Mellody Hobson's advice to women leaders: Have an opinion, hold your ideas lightly and speak your truth

If you haven't read Sally Blount's article on getting more women into the c-suite, read it NOW! :)  It is fabulous and thought provoking and I hope every leader embraces the advice Sally has given.

In this video, Sally interviews Mellody Hobson, the President of Ariel Investments. Mellody has covered a gamut of topics (including some funny conversations with her husband, George Lucas) but there were some points she made that stayed with me long after I finished watching the video.  I've jotted down some of them below.  Also, even though I have looked at this from a 'women in leadership' angle, the points below apply to every person in a leadership position or aspiring to be in one.

1. Have an original idea and be willing to speak it: Mellody got some advice early on in her career: "You're going to be in the room with people who have big titles and make a lot of money but it does NOT mean your ideas are not as good...it is now up to you to make sure you speak them and not be intimidated by the room...make sure you speak your truth."

2. Hold your ideas lightly: As leaders, sometimes you can get used to always being right. You can get so bought into your own idea, it becomes hard for others around the table to challenge you.  Watch the video for how Mellody talks about holding your idea.  Make it acceptable (and even encourage people) to challenge your ideas to avoid the group think mentality and ensure THE best idea wins, not just YOUR best idea.

3. Always have curiosity and a thirst for learning: This is a recurring topic you will see come up on this blog.  I love this quote about learning, "The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice."  Always make the choice to learn.

4. The only way to walk in a blizzard is to watch your feet.  If you do anything else, you will fall: Mellody talks about this sage advice from her husband, George Lucas, on how to persevere in the face of adversity.  There has never been a time in my life when grit has not served me well.  Keep moving, keep doing what you need to do and the blizzard will ultimately clear.

5. Don't be color blind, be color brave: "If you looked at the ExxonMobil board and it was all black, you would say, 'what is up with that?'  I want you to look at an all white board and have the exact same thought.  Or you walk into an all white room and have the exact same thought"  This concept of 'color brave' can manifest itself in many ways. When you see your marketing campaign and every single person in the pictures looks homogeneous, when you see a team that has men and women but the leaders are all men, when your intern class has no international students...for the time being, we need to actively seek diversity till it becomes the new normal.

I want my daughter to work in a world without a glass ceiling and I take the role I play in that future very seriously.  Use the advice above in your day to day life but also pass it on to other women who might need the extra push to make sure we are collectively learning from each other.