I didn’t have this plan I will be at
General Motors for 37 years I kept
having great experiences put in front of
me because if you’re trying to decide if
I’m going to do something or not and you
keep putting off the decision you’ve
kind of made the not decision I find
saying I screwed up to be hugely
empowering
what’s up believe nation it’s Evan my
one word is believe and I believe in you
I believe in your potential and I want
to see that thing that you’ve got inside
you explode out into the world to have a
big impact for you your family and the
world so to help you on your journey
today we’re going to learn from the
chairman and CEO of General Motors Mary
Barra and my take on her top ten rules
of success rule number one is my
personal favorite and I’d love to know
which one you guys like the best and as
always guys as you’re watching if you
hear something that really really
resonates to you please leave it down
the comments below and put quotes around
it so other people can be inspired and
when you write it down it’s much more
likely to stick for yourself as well
enjoy
I didn’t have this plan I will be at
General Motors for 37 years I kept
having great experiences put in front of
me they sent me here you know we were
just talking in the back thud when I
first came back from the business school
there had been a lot of change in
turmoil and I didn’t have the best job
and you know wasn’t one of those that I
was passionate about and you know
fortunately in about a year’s period of
time and especially by – the situation
changed and I chose to stay so I always
believed in your career life’s too short
to work for a company or be in a
position that you don’t love now you
know work is work I had this funny text
from my nephew who’s now graduating from
a BBA in business school at Michigan and
it was his first job and he texted me
you know I’m sitting at a computer and
I’ve got to do all this work in
spreadsheets and I and you know so this
you know it kind of was like this isn’t
much fun I said yeah that’s why they
call it work and it’s just you know
you’re gonna have to work and not every
day’s you know you can’t measure your
career on every day but if you find
yourself after six months after a year
that you know working is not challenging
or you don’t enjoy it or you’re not
energized by it you should probably find
something else to do again because
life’s too short and brands are so
important and that’s one thing at the
company we’re making a big investment in
of building our brands but building it
based on substance starting with having
great cars trucks and crossover starting
with having a good relationship when you
interact with the company when you
interact with our dealers because
they’re there our face of the company
and it’s it’s it’s every one of the
things in our value of customer is every
interaction matters and if you really
put the customer at the center and you
look at because what I find with most
customers I mean we you know a car or
truck or crossover has about 3,000 parts
that are integrated with millions and
millions of lines of software and we
have rigorous validation processes and
and they’re improving as we really you
know work to be industry leaders and
having a systems approach to how we put
cars in the road on the
Road but if something happens a customer
a wants you to care once it wants you to
listen wants you to care and would like
you to fix it and it’s really that easy
if you listen you care and you fix it
they will be your you know your best
advocate I one of the stories I tell is
in the early days of the ignition switch
one of the things we said we had done
extensive testing we knew the vehicles
were safe to drive if you just use the
key or a key with just a ring but we
said to him to customers if you are
uncomfortable we will give you a loaner
and so in the early days you know
getting that situated we’re
communicating to all of our dealers
making sure they knew and getting the
loaners I had a customer who was very
upset said you know you you said I could
I could get a loaner I went to my dealer
and they said they don’t have one you
know and and so he sent me a note saying
you know I it was and it was kind of
personal it’s like I’m I hate you and
I’m never gonna buy a General Motors
product again it wasn’t exactly that but
that was the tone and and so I said it
was of course it was on a Friday
afternoon and I went ok and so I called
my head of customer service week you
know and I and I sent the note I sent a
note back to him because I other than
email I didn’t know how to get a hold
him I said could I could I call you
would you would you be willing to share
your phone number and could I give you a
call so minute or two later I get the
phone number I pick up the phone I call
him I listen and I said you know what
you know this is it’s early days and
getting loaners I’m sure there was a
misunderstanding would you give me a
chance to work on this and I immediately
called Elisha Bullard Davis our head of
customer care at that time and by the
next morning we had a car for him and
the next week I got this note I can’t
