Lessons From the Front Lines

Jonelle Procope, CEO, Apollo Theater Foundation
You should always be open to new opportunities and new experiences. You don't always know where life is going to take you and where the next opportunity is going to come from. If you're open to trying different things, you can eventually find yourself at the right place at the right time. Very often, you have to create your own opportunities by building on the expertise you have and capitalizing on it. You also have to be able to understand your strengths. Many women never step back to determine their strengths and look at their accomplishments, whereas men do that all the time.

In order to be a leader, you have to know where you're going and how you plan to get there. Then you can inspire people to take that journey with you. Women generally do this differently from men. We are more inclusive and willing to give credit to others. We identify the people who have the expertise and then give them the latitude to run with it. It's key to have really great people around you and to encourage them to be the best that they can be.

Alexandra Patsavas, Owner, Chop Shop Music Supervision
As I was finding my way in the music business, I was often the only female in the room. I just didn't acknowledge that fact and I still don't. I felt it was essential to be regarded as part of the team.

I am convinced that a good boss must be eager to teach, and reciprocally one's employees must be eager to learn. As a boss, it is so important to be inclusive and to share information. My office is located in an open-plan loft, and this simple architectural fact leads to group participation and open (and sometimes lively) discussions.

I am grateful for all my early low-budget projects because I learned so very much. I had time to practice my craft, so later I wasn't overwhelmed when I had bigger projects with bigger budgets. Although it took a lot of determination to break into the field, I never put limits on myself. If I had focused on all of the impossibilities ahead of me when I was young, I think I would never have tried.

Lauren Zalaznick, President, Women & Lifestyle Entertainment Networks, Nbc Universal
I have a broad bandwidth for a million different things, but the bigger the thinking, the more detail I need to be able to speak calculatingly about it. I like huge ideas, but I don't like generalities and I don't like hype.