Almost 40 high achieving girls from across the country sat down for one-on-one mentoring sessions with top women executives today at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit. The girls are involved with Girls Inc., an organization that empowers economically disadvantaged girls to reach their full potential.
The Home Depot’s EVP of U.S. Stores Ann-Marie Campbell joined other women executives to give these high achieving girls some advice they’ll never forget. Previous mentors at the Fortune summit have included GM CEO Mary Barra and First Lady Michelle Obama.
To kick off the mentoring session, Ann-Marie joined Fortune's senior editor Jennifer Reingold on stage to talk broadly about some of her secrets for success.
She left the girls with one major message: Never stop believing in yourself, never stop believing in others. We can all make a difference in each other’s lives.
Ann-Marie’s top 3 pieces of advice to the students:
- Focus on your education. “I started at The Home Depot as a cashier to help pay for my college education. I graduated from Georgia State University with a master’s degree in Business Administration. You’ll never regret making your education your priority.”
- Always raise your hand to take on new challenges. “During my 30-year career at Home Depot, I’ve raised my hand countless times – sometimes it’s been a great experience and sometimes it wasn’t so easy. But that’s how you grow. You may not succeed at everything, but that’s fine. Fail fast, learn from it and move on.”
- Remember that it’s always about other people. “My favorite part of my job is getting to meet as many of our associates as I can. I want to hear what their concerns are and I want them to know that this company appreciates their hard work to serve our customers. Learn to build up and encourage everyone around you. Letting other people know that they matter and that you recognize how valuable they are frees them to reach new heights.”
Ann-Marie also stressed the importance of being yourself. “The times in my career when I’ve had the most trouble is when I’ve been trying to do things like someone else,” she said. “Be your best you. It’s always better than being the second best someone else.”