believe you cared I can’t believe he
talked to me and I can’t believe the
next day I had a I had a loaner and so
and you know said this is you know this
is a company I wanted to be want to be
associated with and so again it’s every
interaction does matter and I think
doing the right things you know putting
technological technologically leading
vehicles and and services
and providing that value to customers
but then if something happens dealing
with it and standing up I think that’s
the only way to build build rebuild
trust no matter what you choose to do in
life pursue it with passion and hard
work in my experience in school and
career at work and at play there are
lots of talented people out there but
talent alone isn’t enough you need
something more one thing that
distinguishes those who really make a
difference in life those who really
contribute is passion and hard work
remember
hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t
work hard so don’t be content to work
around the edges of your profession
don’t wait to be invited to important
meetings or asked to work on crucial
assignments instead do what it takes to
ensure that you’re in the middle of your
business
speak up volunteer show your enthusiasm
knock on doors as an employee your
enthusiasm will make your job more
interesting and get you noticed as a
manager your passion will inspire others
to join your team and work as hard as
you to accomplish great things if we’re
going to compete in a segment in any
market we’re gonna go to win I think
that was a change for General Motors and
frankly the team has rallied around that
because everyone and whatever industry
or business you go to people want to go
and do their best so I feel so much of
what I need to do is just set up the
systems and able the processes and have
the right leadership that our designers
and our engineers and our buyers can go
do the best work they can do every day
and like I said I you know a simple
thing I said there’s no more crappy cars
and that resonates you know is it okay
yeah you’re right I mean I think there
was sometimes so many boundaries put on
them that we we didn’t give them a
recipe for success so now we’re saying
hey no excuses you know I don’t if it’s
budget if it’s resources we have to do
great cars trucks and crossovers and and
it’s our job to enable you to do that
and it’s it’s really been a
transformation you can sometimes get
bogged down in making decisions
I think realizing that every decision
not made is a decision made because if
you’re trying to decide if I’m going to
do something or not and you keep putting
off the decision you’ve kind of made the
not decision and and so you want you
don’t want to be reckless with your
decision-making but you also you want to
be data-driven but also realizing that
there’s many decisions you have to make
where you don’t have perfect data and
you never will and so one of the things
we’re really you know driving in the
company is speed you know how can we
move quickly how can we reduce
bureaucracy and again working with
cruise automation you know one of the
things I have said as I’ve talked to
them is you know don’t accept if the
company because we show up and we want
to help and you know we don’t want to
get in the way of that that company
working but they’ve driven I’d say so
many positive things into the company
about moving with speed and what needs
to be done in a meeting or what can just
be done and so we’re constantly looking
at that because you know being first is
an advantage and so that’s what we’re
really driving getting rid of the waste
making sure we move quickly
you know our leadership team we make
sure that we don’t want to gate
decisions I mean there’s many times
where early global company early in the
morning or late at night we’re on the
phone making a call so we don’t stop
anything and I think the just the
mindset of knowing if them what longer
you take to make a decision again you
have to balance it of what data can you
get and and and maybe be data-driven but
if you just keep postponing something
you really have made a decision and
generally isn’t gonna move your company
forward address challenges head-on I’m
reminded of the plant manager who asked
his lead engineer to explain her hiring
process she said well I fill a bathtub
with water and offer the applicant a
teaspoon a tea cup and a bucket then we
ask him or her to empty the tub I get it
the manager said I’ll go get her we’ll
use the bucket no the engineers said a
go-getter will pull the drain plug
if you have an issue in your life at
work or at home pull the drain plug
address it head-on and with everything
you have address it right away
in my experience it’s much better to get
the right people in a room make a plan
and address that challenge and remember
hope is not a strategy problems don’t go
away when you ignore them they tend to
get bigger
I find saying I screwed up to be hugely
empowering because I’m a type-a
personality and I generally have a point
of view but you know I always tell my
team I will have a point of view and I
might jump out too fast but you know I
