Conduct a Daily Gut Check

This week's guest is a great friend who I look up to like a big brother, Darren Lifferth. Darren teaches us through words, stories, and examples how important it is to be open to opportunities when they arise, even if the timing might feel off according to our plans. Darren highlights the importance of doing a gut check everyday to make sure you are moving in the right direction and focusing on the the right priorities. Darren shares some personal stories that illustrate how examples from his life have helped him become the servant leader he is today and how holding people accountable can be vital to serving them. We talked about an inspirational address from Elder Alvin Meredith III about how to look down the road to center ourselves and it showed even deeper how we are more connected than we realize. Darren shared his reason for choosing the path of international business so that he could help people become more connected and reliant on one another so there would be less conflict in the world. 

 

Darren Lifferth is the Cat Card Business Excellence and International Business Development Manager for Cat Financial based in Nashville, Tennessee. He leads a cross functional team of project leaders, data scientists, and strategy experts on developing new business opportunities internationally. Darren has worked for Caterpillar for almost 20 years in a variety of positions and locations globally. He joined Caterpillar as a Credit Analyst after earning his bachelors degree in International Business Management from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. While in Nashville he took on additional responsibilities as a Customer Service Representative handling collections, loan modifications, repossessions, and reporting. Next he moved into a Documentation Analyst role followed by a Transaction Coordinator role supporting loan documentation creation, negotiation, and government filing of title documents. During these roles Darren spent considerable time working in Brazil. In 2007 he earned his MBA from Auburn University with an emphasis in Finance. From 2007 through 2013 he held sales roles in Florida as an International Account Manager and in Louisiana as a Senior International Account Manager. In 2013 he relocated his family to Singapore to lead the sales efforts as the Asia Pacific Sales Manager. In 2016 he transitioned into the Asia Pacific Marketing Manager. In both of these roles Darren was able to travel extensively throughout Asia to support customers and Caterpillar Dealers. In 2018 he moved his family to Bangkok, Thailand to become the Managing Director for Thailand managing all company operations for sales, credit, customer service, legal, compliance, HR, and reporting. During the start of the pandemic he moved his family back to Nashville, Tennessee where he transitioned in to the Business Excellence Manager for Cat Financial responsible for strategy development and governance, project management, 6 Sigma, Lean, data strategy development and governance, and company resource allocation. Darren’s current responsibilities as the Cat Card Business Excellence and International Development Manager focus on growing business opportunities internationally. 

 

Darren and Sarah were the first couple ever married at the Nashville Tennessee Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in May 2000 and they now have six children ranging in age from 6 to 20 years old. He loves all things outdoors like running, sports, hiking, canoeing, rock climbing, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, and sitting around a camp fire. Hobbies include cheering for UT, Auburn, TN Titans, and the New Orleans Saints, sewing outdoor gear like hammocks and backpacks, ham radios, 4x4 offroading, timing the stock market, keeping up with current events, traveling, and eating delicious food. Most of the time he’s with his family on some adventure when he’s not working.

 

Resources:

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III - Look Down the Road https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/10/57meredith?lang=eng