, the better people know me and what I expect, allowing more control over my reactions and overall effectiveness. It also believe it’s important for my team to see and understand my challenges and vulnerabilities as well. Instead of covering up situations when I may be unsure of how to handle, I share with my team where I feel we can work together to find a solution. We all learn from each other’s thought processes, helping us all make better decisions. I believe this helps empower my team to see examples and understand how to handle situations. Overall, everyone can be more comfortable, clear about the culture, and feel more empowered to take on challenges and handle stressful situations.”
Trisha says that it wasn’t just owning her individuality that helped her. She says that not being serious all the time helped, too.
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Trisha Jung. Photo: Infiniti
“I used to think that I had to be more serious and formal at work, and not show sense of humor. But along with being more of myself, what I see is that this allows my team and coworkers to be the same, allowing us to know each other more completely. Bringing personal elements to the workplace also creates stronger relationships, making the environment more comfortable and encourages more open discussion, and that everyone’s point of view is wanted and valued. By showing others who I am, it makes it easier for them to be themselves and become more engaged and open in sharing information and embracing challenges. The culture we create and the way people feel valued and included starts so much with us being human and kind – and it really is only possible to do that if we start by being human ourselves and true to who we are as people and not just employees.
A Supportive Family Continues to be Part of Trisha’s Story
It isn’t just her work people that she is authentic with. The support from her husband Ken and their children are paramount, even when they were making a long-distance relationship work.
“We met in 2009 at a Halloween party. At the time, he lived in Atlanta and I was in Nashville. We commuted for two and a half years long distance. We have 2 children (they are my stepchildren) who I have known since they were 10 and 9. My husband is a wonderful person – he brought me into his life as an equal partner and truly embraced me as a part of the family.”
“Ken is capable and intelligent, as well as very caring and generous to his family and loved ones. He has tremendous empathy and emotional maturity. I have learned a lot from him. He truly helps me be a better person.”
Her kids have rounded out her family life expertise that gave her deep perspective into the needs of the QX60 buyer.
The view from the driver’s seat in the Infiniti QX60. Photo: Scotty Reiss
“As a mother who has driven a packed car to college for my daughter’s first year away, picked up our friends to go for a nice dinner on the weekend, or filled my day with activities and errands to support my family, I understand directly how important a luxury SUV can be in terms of utility and comfort for me and my family. Professional women and mothers care about everyone in the family and ensure all are supported and have everything they need. We will often put ourselves last as we take care of others. Having a vehicle that supports us, takes care of all our family needs AND has really great features to take care of us also is a true blessing.”
Some of her favorites are the massaging seats in the Sensory and Autograph trim levels of the QX60. “When the day is long or stressful, having the ability to get a little massage to reduce stress and fatigue is a really wonderful feature.”
She continues, “When we are out driving and taking care of everyone else, the massage seats provide a nice element of self-care for me.” Self-care wins, every time.
She also likes the lower-key smart rear view mirror feature. “It is one of those items that in the beginning can be a bit awkward to change from a standard rear view mirror. But once you start using it, you never want to go back. It gives you better visibility of the road behind you to give you more confidence when driving and backing up– you don’t have to look through the vehicle before seeing the vehicles and area around/behind you. I also love the fact that if I want to use the mirror and see inside the vehicle, I can. But if we have it filled up with plants from the nursery or all my daughter’s clothes and dorm room stuff for college, we can flip it back and see everything behind us. I didn’t realize how much I would grow to love and depend on that feature and truly value it.”
This live view mirror lets you change the view to live for rear view mirrior. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Her parents and brother created a strong foundation upon which Trisha would build her success. Her husband and children continue to foster it. But Trisha’s experiences in owning her true self have allowed her, and those who work with her, thrive.