Leslie Gill
Sharon Fiehler: Hello, everyone. I'm Sharon Fiehler with ABC to CEO. And welcome to another one of our Preparing for the Possibility Podcast. Today we have a very special guest I'm excited to learn more about, and I think you will too. Her name is Leslie Gill. Leslie comes to us with the experience base that, I think, you're going to find fascinating, and we get to hear about it in person from Leslie today.
Before joining Rung, you were CEO of Annie Malone Children & Family Service Center. And you also served at one point as the Executive Director of College summit where you had multi-state responsibilities for programs, fundraising business operations. You had time with the Girl Scouts of St. Louis and Atlanta, and did a lot of things as far as advocacy and government affairs, strategic planning, program development, member recruiting, and of course, cookie sales.
Leslie Gill: Yes.
Sharon Fiehler: So, you're a native of St. Louis, and you are alumn of Hampton University, where you have a Bachelor of Arts in English. You also have a master's in international business from St. Louis U, quite impressive. And you're currently serving on a number of boards, the board of the St. Louis Art Fair, St. Louis Public Schools Foundation, and Park Central Development. And now, you are CEO of Rung, which is a very impressive thing for many people. Many women are thrilled to have you there. But we want to talk about you today. So, thank you for your time, Leslie.
Leslie Gill: Of course, thank you for having me. And I just really love the name of this podcast. I'm super excited to talk about possibilities and preparation and all of it.
Sharon Fiehler: Well, that's why you are exactly the kind of guest we'd love to have and young women love to hear about. So, why don't you tell me just a little bit about your current role and what you're doing? And we'll kind of go from there.
Leslie Gill: Sure. I am currently leading an organization here in St. Louis called Rung for Women. We're really a startup. We opened our doors in August 2020. I started as president in November 2017 when literally all we had was an idea. I was our first employee. Our founder had this amazing vision and we worked together for several years with other stakeholders to really bring her vision to life. I like to say that I am sort of the chief unicorn, because it's such a special place, it's such a unique opportunity for the region, and a space for women to come and really move up the rungs of the economic opportunity ladder.
We're really excited around the work that we've done just in our first almost two years, working with over 300 women to really achieve their personal and professional goals, to move into new careers, careers where women are traditionally underrepresented, careers that don't necessarily require a bachelor's degree, but really focused on those middle skill opportunities that won't be obsolete or automated in the next 10 to 15 years. And where women can have great growth opportunities and great growth potential in certain industries. So, I'm just really excited that I get a chance to do this work, and have had lots of experiences that have led me to this particular point in time.
Sharon Fiehler: It seems like it. The name, Rung, has intrigued me. You said it's moving up rungs of the ladder, is that kind of working up?
Leslie Gill: Yeah, that's the metaphor, really. We started as a resale clothing boutique. Our founder sort of had this idea that she wanted to provide clothes for any type of job that women might be interested in and to provide those opportunities, provide those items at a really cost-effective price point. And it was resale. It was beautifully merchandised, high-end items. And we did lots of special shopping events for women who were living in crisis, or who were maybe living in shelters. And one thing she learned is that women needed more than clothes. So, she had this vision of can we create a space where women can come and really work on their personal and professional goals, and to really move up the rungs of the economic opportunity ladder. Most importantly, to create a really a stronger middle class. And that's what we're doing. The ladder is really a metaphor for just continuing to climb. Oftentimes, we say that we're a space where women can move from surviving to thriving. And we know that oftentimes women, especially on the heels of the pandemic, have been living and working in isolation. So, we create a community where like-minded women come together and really achieve their goals together.
Sharon Fiehler: Wow, quite impressive. What a wonderful organization for you to be paired up. But tell me a little bit about how you got there. Where did you begin your career? Let's just talk a little bit about where you came from to get there today.
Leslie Gill: Sure. Sharon, I always sort of had this vision that I would be a sports agent. From a little girl, watched the Jerry Maguires of the world and was like, "I can be the first female Jerry Maguire." I was really interested in sports growing up, and I just that I would make a career in sports. I thought I would be a lawyer, and went to college and majored in English with the path to becoming a lawyer. And honestly, it was right after my senior year of college, I had accepted a job with Tiffany & Co. I'd already veered from the sports pathway, and had a job offer to go into the Tiffany & Co. management training program. I accepted the offer, was planning to move to New York City, and was starting this career with a high-end jewelry retailer, but I had the summer off.
Somewhere between starting my new career pathway and finishing college, I went to Washington, DC. I said, "I'll go hang out in DC for the summer, and then get ready to move to Manhattan." And I got involved in a political campaign. At that time, it was the mayor of Washington, DC, it was a mayor's race. And I was fundraising with the candidate, had no idea what I was doing. I just was like "Oh, well, it's something to do for the summer." I thought I would just go, hang out with friends, and have a good time. But I got involved in this political campaign. And we got through the general election, and I remember the candidate at the time saying, and I said, "Okay, well, we won the general election. I'm now going to go move to New York and start my job." And he said, "Well, wait, you can't leave yet. We've gotten to the primary. We still have to get through the general." He's like, "Well, we still got to get through the general election." I'm like "Oh, no. Got to go to Tiffany's. I have this dream job." He said, "Look, I'll make a deal with you. If you stay and we win, I'll guarantee you a job. If you stay and we lose, I'll pay your rent in New York for six months."