always encourage them but if you know
you come with facts or date or a
different opinion you know I’m going to
listen and I think it really reinforces
it when you can say to your team you
know I was thinking about that wrong or
you know what I got that wrong because
we don’t no one does everything right
and so I think when you create that
environment I think it’s the foundation
of a learning environment as well I
think it’s so important and every now
and then you have to remind yourself
about that it’s like you know and at
least I should say I do every now and
then I have to ask some great people
around me who every now and then will
say Mary and I value them because you
know sometimes you get so wrapped up in
what you’re doing or what you’re trying
to get the company to do that you lose
sight so I also say have people around
you who are willing to to pull you aside
every now and then it’s so important so
you have not been at GM as long as your
father but you you basically you you’ve
spent your entire career there that’s
incredibly unusual and so I’m curious
was there ever a moment in time when you
came close to leaving you know I have
had a wonderful career at General Motors
because and I’ve worked in so many
different functions so I I think when I
look back at my career I worked for a
lot of great leaders who really
challenged me and gave me great
opportunities so of course it was
difficult as we went through the
bankruptcy and the restructuring in
there there were moments where you you
know questioned yourself of is this you
know is
the right decision for me but at that
point I’d been at General Motors for
almost 25 years and I knew what the
company was capable of I knew it had
great people and so I wanted to be a
part and they had no idea I’d be in this
role but I just wanted to be a part of
the team that helped you know GM recover
and be the company that I know it can be
and I’m proud of the progress we’re
making but we still have work to do so
you know again when you you know
sometimes you do that soul-searching of
what what is really important to me and
General Motors is very important to me
we you know we employ 220,000 people
around the world we bring products to
market they give people freedom and so
you know of course there’s there were
minutes during that time but I knew
where my heart was conduct yourself with
integrity at all times in every aspect
of your life be honest be fair keep your
promises do what’s right for your family
for your friends for your customers for
your clients for your co-workers for
yourself
remember how you get things done it’s
just as important as getting them done
and remember that your integrity is
priceless when unquestioned but
worthless or worse when it isn’t your
integrity is one of the most valuable
possessions you have protect it
cultivate it wear it with pride one of
the other things is is you obviously why
he considers one of the faces of
successful women in business that
sometimes appears to be an expectation
that that will make you a champion of
women in the workplace is that is that
ever something that’s frustrating or how
do you how do you handle that well I
guess I’d like to be a champion of
people in the workplace
because I believe fundamentally that you
when you you know you’ll have create the
best experience have the best results
when you engage the hearts and minds of
your of your people so I mean that’s the
way I look at it is there you know
clearly if I can be a role model for
young women to want to pursue a career
in stem which i think is so vitally
important or for them to say I’m going
to aspire to do this because I’ve seen
her and she did it so why can’t I and if
I can provide that role model I you know
that that makes me extremely happy I had
in my first year in the job I had
somebody come up to me and said because
of you my daughter has chosen to study
engineering and it was like one of the
best comments you could get and so you
know for sure that that is very
meaningful at General Motors because you
know you can’t say diversity is so
vitally important for the success of our
company and it’s not something that you
could say well I did it and it’s done
it’s something you continually work on a
champion a group of the most senior
women so the top 35 women in the company
but it’s really for me it’s getting them
to say they you know don’t come to me
and tell me everything that’s wrong
you’re a senior person in this company
go go tell me how you’re gonna solve
those problems and what you’re going to
do to make it better and you know we now
meet three to four times a year and work
on what are some of the issues with
women in diversity because what I found
earlier in my career is I worked on
diversity is generally a lot of times
when you solve issues for women you
solve issues for everyone because a lot
of time men have the same issues or you
know if it’s a minority issue or
whatever it is a lot of it can get
solved with with solving the women the
issue that’s termed the woman’s issue
and so I’m dedicated to that but but I
also believe you know it’s if you want
