I recently went one-on-one with Janice Kapner, former Chief Communications & Corporate Responsibility Officer of T-Mobile.
Adam: What drew you into the world of corporate communications and what were the keys to rising in your career?
Janice: I was not one of those people who went into school knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I did not have a clear plan, like I want to be a lawyer or an actor. I really had no idea. I started as a business major, then moved into computer science, and I bounced around a bit. What ultimately happened was that during my coursework, I took a few journalism classes. One was script writing, another was a course analyzing Alfred Hitchcock films and storytelling, and another was a more traditional journalism class. I realized I was good at it, and I really enjoyed it.
So it was very much a trial-and-error process. Computer science, math, and business were interesting, but I was not passionate about them. Then I found journalism and communications, and it felt different. It came more naturally, I enjoyed it, and I started doing well in those classes. I still had no idea what kind of career it would lead to. It was more that these were the classes I wanted to go to and where I was getting good grades.
As I progressed in school, I started to learn about PR and corporate communications and what those fields even were. When I graduated, it was during a recession, so it was tough to find a job. I did a lot of temp work and receptionist work. Eventually, I took a role at a very small start-up in Silicon Valley. The job was officially a receptionist role, but they knew I had some marketing and PR background and that I was interested in going in that direction. They basically said if I did that job, they would pull me into that work as the company grew.
I took the opportunity, and it did not take very long for the company to start growing and evolving. I got exposure to the head of marketing, building communications and PR programs, and I started to realize this was a whole discipline with real career paths. That is really how I stumbled into it. I was drawn to the work, and I had some natural skills for it.
If you had asked me back then whether I would end up in the C-suite at a Fortune 40 company, I would have laughed. I went to Sacramento State. I did not have those kinds of expectations. Some of it was right place, right time, but a lot of it was working hard and making the most of opportunities. I spent time in start-ups in Silicon Valley, worked on IPOs, and then, when the bubble burst, Microsoft acquired the company I was at.
I remember coming home and telling my husband we were being acquired and that I would probably need to find a new job. He asked why I would not even consider working for Microsoft. My reaction was that we would have to move, and he pointed out that Seattle was one of the few places worth considering. One thing led to another, and I ended up joining Microsoft with what I thought was a two-year plan. I stayed for about ten years. I had multiple roles, got promoted, and eventually ran communications for the entire Office portfolio.
After about a decade, I stepped back and realized I had not really planned any of it. It had just happened through opportunities. I started thinking about whether I wanted to stay or make a change. Around that time, the T-Mobile opportunity came up. They were preparing for a major turnaround. I did not know telecom, but I had deep experience in tech.
What really stood out was the interview process. Over several months, I met many members of the executive team, often in unplanned ways. Even when people were not prepped for me, they were all aligned on what needed to happen to turn the business around. That consistency, in a non-staged way, was incredibly compelling. They clearly had a plan and understood the role communications could play in it.
After meeting John Legere, the CEO at the time, it became very hard to resist. He was on a mission, and it was compelling. I joined as head of communications, not in the C-suite initially, but the company really used communications as part of its strategy. That created opportunities for me to make an impact and eventually move into the C-suite. That is how it all unfolded.
Adam: How can anyone rise in their career?
Janice: I tend to think about it as a rule of three, although I didn’t define it that way early on. Over time, I realized there were three patterns in how I operated. The first is resilience, the second is patience, and the third is active listening. Resilience can sound a bit cliché, but I mean it in a very real way. Very few career paths are straight lines, and you have to be willing to take detours, try new things, and step into roles where you’re not fully comfortable. There were many points in my career where I didn’t think I’d end up where I did, even as I was progressing.
Patience is also critical. When you come out of school, you feel ready and think you’ve learned everything you need. But what I’ve learned from sitting on the other side of the table is that your education and early-stage experiences get you into the job. Once you’re in, you have to prove you can actually do it. That’s true for everyone, including CEOs. Your experience gets you the seat, but once you’re in the seat, you’re still being tested.
The third piece is active listening, and I can’t stress this enough. Many people think they’re listening, but they’re really preparing what they’re going to say next. You see this in meetings all the time. Someone jumps in with a point that no longer fits the conversation because they stopped listening ten minutes earlier. I’ve been that person, and it’s painful to watch because it actually does more harm than good.
You have to really tune in, read the room, and understand how people operate. That becomes critical when you’re working with different stakeholders. A CFO, a marketer, and a lawyer all think differently, and you have to adapt your approach. If you’re not listening, you’ll miss how to engage them effectively.
You also have to accept that the path isn’t straight. Sometimes you take on roles you didn’t plan for. At T-Mobile, I was asked to take on corporate social responsibility work, which I hadn’t done before. I was out of my depth, and I had to hire people with deep subject-matter expertise and learn quickly. But it broadened my exposure to the board and the C-suite and created new opportunities.
Patience doesn’t mean tolerating bad situations. If you don’t have a good partnership or don’t see opportunity, you should make a change. But if you trust your team and leadership, and things are progressing, even if slowly, keep learning and be patient. Doors will open. Ultimately, if you combine resilience, patience, and active listening, you can better understand your business and your stakeholders. That allows you to position your work in a way that’s truly value-adding.
Adam: How can anyone become a better listener?
Janice: The first thing is to stop trying to do multiple things at once. We all try to multitask, and I’m guilty of it too, but if you’re in a meeting that matters, you have to be fully present. I take notes, whether typing or writing, and even though I rarely go back to them, the act of writing helps me stay focused and retain information.
