Women in Leadership on Overcoming Challenges, Navigating Work-life Balance

During a reception hosted by Rocket Companies, moderator Laura Granneman, Executive Director of the Rocket Community Fund and Gilbert Family Foundation, led a discussion with leading women of Michigan to explore how they overcome challenges and navigate professional careers in business and politics.

“I still speak truth to power. I may do it more kindly. But when learning how to use your voice in that space, be respected for what you say, and be someone who can change the course of a conversation by shifting and bringing a new perspective on truth into the space. I think [this advice] was a gift and it was given to me based on mentors and people who care for my growth.”

“Every woman in this room – you have an opportunity to support women professionally, but women need support personally too. We can do both. We don’t have to pick.”

“I wanna be the woman that I needed in my life. I want to be my mother, who was a strong black woman who was very honest and direct, but kind and caring — that’s what I want to be, and I want to do that for every woman I come in contact with because I believe that everyone needs reinforcement. So, in every conversation, I’m looking for how I really give them a bright spot in their day. To know that there are many more [rough] days to come, but I do that because I know what it feels like when I receive it, and I just want to continue to do that for every other person that I encounter.”

“After the [COVID-19] pandemic, one of the most critical needs we learned about was child care and women who are dealing with care in the home, both with the elderly as well as children. [There is a] significant gap we have as a nation when it comes to early child care, early child development, and safe places for children to go if mothers have to work outside of the home.”

“We have to use our own strength and our own power to advocate not just for ourselves but for other women because women want other women to win.”

“I am naturally an introvert, number one. Number two, I’m hypersensitive, which means everything shakes me. I feel everything, and I have to train myself not to respond to everything. The most important piece of advice I can tell you is don’t internalize it … don’t bring it into your spirit, and don’t feel like you have to respond to the craziest things that are happening.”

“I would suggest that people do is to, first of all, lean on yourself. You get to create your own [path], and you should not allow anyone to tell you that you’re too nice, you’re not nice enough, you’re not smart enough, you didn’t grow up in the right town, or you didn’t go to the right university. I’ve heard all of those in my career and … you have to block out the noise … and actually listen to yourself and create your own path.”

“Being willing to say, ‘You know what, I’m not perfect, and I can learn from that builds trust.’”

This session was hosted by Rocket Companies.