Meet Amy Keiser, vice president of retirement product management
I lasted just 90 days in my first job in 1999. It was in sales for another financial institution, and I quickly realized it was not the right role for me.
Life had other plans: I connected with a friend working at Principal®, which led to a position in the retirement division. I consider that my first real job.
Graduation followed by two jobs in rapid succession might be disconcerting for many, but not for me. If anything has defined my three-decade-long career, it’s been an embrace of change. If you’re willing to learn, you can do a lot of different things.
From the basketball court to corporate life
I am a fourth-generation farm kid from South Dakota. I loved math and basketball, and my high school class was just 28. I was recruited by several colleges, but I really wanted to find a place that would cover tuition and enable me to do something that I loved—basketball—while earning a degree I would use—business. My parents didn’t go to college, and I wanted to start off life without debt.
I went to the University of South Dakota, and the basketball team was a four-year immersion in building good habits and managing deadlines. I learned quickly to say no to things that weren’t critical to the mission—to get work done without letting distractions get in the way. My teammates became my family, and those are still my lifelong friends. I got a great education—I got my ROI.
Post-graduation I moved to Des Moines. My first Principal job turned into 17 years of tenure, as I took on one challenge after another. A lot of times, there weren’t instruction manuals—we had to figure out problems or integrate opportunities into the company. I discovered that I enjoyed learning new things, and that helped me navigate my career. It’s fun and rewarding to learn from the ground up.
Leaving, and coming back to, Principal
Then one day, a recruiter came calling with a position in Denver. My three kids weren’t yet in high school, so my husband and I knew if we were going to move, it was a good time to take the leap. I’m energized by change. I wanted to see if I could learn a new company and bring value to a different organization.
That also made me open to a call from Principal five years later. I grew so much in that time, but I also had a great experience from my 17 years at Principal. The Principal position offered a unique opportunity to own something. I could add something to the team I couldn’t before.
I came back remotely. My husband has been following me for 20 years, and he had the opportunity to take over his family farm. We relocated to South Dakota. I’m in the Des Moines office twice a month. I do my best thinking when driving.
Love what you do
On the basketball court, I learned some fundamental lessons that have continued to guide me: Everyone brings something different to the effort. The best teams learn how to work together. When things are not going well or as planned, you have to get back up and get back to work.
At Principal, every day we’re working with people from all parts of the world and from all walks of life. We all benefit when we learn how to support each other’s strengths.
The culture at Principal helps. We invest in our people. I have the connections I built those first 17 years, and new connections I’m building, too.
I’m also building connections—some still in basketball—in my family’s new community. I volunteer with the local girls’ team, and, of course, help on our family’s farm when time allows. I have such joy in what I do—I work for a Fortune 250 company but get to hang out with my family on the farm. I’ve never been afraid to roll up my sleeves and get the job done.
Passion—for basketball—drove me along my path for a little while, but passion of a different sort drives me now. I’ve realized you could chase a job title or something that sounds big and important. But you don’t have to do that if you love what you do.
