Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way.
What is your name and title?
Netta Dobbins, CEO at Mimconnect.
Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your current role.
I’m the CEO of Mimconnect. We’re a diversity consultancy and tech-enabled platform helping diverse professionals navigate their careers.
How did you get here? Please share any quick stories from past work experiences.
Mimconnect started from my personal journey. I moved to NYC to work in entertainment, PR, and eventually advertising. Throughout those careers, I found myself as “the only” in a bunch of rooms — the only woman, the only black person, the youngest, etc. I created Mimconnect as a way to create a community of people who understood the nuances of navigating corporate America. In less than 3 weeks, that group chat grew to over 300 people. Today, we’re reaching just about 10K professionals nationwide.
In your opinion, what’s the #1 decision or move you’ve made that has helped advance your career?
Understanding that anything is possible and you should go after what you want. I never dreamed of being an entrepreneur. But quitting my job 2 years ago and hopping into entrepreneurship head first has been the most rewarding experience.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned this past year?
You can have the best strategy or ideas in the world, nothing ever goes as planned. So don’t get caught up in the details. Focus on executing the vision and be comfortable iterating/going in a different direction when needed.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
Understand that you belong in every room you enter. Often times women are dealing with imposter syndrome and have a tremendous amount of anxiety depending on the room we’re in. Remember that you were hired because of your perspective. In order to advance in your career, you need to put it on display. Feel confident in speaking up, stay knowledgable on the industry you’re working in, and be sure to bring other women up with you.
What is one thing companies can do, big or small, to help create an environment that advances women into leadership positions?
Start with the data. Understand where women currently rank in positions within your company and then create an action plan to implement more women. Find where the gaps are and partner with organizations to help you fill in those gaps. Additionally, create a safe environment for women to be vocal about their concerns – and then be open to implementing changes to address those concerns.
Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment? Please share your most recent favorite book or podcast!
I’ve been tuned into the Earn Your Leisure podcast pretty heavily recently. They focus on different ways to build wealth, but in a culturally relevant way that’s easy for anyone to understand.
What’s been the one (or two!) things that have helped you navigate this past year? Any tips or tricks to dealing with remote work?
Therapy! I couldn’t have started therapy at a better time. Having someone to work through issues with has made all the difference in both my personal and professional life.
