The daily routine of a Ford executive who's up at 5:30 a.m., listens to a 'hype song' on the way to work, and ends the day with wine, TV, and a 'golden hour'
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I start my mornings at 5:30 a.m. by taking a 30-minute walk through my neighborhood with Lexie, our family Aussiedoodle.
Sutton Phung getting ready for a walk with her dog, Lexie. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
While walking with her, I usually check email on my phone for anything urgent or that can be answered quickly.
Walks are for Sutton Phung to catch up on urgent emails. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
I typically skip breakfast during the workweek and instead enjoy a cup of Chinese tea, a habit I picked up from living in Asia for 10 years.
Sutton Phung prefers tea to coffee in the morning. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Phung
I attend a meeting with my US, UK, Germany, and China-based colleagues at least twice a week from my home office to understand customer wants and needs in relation to our worldwide EV portfolio.
Sutton Phung's home office. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
At 7 a.m., I make a cup of coffee for my husband, and we typically take 15 minutes to coordinate schedules before we wake up our daughter for school.
Sutton Phung and her husband catch up before the day starts. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
On the days I don't have a 6:30 a.m. meeting, I wake up my 9-year-old daughter for school. As every mom in America can probably relate, I verbally follow up at least three times to ensure she's completed her morning routine.
Sutton Phung enjoys time with her daughter before she heads to school. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
I next check sales for the Mustang Mach-E to see where extra marketing efforts may help, review reports for competitive news, and respond to emails and Webex messages. Taking handwritten notes in a Live Life spiral notebook helps me stay on task.
Sutton Phung takes calls at home in the morning before going to the office. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
If it's my day to do school drop-off, I transition my 8 a.m. meeting to my car. During this seven-minute drive, my daughter and I listen to our hype song, Beyonce's "Brown Skin Girl."
Sutton Phung and her daughter love to listen to music on their commute. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
My commute takes 35 minutes. Some days I drive to the EV-marketing office in Corktown, Detroit, while other days I go to the EV product-development office in Dearborn. I'm currently listening to "The Light We Carry" by Michelle Obama on audiobook.
Sutton Phung goes to two offices, one in Detroit and one in Dearborn, Michigan. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Phung
Once I reach work, I plug my Mustang into one of our on-site EV-charging stations. There's nothing quite like living the EV life — I haven't been to a gas station in five months and have no regrets.
Ford has charging stations for EV owners like Sutton Phung. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
I love our Corktown office. We have no assigned seating, it's open design, has natural lighting, brick walls, and a rooftop seating area that provide a perfect backdrop to ignite creativity.
Sutton Phung in Ford's Corktown office. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
I take two 30-minute one-on-ones a week to mentor young female and minority employees. I call this my "give back" hour. I advise everyone to secure a mentor, create a five-year plan, and know their worth.
Sutton Phung and a colleague. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
At least once a quarter, I participate in an activity at my daughter's school at lunchtime. I recently participated in STEAM Career Day and did a presentation on EVs with a Mustang Mach-E "show and tell." I felt like the cool parent — at least for that day.
Sutton Phung shows her daughter's class her car. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
Every Monday at 1 p.m., I connect with my global team for a state-of-the-business update. This is my favorite meeting because I get to understand everything happening, track priorities, and course correct. I always start meetings with an agenda.
Sutton Phung meets with teammates to discuss priorities for the day. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
The main portion of my workday ends around 6:30 p.m. I then switch to my mom hat and take my daughter to one of her many activities, like karate class.
Sutton Phung and her daughter at karate class. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
I sit on the board of Jack and Jill of America in Oakland County. In this role, I spend at least one hour a week, often in the evening, on board business. I recently organized a cruise to celebrate moms.
Sutton Phung and women from the Jack and Jill of America board. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
At 8 p.m., I switch to my wife hat and dedicate an hour to enjoying time with my husband. With wine in hand, we watch a show together. We're "Star Wars" junkies, so we're currently watching "Andor."
Sutton Phung and her husband wind down with some TV shows. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
I tuck my daughter into bed at 9 p.m, but not before we play "Rose, Thorn, Bud" to recap our days. It keeps me connected to her thoughts and gives her insights into me as a mom, woman, and leader of people.
Sutton Phung and her daughter love to play "Rose, Thorn, Bud" to end the day and catch up. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
My "golden hour" is 9:30 p.m., because it's when I get caught up on work emails from the day, solve a few issues with my direct manager, and review my calendar for the next day. I get around 150 emails a day that I prioritize as urgent, not urgent, information only, and junk.
Sutton Phung calls her evening time her "golden hour." Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
I set aside time for reflection and gratitude at 10:30 p.m, reading reflections from "For I Know the Plans." After a tough day, I remind myself what Michelle Obama's mother told her: "You can't expect to be liked at work or in public, but come home — we will always like you here."
Sutton Phung likes to end the day with reflection and reading. Courtesy of Sondra Sutton Fung
