In this episode, Deborah Gordon, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, and Chief Legal Officer for Memorial Hermann Health System, discusses her career journey and becoming an authentic leader. Deborah explores issues that many women leaders face, including building an executive brand, overcoming imposter syndrome and investing in your own personal and professional development. Discussion Questions: · How are you actively working to evolve your personal brand? · What are some examples of authentic leadership that you have observed recently? · What do you tell yourself/others you mentor to help overcome feelings of imposter syndrome? · How can you find ways to connect with your community and reap the benefits of those networks and new opportunities? HIGHLIGHTS: The Opportunities and Challenges of Working in the Healthcare Industry [4:27] Expanding into New Roles [8:57] Executive Brands are Always Evolving [12:09] Finding Your Authentic Self as a Leader [14:06] Overcoming Imposter Syndrome [17:42] How to Step Up as a Leader [20:34] The Benefit of Bi-Directional Relationships [23:18] Connecting with the Community [31:40] Comments? Email us at leadingwomenexecutives@corporateleadership.org Learn more about Events & Resources

There are many benefits to serving on a not-for-profit board, including helping to fulfill an organization’s mission, expanding your skillset and broadening your network. Finding the right fit and understanding the expectations of Board membership is important to ensure an optimal experience. In this episode, Leading Women Executives Fellows Aimee Nolan and Sara Granack discuss their experiences serving on not-for-profit Boards, and how they have benefitted by serving as civic leaders. Aimee is Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Chief IP Counsel at Grainger, and currently serves as the Board Chair for the Alzheimer’s Association, Illinois Chapter (Leading Women Executives, Spring 2014). Sara is Vice President, Corporate Communication & Reputation at CDW, and is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors for Bernie’s Book Bank (Leading Women Executives, Spring 2015). Discussion Questions: · What issues would you like to make an impact on outside of work? · What types of non-profits align with those issues? · Who in your network could help you get connected to non-profits that focus on these issues? · What professional skills might a non-profit Board help you build? HIGHLIGHTS: About Bernie’s Book Bank and the Alzheimer’s Association [9:06] The Inspiration to Get Involved [12:27] Doing Your Research – What You Need to Understand [16:08] Getting Started: How to Get Involved [20:06] Opportunities to Develop New Skills [22:54] Expanding Your Network Through Board Service [25:30] Understanding the Expectations of Being a Board Member [27:31] Comments? Email us at leadingwomenexecutives@corporateleadership.org

In this inaugural episode of Season 4, Mary Ann Korenic, CEO of The Chicago Trust Company at Wintrust Wealth Management, shares her leadership and life journey. Having faced numerous personal and professional hardships, Mary Ann shares her perspectives on facing adversity and discusses how these challenges forced her to persevere and ultimately, conquer new summits. Discussion Questions: · How are you pushing yourself to not have to be in every meeting and step away from some of the details to allow yourself time to focus on more strategic issues? · Can you think of a situation where you might have achieved a better outcome if you had used the 'power of the pause'? · How are you taking care of your own health and well-being, and how are you modeling that for your team so that they also make their health a priority? · Where might there be an opportunity for you to tap someone on the shoulder and offer them a stretch opportunity? HIGHLIGHTS: The Path to Becoming CEO [2:15] Skills Executive Leaders Need [7:23] Learning to Be Better, Not Bitter [9:35] Facing Health Challenges [12:00] Persevering Through the Impossible [13:58] Career Summits: Helping Others to Grow and Lead [17:00] The Benefits of Board Service [19:46] Don’t Call Them “Resolutions”…Call Them “Continual Improvements” [23:24] Comments? Email us at leadingwomenexecutives@corporateleadership.org

In this episode, Deb DeHaas, CEO of Corporate Leadership Center, talks with Michelle Banks as she discusses her career journey and the key inflection points that led her to her current role as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Kohl’s. Michelle articulates the many ways that Kohl’s is working to surpass its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion goals across the key pillars of people, community, and customers. She also highlights the valuable role Kohl’s Business Resource Groups (BRGs) serve, bringing diverse perspectives and strategic ideas to the table, and championing a culture of inclusion and belonging. HIGHLIGHTS: Driving Results Through People [6:59] How Kohl’s is Achieving its DEI Goals [8:29] Creating a More Inclusive Culture [11:25] Leveraging the Voice of Business Resource Groups [12:28] Connecting with Diverse Customers [16:17] Supporting Supplier Diversity [18:56] Engaging the Board of Directors in Achieving DEI Goals [24:03] Comments? Email us at leadingwomenexecutives@corporateleadership.org  

Finding one’s leadership voice and style is never easy, and for women of color, it can be particularly challenging. Often women of color find themselves facing social and cultural constraints as the “firsts” in corporate leadership roles and feel pressured to conform in order to advance in their careers. In this episode, Valerie Purdie Greenaway, Professor of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University and Leading Women Executives faculty member, and Deepa Purushothaman, Co-Founder of nFormation and the author of The First, The Few, The Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America, discuss their research on the challenges of being a woman of color in business, and how companies can help to mitigate these issues. HIGHLIGHTS: Negotiations as a Form of Social Justice [3:30] Finding Patterns in the Experiences of Women of Color [5:34] The Challenges of Corporate America [7:35] Creating Environments for Women of Color to Thrive [11:30] Negotiate for What You Need and What You Want [16:21] The Lonely Only Trap [20:30] Strategies and Words of Wisdom [26:12] Comments? Email us at leadingwomenexecutives@corporateleadership.org