to win the hearts and minds of your
entire team
thank you guys so much for watching I
made this foodie because Anushka asked
me to if there’s something you’d like me
to cover in a future top ten check out
the link in the description and go and
cast your vote I’d also love to know
what did you learn from this video what
lesson really hit home the hardest what
are you going to immediately apply
somehow to your life or to your business
leave it down the comments below I’m
really curious to find out I also want
to give a quick shout out to Jelena of
Stroh Scott thank you so much for
picking up a copy in my book your one
word doing the review putting on your
YouTube channel
I really really appreciate the support
and I’m really happy that you enjoyed
the book I’m super excited to bring a
book review for you about a book that I
finished reading quite recently which is
called your one-word by Evan Carmichael
thank you guys again for watching I
believe in you
I hope you continue to believe in
yourself and whatever your one word is
much love I’ll see you soon
were there ever moments where you felt
like because of your gender you were you
were not being given the same
opportunities or that the people were
not treating you with the same level of
respect that that they might give to a
man you know I would say of course there
there was times it was a benefit there
was times where maybe it was a detriment
but I think overall it balances out and
I think that’s an issue that’s not an
issue for women or you know any
diversity group that’s just life I mean
there’s times where you know you’re what
you bring forward is going to be viewed
more positively and there’s times where
it’s not so that’s the way I which which
is a which is a great way to look at it
so the I guess to help the audience
because they’re going to be moving
through these careers what do you do
when when someone treats you that way
that that you feel like they’re there
limiting you they’re keeping you on the
sidelines in some way relative to what
you could provide in terms of talent
well I think first of all assume
goodness assume if somebody says
something or does something that you say
wow that that guy if I choose to I can
interpret that and I can get really
angry about that and I can be wowed they
don’t they don’t value a woman or they
don’t value this or they don’t value
that and so my first is to extend into a
sus intent because sometimes people we
all come from a different background and
we have different learning and different
perceptions so it may just be that you
know they have a perception and and it’s
not it’s not personal it’s not about me
so I think then often there’s an
opportunity to have a conversation you
know there are times where you have to
stand up for yourself and go have that
conversation that you may think is a
little difficult but anything so you
have to do that and I think having a
great relationship with mentors or with
your supervisor that you can say hey you
know I understand this opportunities
available am i in consideration if not
why not and sometimes you may think you
are but you get an answer where you know
you really do need to do some other
things sometimes that’s like hey you
know what I didn’t think you were
interested so I think you have to be
your own advocate but I think it starts
with you know a lot of times if there’s
a there’s something that you can
perceive as negative and really it’s a
conversation a way of really
to understanding I think in our school
from you know fifth grade on I loved
math and science and so it was very
natural for me to want to go into those
I wasn’t quite sure what I was gonna do
with it at one point when I was headed
to college I was just simply gonna major
in math because I really enjoyed that
and then you know found that a career in
engineering really applied math and so
it seemed to make a lot of sense and
then automotive is it’s kind of in my
blood I grew up in southeastern Michigan
my dad was a dye maker at General Motors
for about 39 years so you know from the
days where you stood outside the
dealerships looking to see the new
vehicles that was kind of how I was
raised so it seemed very natural to go
into the auto industry know it could be
the CEO of this company some day I
stayed focused on the job I was doing I
bet you know that sincerely I’m serious
and I think sometimes you know in
industry people are too focused on the
next job as opposed to their job the job
they’re really doing it that’s been my
focus I’ve never approached it from that
perspective I’ve just you know go in
work hard do what needs to be done build
a strong team what does it say to the
American auto industry and the American
people to see a woman on top when I
started here 33 years ago it had no idea
this is this is the role I would be
playing but I approached every position
like I was going to do it for the rest
of my life so I think that’s a very
strong message about hard work pays off
[Music]
if you have to think of one word that’s
most important to you or that sums you
Apple that would be like a little beacon
pay believe nation if you want to know
