Be Proactive: Find that Mentor — Sherry Lowe

She's Talking Back

Sherry Lowe is an award-winning print and broadcast journalist turned Silicon Valley marketing executive. She has experience in building marketing programs for rapid-growth tech companies. As a professional that served both in sports journalism and tech companies, she was completely used to being the only woman in the room. Today, she shares how she was proactive in searching for powerful mentors and being very conscious in bringing up younger professional women.

Key Takeaways

• Sherry shares her first experience with being the only woman in the room.
• Sherry focused her efforts on mentoring younger women and preparing them to fill leadership seats.
• How does someone find a good mentor?
• Don’t wait for a mentor to find you.
• Sherry’s mentors made her feel safe and allowed her to take risks without feeling like she’d lose her job for it. How did she create that/find that?
• What does Sherry do to work on herself?
• A stable and strong support network was huge for Sherry’s career.
• Give people the space to find the best way to do a task or the job.
• When it comes to Zoom calls, it’s important to look professional despite it being a ‘work from home’ day.
• Get ready for work.
• Sherry started in the sports industry; did she see a lot of workplace discrimination?
• Whatever you do, speak out. You will pay a price for it, but do it because it is worth it, not only for you but for future employees, too.
• How do you find good companies to work for?
• Interviews are two-way streets. They want you, but you should always want them.
• Trust your first impressions about people!

Resources

Expanse.co

Sherry on LinkedIn

Quotes

Michelle’s quote: “Most great leaders work on themselves so that they’re more stable within and they’re showing up more powerfully.”

“The mentorship started with me watching [successful women] and trying to learn, and then asking a lot of questions.”

“Don’t wait for your mentor to find you.”

“Getting space around yourself where you have time to think and create is very important.”