Wow, what a great event the Boston Chamber sponsored this morning at the Four Seasons Boston. I go to a lot of networking events and breakfast seminars as part my "ambassador" role for Hollister, but this was truly a great event that I feel made a big impact on those in the room. The topic entitled "Discover Your CEO Brand" featured panelists including Suzanne Bates, author of the aforementioned book title, Kip Hollister, CEO of Hollister staffing, Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Contact, and Chef Barbara Lynch, CEO of Barbara Lynch Gruppo. The panel clearly featured women leaders from all different walks of life and industries and also spoke to a room full of women (and a couple of men) from extreme backgrounds, education, and upbringing. Hollister had the pleasure of inviting several of our firm's current clients as well as some prospective clients who we thought would get a lot of value out of attending. Suzanne Bates moderated the panel which was set in a "fireside" environment. Suzanne asked each of the panelists what challenges they've faced in their careers and how they've battled through them, how important are values to an organization, what are your values, and how have you used your values to impact the bottom line of your company.
What was truly inspiring and always a great reminder for a 24 year old like myself with just a couple years of experience, was that each person on the panel described major challenges and roadblocks they've faced at some point in their careers. The best part? They all identify those roadblocks as being major turning points... for the better! Kip Hollister sited the 3 recessions she's experienced since Hollister's doors opened in 1988. She even went as far to say that she was grateful for each recession because it made her business stronger, evolved herself and her people for the better, and aligned her back to the core of her value system. Chef Barbara Lynch told the audience she never graduated high school. She is 100% self-taught as a chef and has literally built her brand and her restaurants from complete ground zero. Gail Goodman sited the tech bust of 2000 and reflected back on a time when she didn't think the company would survive. When I hear these kinds of stories, I always relate them back to myself, my generation, and expectations I have of myself. I think sometimes Generation Y can fall into a habit of wanting success fast and easy. Or at least fast. But as the panelists continued their chat, it got me thinking that everyone gets their start somewhere, and even if there are bumps in the road which there inevitably will be, as long as you stay true to yourself and your core, you will be successful.
One of the best things Gail Goodman mentioned was the importance of being involved in a peer mentor group. She cites this group, not her coworkers, not her board, not her spouse, but this one group as having the single biggest impact on her career, and ultimately Constant Contact's success. Gail suggested that every person have an outlet where they can openly discuss their fears, their failures, their success stories, or their ideas, no matter how crazy they sound. I echo Gail's suggestion and truly believe that having a mentor, if you don't already have one, should be at the top of your to-do list. As a young woman in business, it's extremely important for me to have someone that I can relate to who has been in my shoes and can guide me towards smart decisions. As we can all attest, the daily grind can sometimes be.. well a grind! So, having a successful, dynamic, enthusiastic woman leader to help keep my eye on the ball is so wildly important.
Finally, the panel emphasized the importance of not only having values, but communicating those values to every single employee, no matter how big the company. Both Kip and Gail said that each employee should know what the company stands for and why. Gail said that "customer delight" was their number one value. Chef Lynch said the number one value she espouses is "passion". Kip said "integrity". They attributed these values as being the number one catalyst to building the entire company's culture. I mean, if these are their values, how could they not be successful? In a world where everything is fast and easy, it's really a delight to come across three women leaders who are going against the grain and building brands around excellence in business and in self. They also all agreed that it was this going against the grain mindset that has in fact grown their bottom line and impacted them tremendously economically. Of course we are all here to make money, but I so loved when Kip said, "If your company and your people are aligned in excellence and in purpose, money will follow" because that to me means real success. Again, what a fantastic event and something I was truly honored to be a part of. Until next time..
Stay classy,
-M
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