What Epic Mentors Want Global Girls to Know - Graduation Edition Part I
With graduation season fully upon us and commencement counsel coming at us fast, it is a joy to look back to The Epic Mentor Guide - Être's second book where global girls posed career questions to 180 rockstar leaders - and revisit advice conveyed to girls by women who know.
Women who have been in the trenches and atop Olympic podiums.
Women who have founded companies, walked catwalks and orbited to space.
Women who remember what it feels like to stand in the next gen's shoes, and want to whisper insider advice that helps them run towards bright futures.
Women like these.
This week starts a series of a dozen mentor moments taken straight from the book; the first six are below and the rest will follow next Monday. All 180 women in The Epic Mentor Guide shared wise words worthy of a commencement address - here are just a few of our favorites.
Amy Corbett on advancing brick by brick at LEGO.
Être girls asked: How do you use your engineering degree in your job at LEGO, and what would you tell creative girls today about finding jobs that combine their interests in engineering, play, and design?
"The greatest tool you can ever equip yourself with is creativity. It may seem small, but when you train it, it can give you the confidence to take on even the biggest challenge. I never dreamed my studies in engineering and design would take me where they have, but there are so many awesome jobs out there if you take a look around, so dream big and find something that makes you smile every day!" - Amy Corbett, Senior Design Manager and Product Lead at the LEGO Group
Tyra Banks on OVER-PREPARING for every single meeting.
Être girls asked: Why is it so important to be really prepared, or even over-prepared, for every single meeting?
"If you’re prepared, you’ll be less nervous. If you’re prepared, you won’t waste your or others’ time. If you’re prepared, you’ll do your best. If you’re prepared, you’ll impress." —Tyra Banks, Entrepreneur and Supermodel
Angela Duckworth on getting your GRIT together.
Être girls asked: Does “grit” have different definitions, depending on how old you are, and is grit the most important skill to have when starting first jobs?
"Grit is probably not as important as honesty, but it is important. A young adult who is gritty is eagerly pursuing career options that align with their developing interests and values, and does so with a daily dedication to feedback and improvement, and resilience in the face of (inevitable) setbacks." — Angela Duckworth, Founder and CEO of The Character Lab Author of GRIT, and Professor at the University of Pennsylvania
Hoda Kotb on STAYING RESILIENT in the face of challenges.
Être girls asked: How did you stay resilient and persistent in the face of obstacles in your life and career (even when people wanted you to change the spelling of your name), and what is one thing you want girls entering the workforce to know about those traits?
"The key to being successful in the workplace is to surround yourself only with positive people. I love the quote, ‘You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.’ This is true in the workplace too. Choose wisely . . . Don’t hang around the gossips, or the negative people; find the people who are kind. And do not listen to anyone who says you can’t be both nice and successful. It’s not true. You can be deeply kind and wildly successful. The other important factor is to never quit. It sounds basic, but there is an open road ahead. So many people will drop out, as they cannot handle the long hours, the difficult assignments, and moving from city to city. If you just hang in there, you will find your long runway awaits." — Hoda Kotb, Co-Anchor of TODAY at NBCUniversal and Co-Host of TODAY with Hoda & Jenna
Kara Goldin on TAKING A HINT and going from inexperienced to empire.
Être girls asked: How did you find the courage to go from one small idea to an empire? In other words, how did you first become “undaunted”?
"There are endless reasons why new beverage companies fail, but when a Coke exec dismissed my idea for an unsweetened flavored water, I realized that I could build a new category that was focused on helping people get healthy. The big guys were so focused on sweet drinks that they couldn’t imagine selling an unsweetened flavored water. There was a window of time where I could build it. I had to do it. It was my mission. It was my purpose." — Kara Goldin, Founder and CEO of Hint Inc. and Author of UNDAUNTED
Dylan Lauren on DOING THE UNEXPECTED and opening a candy store.
Être girls asked: There are probably a lot of people who expected you to go into fashion and design given your art background; where did you find the courage to do the unexpected and start a candy empire?
"I’m happy that I’ve been able to create a lifestyle brand and retail-tainment experience that merges fashion, art, and pop culture with candy. I have enjoyed designing delicious edible products as well as candy-shaped and color-inspired items from beauty products, handbags, toys, and apparel to dinnerware, stationery, and beyond! My ambition and faith in being an entrepreneur continue to grow with the support and grounding influence of my close family and lifelong friends. Their infectious positivity, mentorship, and encouragement of me to follow my gut has been instrumental in how I have followed my dreams and developed Dylan's Candy Bar." - Dylan Lauren, CEO of Dylan's Candy Bar
Follow your gut. Find your mission.
Stay resilient and don't quit.
Get your grit together and over-prepare.
Equip yourself with creativity...it leads to confidence.
Pieces of advice that would make any commencement address sing and could pave a career path for global girls to walk down...hard-earned diplomas in hand.
Stay tuned for more epic mentor advice in Part II of our graduation series next week; we couldn't be prouder of the Class of 2024 and are honored to share the words of these leaders with you. We can't wait to see what you do next.
Looking forward,
Illana
ÊXTRAS: Three other Être Board members in The Epic Mentor Guide whose words you won’t want to miss: Atoya Burleson on launching a game-changing podcast, Audrey Sherman on protecting your ideas with a patent, and Beth O'Connell on owning your career and your worth.
