Kimberly Lee Minor on Being Bold Enough to Challenge and Smart Enough to Know that the Minute You Make it Emotional is the Minute You Have Lost

In the early years of her career, Kimberly Lee Minor rose through the ranks quickly. But at the exact moment that her star was on the rise, she had to make a personal choice to leave her role and take care of her family. Today, Kimberly is an accomplished executive with an impeccable record of building brands and developing strategies to keep business competitive and nimble. As an executive member of leading domestic and international retailers and brand organizations, Kimberly is currently the President and Chief Commercial Officer at Bandier, where she oversees the direction of design, multi-channel merchandising, marketing, production, sourcing, and human resources.

As a Black woman who was often the only or the first, Kimberly has made it her mission to move people of color, especially women, forward in the workplace. She also serves as the CEO of Bumbershoot, a boutique consulting firm that provides C-suite leadership, cultural and market insights for inclusive, equitable, and diverse representation across brand, content, product, and customer experience. She also serves as the founder and president of WOCRA (Women of Color Retail Alliance), supporting the careers of women of color in the retail industry through hard and soft skills training, leadership development, and networking opportunities. Kimberly sits on the board of BlueConic and Together Digital. WWD included Kimberly on their 50 Women in Power 2022 list.

This episode is full of incredible and truthful advice. Kimberly says it like it is, and here are some of the nuggets of wisdom she shares and more!

• What happens when you need to put your rising star on the shelf.
• Why being a personality hire has its benefits.
• How to advocate for what you want and show up like an owner.
• Why you should decline an offer that’s not getting you to NEXT.
• How to be a part of things before you are a part of things to prove to management that, yes, you do deserve that promotion.
• The reason women of color need to take roles that have financial responsibility.
• How to build the strength of your agency.
• The importance of being strategic about your next career move and ensuring it fits within the narrative you are trying to tell.
• Know what you’re good at and why it's important to be told what you're not good at.
• One reason people who say that are willing to help ghost you.