what the most important one word is for
Tony Robbins Gary Vaynerchuk Oprah
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[Music]
General Motors for 37 years I kept
having great experiences put in front of
me because if you’re trying to decide if
I’m going to do something or not and you
keep putting off the decision you’ve
kind of made the not decision I find
saying I screwed up to be hugely
empowering
what’s up believe nation it’s Evan my
one word is believe and I believe in you
I believe in your potential and I want
to see that thing that you’ve got inside
you explode out into the world to have a
big impact for you your family and the
world so to help you on your journey
today we’re going to learn from the
chairman and CEO of General Motors Mary
Barra and my take on her top ten rules
of success rule number one is my
personal favorite and I’d love to know
which one you guys like the best and as
always guys as you’re watching if you
hear something that really really
resonates to you please leave it down
the comments below and put quotes around
it so other people can be inspired and
when you write it down it’s much more
likely to stick for yourself as well
enjoy
I didn’t have this plan I will be at
General Motors for 37 years I kept
having great experiences put in front of
me they sent me here you know we were
just talking in the back thud when I
first came back from the business school
there had been a lot of change in
turmoil and I didn’t have the best job
and you know wasn’t one of those that I
was passionate about and you know
fortunately in about a year’s period of
time and especially by – the situation
changed and I chose to stay so I always
believed in your career life’s too short
to work for a company or be in a
position that you don’t love now you
know work is work I had this funny text
from my nephew who’s now graduating from
a BBA in business school at Michigan and
it was his first job and he texted me
you know I’m sitting at a computer and
I’ve got to do all this work in
spreadsheets and I and you know so this
you know it kind of was like this isn’t
much fun I said yeah that’s why they
call it work and it’s just you know
you’re gonna have to work and not every
day’s you know you can’t measure your
career on every day but if you find
yourself after six months after a year
that you know working is not challenging
or you don’t enjoy it or you’re not
energized by it you should probably find
something else to do again because
life’s too short and brands are so
important and that’s one thing at the
company we’re making a big investment in
of building our brands but building it
based on substance starting with having
great cars trucks and crossover starting
with having a good relationship when you
interact with the company when you
interact with our dealers because
they’re there our face of the company
and it’s it’s it’s every one of the
things in our value of customer is every
interaction matters and if you really
put the customer at the center and you
look at because what I find with most
customers I mean we you know a car or
truck or crossover has about 3,000 parts
that are integrated with millions and
millions of lines of software and we
have rigorous validation processes and
and they’re improving as we really you
know work to be industry leaders and
having a systems approach to how we put
cars in the road on the
Road but if something happens a customer
a wants you to care once it wants you to
listen wants you to care and would like
you to fix it and it’s really that easy
if you listen you care and you fix it
they will be your you know your best
advocate I one of the stories I tell is
in the early days of the ignition switch
one of the things we said we had done
extensive testing we knew the vehicles
were safe to drive if you just use the
key or a key with just a ring but we
said to him to customers if you are
uncomfortable we will give you a loaner
and so in the early days you know
getting that situated we’re
communicating to all of our dealers
making sure they knew and getting the
loaners I had a customer who was very
upset said you know you you said I could
I could get a loaner I went to my dealer
and they said they don’t have one you
know and and so he sent me a note saying
you know I it was and it was kind of
personal it’s like I’m I hate you and
I’m never gonna buy a General Motors
product again it wasn’t exactly that but
that was the tone and and so I said it
was of course it was on a Friday
afternoon and I went ok and so I called
my head of customer service week you
know and I and I sent the note I sent a
note back to him because I other than
email I didn’t know how to get a hold
him I said could I could I call you
would you would you be willing to share
your phone number and could I give you a
call so minute or two later I get the
phone number I pick up the phone I call
him I listen and I said you know what
you know this is it’s early days and
getting loaners I’m sure there was a
misunderstanding would you give me a
chance to work on this and I immediately
called Elisha Bullard Davis our head of
