Carbon CEO Ellen Kullman on leading through crisis: "Focus on what you can control."

I think it’s fair to say that no one has led a company through a global pandemic like COVID-19 before. But people who have been in business for a while have survived because they’ve honed their ability to lead through crises. They know how to deal with a disaster.

This week's guest on the Hello Monday podcast is Ellen Kullman. Right now, she’s the CEO of a 3D printing company called Carbon. And, no surprise, it’s been a wild year. But I first heard Ellen speak a decade ago when she was the CEO of one of the largest companies in the world, the chemical company Dupont. Ellen is one of very few women who have run a Fortune 500 company. She was CEO for seven years. And that’s amazing when you consider that she got the job the week after Lehman Brothers collapsed--during the darkest days of the global banking crisis, in 2008. Talk about being thrown into the fire.

That is exactly why I was so eager to get Ellen on the show. We’re in this very specific and destabilizing moment. And Ellen has helpful, tactical perspective here for how to navigate it. You can download the episode to hear about it, or listen to it below. Then, please, share your own thoughts and tag them #HelloMonday so I can jump into the conversation.

??Here are some highlights….

On how self awareness helps: "When you finish a meeting, and it could be one of the worst meetings in the world, and you're going to that next meeting, the people in that next meeting have no idea what happened in the previous meeting. They have no idea what's going on. You've got to clear your head, breathe, enter the room and start fresh. What they care about is what they came to talk to you about...You really have to have a level of self awareness."

On leadership approach: "When you first become a leader, if you speak first, nobody else is going to speak, because they figure that's the decision. So you've got to retrain yourself to say, 'Okay, who's got ideas? What are we thinking about here? I'm really interested in what you guys have to say about this.' And you have to create kind of an environment that invites them in."

On why she stayed at one company throughout her career instead of moving: "I felt like I was getting the training and the diversity of experiences that helped me develop as a leader, and I didn't have to."

On why sponsors are important for women: " I'm a big believer that men have natural advocates in the room when jobs are being discussed. Women often don't."

On managing through a crisis: "The one thing you know is that all you can do is focus on what you can control."

?? Office Hours: Taking your questions

We are worriers here at Hello Monday. And our producer Sarah Storm and I suspect we aren’t alone. Focusing specifically on the things we are individually and collectively able to change or to improve, really helps us. So we’re wondering - What do you focus on when you need to feel more in control? 

Join me and Sarah this week for Office Hours. Bring your tips and tricks - how do you remind yourself to keep going when the going gets tough? We’ll convene, as usual, Wed afternoon at 3pm EST. You can RSVP below or email us for a link at [email protected].