Dare to be Authentic

I am thrilled to welcome an exciting and accomplished new member to the Virtual Mentor Network, Kim Hammonds. Kim is a transformational leader. And she has transformed four industries. First, the automotive at Ford, aerospace at Boeing, technology, Dell Corporation, and financial services Deutsche Bank. And Kim is also a mother, a breast cancer survivor. She's founder of a charity that brings art therapy to cancer patients. And Kim, as a transformational leader, is a great mentor to women as well as the men for those who are aspiring for that to be that next generation transformational leader. I'm so excited to welcome Kim Hammond, my friend, to the Virtual Mentor Network.

Thank you.

So Kim, tell me about a time in your career, when your principles were challenged, your set of values and what was that like and what went on.

I remember I was attending a meeting with the top 200 people in the company at this company. And someone called on me to give a testimonial and I had been at the company for months, okay? And I thought, kind of deep breath, Kim new to the organization, why don't you stand up and tell us, something about the subject. And I stood up, and I remember just like speaking from the heart and saying, I've worked in this industry and that industry and been raised with purpose-based value system companies, and that I'm just feeling conflicted at times that, with this decision, or that decision, or something, and I remember sitting down and thinking, "Oh, my goodness, am I gonna get fired first, "standing up and saying that?" And there was a standing ovation, and everybody stood up and clapped and I sat down and thought, "Oh, my goodness, I hope I'm gonna have friends here." But, I view the whole experience as, always being authentic, and being true to yourself. I think is extremely important in everything that you do. And at times, you're gonna think, this is the worst day that I've ever had, and, then you just wake up the next day, and you try and learn from it and move forward and take steps forward.