customer care at that time and by the
next morning we had a car for him and
the next week I got this note I can’t
believe you cared I can’t believe he
talked to me and I can’t believe the
next day I had a I had a loaner and so
and you know said this is you know this
is a company I wanted to be want to be
associated with and so again it’s every
interaction does matter and I think
doing the right things you know putting
technological technologically leading
vehicles and and services
and providing that value to customers
but then if something happens dealing
with it and standing up I think that’s
the only way to build build rebuild
trust no matter what you choose to do in
life pursue it with passion and hard
work in my experience in school and
career at work and at play there are
lots of talented people out there but
talent alone isn’t enough you need
something more one thing that
distinguishes those who really make a
difference in life those who really
contribute is passion and hard work
remember
hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t
work hard so don’t be content to work
around the edges of your profession
don’t wait to be invited to important
meetings or asked to work on crucial
assignments instead do what it takes to
ensure that you’re in the middle of your
business
speak up volunteer show your enthusiasm
knock on doors as an employee your
enthusiasm will make your job more
interesting and get you noticed as a
manager your passion will inspire others
to join your team and work as hard as
you to accomplish great things if we’re
going to compete in a segment in any
market we’re gonna go to win I think
that was a change for General Motors and
frankly the team has rallied around that
because everyone and whatever industry
or business you go to people want to go
and do their best so I feel so much of
what I need to do is just set up the
systems and able the processes and have
the right leadership that our designers
and our engineers and our buyers can go
do the best work they can do every day
and like I said I you know a simple
thing I said there’s no more crappy cars
and that resonates you know is it okay
yeah you’re right I mean I think there
was sometimes so many boundaries put on
them that we we didn’t give them a
recipe for success so now we’re saying
hey no excuses you know I don’t if it’s
budget if it’s resources we have to do
great cars trucks and crossovers and and
it’s our job to enable you to do that
and it’s it’s really been a
transformation you can sometimes get
bogged down in making decisions
I think realizing that every decision
not made is a decision made because if
you’re trying to decide if I’m going to
do something or not and you keep putting
off the decision you’ve kind of made the
not decision and and so you want you
don’t want to be reckless with your
decision-making but you also you want to
be data-driven but also realizing that
there’s many decisions you have to make
where you don’t have perfect data and
you never will and so one of the things
we’re really you know driving in the
company is speed you know how can we
move quickly how can we reduce
bureaucracy and again working with
cruise automation you know one of the
things I have said as I’ve talked to
them is you know don’t accept if the
company because we show up and we want
to help and you know we don’t want to
get in the way of that that company
working but they’ve driven I’d say so
many positive things into the company
about moving with speed and what needs
to be done in a meeting or what can just
be done and so we’re constantly looking
at that because you know being first is
an advantage and so that’s what we’re
really driving getting rid of the waste
making sure we move quickly
you know our leadership team we make
sure that we don’t want to gate
decisions I mean there’s many times
where early global company early in the
morning or late at night we’re on the
phone making a call so we don’t stop
anything and I think the just the
mindset of knowing if them what longer
you take to make a decision again you
have to balance it of what data can you
get and and and maybe be data-driven but
if you just keep postponing something
you really have made a decision and
generally isn’t gonna move your company
forward address challenges head-on I’m
reminded of the plant manager who asked
his lead engineer to explain her hiring
process she said well I fill a bathtub
with water and offer the applicant a
teaspoon a tea cup and a bucket then we
ask him or her to empty the tub I get it
the manager said I’ll go get her we’ll
use the bucket no the engineers said a
go-getter will pull the drain plug
if you have an issue in your life at
work or at home pull the drain plug
address it head-on and with everything
you have address it right away
in my experience it’s much better to get
the right people in a room make a plan
and address that challenge and remember
hope is not a strategy problems don’t go
away when you ignore them they tend to
get bigger
I find saying I screwed up to be hugely
empowering because I’m a type-a
personality and I generally have a point
