CLOSING THE GAP

In boardrooms, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and places in between, women are charting their own paths to success and helping others re-imagine what leadership looks like. 

CNBC Make It spoke with some of the most powerful female leaders in business about their biggest inspirations, changing ambitions and hopes for the future. 

Lauren Simmons, 28, entrepreneur and ex-NYSE trader 

In 2017, at the age of 22, Simmons became the youngest full-time female trader on Wall Street, and the second African American woman trader in the New York Stock Exchange’s 229-year history.

On ignoring feedback that she’s too ambitious:

The worst career advice I've gotten and I still get is that I’m being too ambitious and that I don't have any clear direction on what I want to do in life. It's such a disservice to younger millennials and Gen Zers. I say, have as many different careers as you want.

If you don't like something, you don't have to be committed to it. Figure out what you like and what your passion is. Your passion, nine times out of 10, will probably change, and that’s OK. Move on. You have one life, so live it to its fullest and get to where you are happy and enjoying the things you are doing as much as you can.

Beth Ford, 59, CEO of Land O’ Lakes 

In 2018, Ford became the first openly gay female CEO of a Fortune 500 company and the first woman to lead Land O’Lakes.

On her biggest inspiration: 

One of my greatest role models and inspirations growing up and to this day is my mother Carol. She raised us while getting her registered nursing license, then went on to get her master’s degree, switched directions completely and became a psychologist and a therapist and, finally, decided to become a minister to round out her career. 

She literally worked with people on their mind, body and soul, and worked harder than anyone I know. That was a firsthand, in-depth case study in strength, determination and grit that influenced not only how I looked at the world, but how I showed up in it. 

One of the greatest pieces of advice she gave me was to ask for what I wanted, because people couldn’t read my mind. As a result, I’ve now worked in seven positions spanning six different industries and can say I’ve gotten to where I am today in large part thanks to that lesson.

Barbara Corcoran, 74, founder of the Corcoran Group, ‘Shark Tank’ investor

After starting a real estate group at age 23 in 1973, Corcoran sold her company for $66 million in 2001

On the complexities of impostor syndrome:

Self-questioning is healthy, but impostor syndrome, where you don’t believe in yourself, is a hindrance to success. It’s true of both men and women. Almost anybody I know who’s successful thinks they’re going to get caught not being smart.

I suffer from it. It’s very common, but it’s a waste of time to feel that way if you actually know what you’re doing — if you know how to get resources, or people who can help you, if you’re willing to ask for help. 

Read about more inspirational women in business here. 

More articles from Closing the Gap

The wage gap gets worse for women in their 30s and 40s—and it’s not just the ‘motherhood penalty’

Women face a wage gap at every point in their careers, one that gets worse as they age and progress through their work lives. This difference in earnings is perhaps the most obvious once women hit their 30s, which is also when the gap begins to widen.

‘You’re in the room for a reason’: How to stop doubting yourself at work, says Linda Fagan, first woman commandant of the Coast Guard

Adm. Linda Fagan did not plan on a lifelong career in the military. Now, she is the first woman to lead any branch of the U.S. military, overseeing 42,000 active-duty, 7,000 reserve and 8,700 civilian personnel, as well as tens of thousands of volunteers.

Eva Longoria says she had to resist the pressure to ‘man up’ to advance in Hollywood

The “Desperate Housewives” star has been directing in Hollywood for almost 10 years — but making the transition from acting to directing was hard for two reasons, she said at the South by Southwest festival: being stereotyped as a “dumb actor” and being a woman.