A happy warrior: Mellody Hobson on mentorship, diversity, and feedback

As part of Black History Month, MGI co-chair James Manyika had an open, candid conversation with Mellody Hobson and an audience of McKinsey colleagues in the San Francisco office. “You can almost pick any arena you want in American business, society, and community, and I think you’ll probably find Mellody involved, playing some important pioneering role there.” From her childhood on the South Side of Chicago, to Princeton, to leading Ariel Investments and now chairing the board of Starbucks, Mellody Hobson is an inspirational business leader and investor. She shares her journey, a peek into her how she sees her work, and gives advice on mentorship, sponsorship, and difficult feedback. On that note, she says: “Accept it, do not push back, do not fight. If this feedback is a gift, take it for what it is.” This conversation was recorded on February 21, 2020. To read a transcript of this episode, visit: mck.co/mellodyhobson Follow @McKinsey_MGI on Twitter and the McKinsey Global Institute on LinkedIn for more.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information