of view but you know I always tell my
team I will have a point of view and I
might jump out too fast but you know I
always encourage them but if you know
you come with facts or date or a
different opinion you know I’m going to
listen and I think it really reinforces
it when you can say to your team you
know I was thinking about that wrong or
you know what I got that wrong because
we don’t no one does everything right
and so I think when you create that
environment I think it’s the foundation
of a learning environment as well I
think it’s so important and every now
and then you have to remind yourself
about that it’s like you know and at
least I should say I do every now and
then I have to ask some great people
around me who every now and then will
say Mary and I value them because you
know sometimes you get so wrapped up in
what you’re doing or what you’re trying
to get the company to do that you lose
sight so I also say have people around
you who are willing to to pull you aside
every now and then it’s so important so
you have not been at GM as long as your
father but you you basically you you’ve
spent your entire career there that’s
incredibly unusual and so I’m curious
was there ever a moment in time when you
came close to leaving you know I have
had a wonderful career at General Motors
because and I’ve worked in so many
different functions so I I think when I
look back at my career I worked for a
lot of great leaders who really
challenged me and gave me great
opportunities so of course it was
difficult as we went through the
bankruptcy and the restructuring in
there there were moments where you you
know questioned yourself of is this you
know is
the right decision for me but at that
point I’d been at General Motors for
almost 25 years and I knew what the
company was capable of I knew it had
great people and so I wanted to be a
part and they had no idea I’d be in this
role but I just wanted to be a part of
the team that helped you know GM recover
and be the company that I know it can be
and I’m proud of the progress we’re
making but we still have work to do so
you know again when you you know
sometimes you do that soul-searching of
what what is really important to me and
General Motors is very important to me
we you know we employ 220,000 people
around the world we bring products to
market they give people freedom and so
you know of course there’s there were
minutes during that time but I knew
where my heart was conduct yourself with
integrity at all times in every aspect
of your life be honest be fair keep your
promises do what’s right for your family
for your friends for your customers for
your clients for your co-workers for
yourself
remember how you get things done it’s
just as important as getting them done
and remember that your integrity is
priceless when unquestioned but
worthless or worse when it isn’t your
integrity is one of the most valuable
possessions you have protect it
cultivate it wear it with pride one of
the other things is is you obviously why
he considers one of the faces of
successful women in business that
sometimes appears to be an expectation
that that will make you a champion of
women in the workplace is that is that
ever something that’s frustrating or how
do you how do you handle that well I
guess I’d like to be a champion of
people in the workplace
because I believe fundamentally that you
when you you know you’ll have create the
best experience have the best results
when you engage the hearts and minds of
your of your people so I mean that’s the
way I look at it is there you know
clearly if I can be a role model for
young women to want to pursue a career
in stem which i think is so vitally
important or for them to say I’m going
to aspire to do this because I’ve seen
her and she did it so why can’t I and if
I can provide that role model I you know
that that makes me extremely happy I had
in my first year in the job I had
somebody come up to me and said because
of you my daughter has chosen to study
engineering and it was like one of the
best comments you could get and so you
know for sure that that is very
meaningful at General Motors because you
know you can’t say diversity is so
vitally important for the success of our
company and it’s not something that you
could say well I did it and it’s done
it’s something you continually work on a
champion a group of the most senior
women so the top 35 women in the company
but it’s really for me it’s getting them
to say they you know don’t come to me
and tell me everything that’s wrong
you’re a senior person in this company
go go tell me how you’re gonna solve
those problems and what you’re going to
do to make it better and you know we now
meet three to four times a year and work
on what are some of the issues with
women in diversity because what I found
earlier in my career is I worked on
diversity is generally a lot of times
when you solve issues for women you
solve issues for everyone because a lot
of time men have the same issues or you
know if it’s a minority issue or
whatever it is a lot of it can get
solved with with solving the women the