You also need to observe people. Even in virtual meetings, you can tell who’s engaged and who isn’t. That gives you insight into what matters to different individuals and how they’re reacting. Listening isn’t just about words; it’s about reading the room and understanding the dynamics.
It really is like building a muscle. You have to be aware of your tendencies. Are you reaching for your phone or trying to split your attention? You might follow the high-level conversation, but you’ll miss nuance, frustration, or repeated concerns that signal deeper issues.
If something urgent comes up, step out and handle it rather than trying to do both poorly. But otherwise, it takes discipline to stay engaged. It can also be revealing. If you consistently find yourself disengaged or bored, it may be a sign that you’re not in the right role or industry. People who move into senior leadership are deeply engaged in the business, and if you don’t care about what’s being discussed, that’s a signal.
Adam: What else are the keys to effective communication? What can anyone do to become a better communicator?
Janice: Before you can be an effective communicator, you have to do your homework. Some disciplines get a bad rap because people show up with only a surface-level understanding of the business. The most successful interactions I’ve had are when I’m grounded in what the business is trying to achieve, what challenges it’s facing, and what competitors are doing.
That context changes the level of conversation. People can tell when you don’t understand what’s being discussed. You might get away with it once, but not over time. If you’re part of an organization, your job is to understand your business. Then you bring your functional expertise to support those business objectives.
I learned this lesson in a speech class in college. I struggled with speeches until I chose a topic I knew well, which was horses. I had been riding since I was young. When I gave that speech, I didn’t have to rely on memorization. I could just talk. The professor told me it was my best speech because I knew the content. The same principle applies in business. When you truly understand your subject, communication becomes much more natural.
Another important point is that you don’t always need to have the answers. Especially early in your career, asking thoughtful questions is a powerful way to engage. It shows that you’re paying attention and helps you learn. You also have to be comfortable with the fact that not every idea you bring forward will be accepted. That’s part of working at more senior levels, where many ideas are debated and not all of them move forward.
Adam: In your experience, what are the key characteristics of the very best leaders and what can anyone do to become a better leader?
Janice: Listening is critical, especially when it comes to your team. Your employees often see issues before senior leadership does, and if you ignore that, you’re allowing problems to grow until they become much more difficult to address. You also have to be genuine. Employees can tell when you’re not being authentic. If you don’t know something, say so. If you can’t share something because it’s confidential, be honest about that.
Saying something like you don’t need to know is dismissive and undermines trust. People want to feel respected and included, even if they can’t have full visibility into every decision. Transparency builds credibility and long-term trust.
Consistent communication is also essential. Saying something once isn’t enough. People need to hear things multiple times before they internalize them. I’ve seen leaders struggle because they underestimate the importance of communication. It’s not a heavy lift, but it has a meaningful impact on how employees feel.
At the same time, you have to balance managing up with staying connected to your team. You need to understand the business at a high level while also supporting and developing the people who work for you. Even when you do all of this well, not everyone will like you, and that’s part of leadership. The goal is to build trust and alignment with the majority of your team.
Adam: What are your best tips on the topics of marketing and branding?
Janice: Consistency is incredibly important. Companies sometimes change their core positioning too quickly, before the audience has fully absorbed it. If something isn’t working, then adjust, but don’t change just for the sake of change. There’s often a large percentage of your target audience that hasn’t yet internalized your message.
Integration is also critical. You need an integrated marketing and communications approach. What the CEO says to Wall Street should connect all the way down to what a front-line sales rep says to a customer. It doesn’t mean the language is identical, but the narrative has to fit together because it’s fundamentally the same story.
Today, everything is visible. You can’t tell one story to Wall Street and a completely different one to customers without being called out. You have to stress-test your messaging across all audiences. You may tailor how you communicate to each group, but the underlying message must align.
You also need to think through downside risk. What’s the worst-case scenario if this message is misunderstood or challenged? Are you prepared to respond quickly? In today’s environment, misinformation or speculation can spread very fast. If you’re not prepared, you’ll be reacting instead of managing the situation, and that can be very difficult to recover from.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Janice: Earlier in my career at Microsoft, a senior leader told me that when I contributed in meetings, my input was strong and thoughtful, but I didn’t do it often enough. That feedback had a big impact on me. At the time, I was still building confidence, and I was selective about when I spoke in larger, high-level forums.
He told me that if I wanted to move into bigger roles, I needed to be more consistently engaged in those discussions. That was uncomfortable at first. I had to experiment with different ways of contributing, whether that was asking more questions, reframing what others were saying, or offering ideas more frequently.
It was a process of trial and error. Sometimes I would say something and it wouldn’t land, or the conversation would move on quickly. I had to learn to be okay with that. Over time, I found my own style and became more active in those discussions. As a result, I started being included in more decision-making conversations.
That advice was pivotal. Doing good work is table stakes, but advancing into more senior roles requires you to actively participate in the conversations where decisions are being made. You have to find a way to do that that feels authentic to you.
Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Janice: Leadership can feel like an overused term, but it’s very real in the workplace. When you work for a strong leader, it has a huge impact on your experience. You grow more, you learn more, and you stay longer. That’s why I encourage people to think about the kind of leader they want to be.
You have to go beyond just completing your tasks. Doing the work is table stakes. You also need to focus on how you show up, how you engage with others, and how well you understand the business. You don’t need to know every detail, but you should understand the core drivers, such as revenue streams and major products, so you can contribute meaningfully.
Find a business that interests you and people you enjoy working with, then invest in understanding that environment deeply. Over time, you create your own opportunities. It takes patience and a willingness to learn through trial and error, but if you stay true to your own style and approach, it’s hard to go wrong.
