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Amy Fortney, PMP
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2.27k
Business Strategist & Fractional COO. Doer.
07/21/20 at 1:59PM UTC
in
Management

Who is your Corporate Heroine?

To be clear, I'm not speaking of a mentor. A mentor is someone you know who can work with you personally to help you shape your career and reach your professional or personal goals. Kudos and gratitude to those who mentor (I had some great ones and I strive to be one), but I'm asking about the one woman in business who you'd do anything to have coffee with. Your Corporate Heroine. I define a Corporate Heroine as a woman who has risen to the top of her industry, blazing trails that women AND men can follow. Whose path are you trying to follow? Unfortunately, I don't think we have enough of these women in the spotlight and I'm interested in reading about your choices for Corporate Heroine and why her outlook, leadership, accomplishments, and story resonate with you. What would you ask her if you could? As for me, my Corporate Heroine is Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX. (I'm in Operations.) Gwynne joined the team when there were less than a dozen employees and was selling rocket launches before there was a rocket to launch. Since then, she has been Elon's secret weapon, creating a culture of efficiency and excellence that I am always hungry to know more about. Recent articles show that she is working to improve diversity and inclusion at the company, engaging employees on their experiences and setting clear expectations for behaviors and values. Speaking with an employee, I've been told that she's an amazing and consistent leader. If you watch their launch broadcasts, female engineers are front and center in key roles. I've been inside their doors to see women building the rockets and directing work. I love that their work has been invested with so much meaning and importance, inspiring children. Most recently, Gwynne and the SpaceX team were the first to return astronauts to space from American soil after the close of the shuttle program. Just yesterday they relaunched the same booster from that historic launch, turning it around in record time, and caught both fairing halves using two big net ships while landing the booster on a drone ship! The bold visions may be Elon Musk's, and certainly Gwynne doesn't do this alone, but she is the captain of that ship with the day-to-day work. My hat is off to her and having the opportunity to learn anything from her would be a professional highlight. Alright, your turn to comment! Finally, if you don't already have a Corporate Heroine, perhaps take a look at some of the comments here and find yours. Best wishes on your professional journey!

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Maura Danehey
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27
07/22/20 at 5:33PM UTC
I'll shout out Amy Poehler and Tina Fey here, while I continue to think thoughtfully about this great question.
Amy Fortney, PMP
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2.27k
Business Strategist & Fractional COO. Doer.
07/28/20 at 6:15PM UTC
I love this choice! I would absolutely consider them to be heroines and champions of women in their industry and for anyone. Have you thought more about it?
Evelyn Chennault
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20
07/22/20 at 1:04AM UTC
Well, she's not in corporate America, but my heroine is Mashama Bailey, chef of The Grey in Savannah. I became aware of her while watching the show, Chef's Table on Netflix. Like her, I went to college and entered the corporate world at my parent's insistence because they felt that my keen interest in cooking would have me working menial jobs. She got fired from her first job out of college when she then decided to pursue her passion for cooking. She's become a James Beard Award recipient. I look back and wish that I had the guts to do what she did when I was younger. I really hope I get to eat at her restaurant and meet her.
Amy Fortney, PMP
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2.27k
Business Strategist & Fractional COO. Doer.
07/28/20 at 6:14PM UTC
I love this, Evelyn! I agree that our heroes don't need to be from large corporations. I so often wish I knew then what I know now about my likes, skills, and potential. I would have taken a more direct route to where I am today. I also think it's never too late to do something new. I hope you get to have some of her food soon!
Kathleen Beeman
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182
Empowering people-centric leadership.
07/21/20 at 4:19PM UTC
Mine is somewhat weird, but I love Bethenny Frankel. I want to be more of a straight shooter and say what I want and need. She definitely does that but also is very real about her own limits and struggles. While she isn't someone that I would probably want to work for because she sort of scares me, I want to have coffee with her and learn to be a little more like her.
Amy Fortney, PMP
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2.27k
Business Strategist & Fractional COO. Doer.
07/21/20 at 4:51PM UTC
Kathleen, I don't think this is a strange choice at all. I LOVE that Bethenny used her RH experience to found a business, leveraging that experience along the way. I think Bethenny is savvy. She's direct and very clear about what she wants. I agree that there is much to be learned from her.
Aly Brine
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1.59k
Helping Corporate Hippies thrive on LinkedIn!
07/21/20 at 3:26PM UTC
Taylor Swift is my corporate heroine (even if I'm not striving to be an international pop/country sensation!) She's a very talented business woman who controls the narrative about her, cares about the people that helped her get to where she is and is blazing the trail for others to follow.
Amy Fortney, PMP
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2.27k
Business Strategist & Fractional COO. Doer.
07/21/20 at 4:50PM UTC
Great choice! Taylor Swift is not someone that many people think of as a Corporate Heroine, but I agree with you. I love that she is in control of her brand and agree that she stays connected with people in a way that many in her position don't. I don't think that our Corporate Heroines need to be in our own areas of specialty. We can find those leadership lessons everywhere.
Carrie
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99
Contingent Labor/Vendor Management & Resumes
07/21/20 at 2:10PM UTC
Mine is Wendy Peters. She was the Program Manager that I had the privilege to work with at the start of my career in contingent labor management. She is still someone 15 years later that I call to bounce ideas off of, ask to her experiences and the good/bad of the choices she made.
Amy Fortney, PMP
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2.27k
Business Strategist & Fractional COO. Doer.
07/21/20 at 4:49PM UTC
What a gift to have your Corporate Heroine be someone you got to work with early! The value of those people for me has been incalculable. I know I wouldn't be where I am without them.

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