issue that’s termed the woman’s issue
and so I’m dedicated to that but but I
also believe you know it’s if you want
to win the hearts and minds of your
entire team
thank you guys so much for watching I
made this foodie because Anushka asked
me to if there’s something you’d like me
to cover in a future top ten check out
the link in the description and go and
cast your vote I’d also love to know
what did you learn from this video what
lesson really hit home the hardest what
are you going to immediately apply
somehow to your life or to your business
leave it down the comments below I’m
really curious to find out I also want
to give a quick shout out to Jelena of
Stroh Scott thank you so much for
picking up a copy in my book your one
word doing the review putting on your
YouTube channel
I really really appreciate the support
and I’m really happy that you enjoyed
the book I’m super excited to bring a
book review for you about a book that I
finished reading quite recently which is
called your one-word by Evan Carmichael
thank you guys again for watching I
believe in you
I hope you continue to believe in
yourself and whatever your one word is
much love I’ll see you soon
were there ever moments where you felt
like because of your gender you were you
were not being given the same
opportunities or that the people were
not treating you with the same level of
respect that that they might give to a
man you know I would say of course there
there was times it was a benefit there
was times where maybe it was a detriment
but I think overall it balances out and
I think that’s an issue that’s not an
issue for women or you know any
diversity group that’s just life I mean
there’s times where you know you’re what
you bring forward is going to be viewed
more positively and there’s times where
it’s not so that’s the way I which which
is a which is a great way to look at it
so the I guess to help the audience
because they’re going to be moving
through these careers what do you do
when when someone treats you that way
that that you feel like they’re there
limiting you they’re keeping you on the
sidelines in some way relative to what
you could provide in terms of talent
well I think first of all assume
goodness assume if somebody says
something or does something that you say
wow that that guy if I choose to I can
interpret that and I can get really
angry about that and I can be wowed they
don’t they don’t value a woman or they
don’t value this or they don’t value
that and so my first is to extend into a
sus intent because sometimes people we
all come from a different background and
we have different learning and different
perceptions so it may just be that you
know they have a perception and and it’s
not it’s not personal it’s not about me
so I think then often there’s an
opportunity to have a conversation you
know there are times where you have to
stand up for yourself and go have that
conversation that you may think is a
little difficult but anything so you
have to do that and I think having a
great relationship with mentors or with
your supervisor that you can say hey you
know I understand this opportunities
available am i in consideration if not
why not and sometimes you may think you
are but you get an answer where you know
you really do need to do some other
things sometimes that’s like hey you
know what I didn’t think you were
interested so I think you have to be
your own advocate but I think it starts
with you know a lot of times if there’s
a there’s something that you can
perceive as negative and really it’s a
conversation a way of really
to understanding I think in our school
from you know fifth grade on I loved
math and science and so it was very
natural for me to want to go into those
I wasn’t quite sure what I was gonna do
with it at one point when I was headed
to college I was just simply gonna major
in math because I really enjoyed that
and then you know found that a career in
engineering really applied math and so
it seemed to make a lot of sense and
then automotive is it’s kind of in my
blood I grew up in southeastern Michigan
my dad was a dye maker at General Motors
for about 39 years so you know from the
days where you stood outside the
dealerships looking to see the new
vehicles that was kind of how I was
raised so it seemed very natural to go
into the auto industry know it could be
the CEO of this company some day I
stayed focused on the job I was doing I
bet you know that sincerely I’m serious
and I think sometimes you know in
industry people are too focused on the
next job as opposed to their job the job
they’re really doing it that’s been my
focus I’ve never approached it from that
perspective I’ve just you know go in
work hard do what needs to be done build
a strong team what does it say to the
American auto industry and the American
people to see a woman on top when I
started here 33 years ago it had no idea
this is this is the role I would be
playing but I approached every position
like I was going to do it for the rest
of my life so I think that’s a very
strong message about hard work pays off
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