Sharon Fiehler: What a deal.
Leslie Gill: I know. I said, "Well, wow, those are good and good options." Good and good. No bad option here. The only challenge was Tiffany's would not extend my start date. So, I was forced to make my first adult decision. Do I stay or do I go? And I decided to stay. We won the election. I spent the first 10 years of my career working in Washington, DC, in local government, which is really because DC is not like state government. But it also is the capital city of the world. Amazing experience. So glad I did it. I got to learn a little bit about everything. I got to meet tons of world leaders. And it was just such an amazing experience. It really helped me look at the world in a different perspective, I like to say. It ignited my interest in public service. Not necessarily politics, but this whole notion around public service. And it really forced me to think about, "Can I make a career as a leader in this public service space without going into politics?
Sharon Fiehler: What an amazing opportunity. And too bad for Tiffany's who knows where they would be today if this wouldn’t have happened?
Leslie Gill: I know, Sharon. It's just things work out the way they're supposed to.
Sharon Fiehler: A lot of times you have to-- the path you choose, take it, run with it, and do the most you can with it. And it sounds you're a perfect example of that. Very interesting history you've got to get you to this point. But why don't we also talk about women in general? You've probably worked a lot with women at this point. And what do you see when you're working with women that you can give suggestions at this point to young women, as far as importance of what they're doing, how they might look at themselves a little differently. Are there behaviors you've seen that you think, do more of this? Maybe you can talk a little bit about women and what you've observed young women.
Leslie Gill: Sure. I often hear young women talk a lot about imposter syndrome. It's an area of our work that we spend a lot of time around building confidence, helping women overcome this notion that they don't belong, or that they're not deserving of opportunities. This notion of imposter syndrome, especially in certain industries, male-dominated industries, which is most of the industries that we're working in today, we spend a lot of time helping them overcome that, being prepared. Preparation is always key. And trusting yourself, building those muscles around resilience and confidence and knowing that you deserve to be where you are, are all the things that I witnessed in the workforce. But also in the organization, and the women that we work with, that is the single largest barrier for women, and success is just feeling like they don't deserve to be where they are.
Sharon Fiehler: Yeah, one of the things we like to really focus on is confidence.
Leslie Gill: Yes.
Sharon Fiehler: Too often, we see young women that were so talented, but not believing in themselves yet. And that's something that we believe is very important to moving forward. If you look at yourself, did you think about yourself as being a CEO someday?
Leslie Gill: I never really imagined anything other than being in a leadership role. I had some great opportunities and access to opportunities fresh out of college that really, honestly, Sharon, propelled my career in ways that I could have never imagined. Once I left DC government and working for the mayor, I went right into a C-suite role. I was the chief operating officer for Girl Scouts. I just always sort of had a knack for people and building relationships. I think so often, women in general just minimize the importance of maintaining good relationships, fostering good relationships. Even in fundraising, as a fundraiser, it's always the men who have historically raised dollars because they just believe in and cultivating relationships.
And for me, that's an area of my personal profile, that I really focused on. Building those relationships, spending time at it, making sure that I stay connected to people. And I also connected people. I connected, but then I also never missed an opportunity to make introductions and to connect other people. So, I think that's for me how mentorship and sponsorship really shows up, if I hear of a staff person or someone early in their career that is looking to leverage those relationships or build relationships, I will be the first to say, "Okay, well, do you know this person? Or do you know that person? And can I connect you?" I think that just has allowed me to sort of stay top of mind for a lot of people. My team always jokes, "You know everyone." And I'm like, "Well, I might not know them well, but I certainly make it a point to connect people and to sort of stay on their radar."
Sharon Fiehler: I would have to say, oftentimes, when we meet people, and then time passes, we don't always see them on a regular basis, it is important though to keep up with people who you've met, because you never know when your careers will again cross. And maybe not even careers, maybe it's something to do with just life in general. But maintaining relationship takes work and effort, but the payoff is so important. But let's also talk a little bit about you enjoy being a CEO, I can tell.
Leslie Gill: I do.
Sharon Fiehler: Some women look at this role and have said to us, "I just don't know if I want to do this, because it looks difficult. And I don't know if I would enjoy it." Tell us a little bit about why you enjoy it.
Leslie Gill: I enjoy people, I enjoy motivating people. And I really think, while the CEO suite can be really lonely at times, it can also be incredibly rewarding, especially in a space like mine where I get the great fortune of leading an organization that helps women. We're not focused on making widgets or the bottom line, but our bottom line is the success of other people. That work is really rewarding for me. It's also really rewarding to see our people grow. I love to see our team accomplish their goals. I love to see a team member decide that they want something more for themselves, and they want to figure out how they move up their own ladder. And so, I think the CEO role is the cheerleader, and I think what's made me really successful is being accessible. And really fostering that relationship with my team, building trust is so important. Because oftentimes you hear, "Well, I've never talked to the CEO of--" you name a company. And I just decided early in my career that I didn't want to be a CEO who was inaccessible. I wanted to be someone who thrived in an environment where I could motivate and talk to my team on a very regular basis.
Sharon Fiehler: I love both of those concepts of if you're going to follow somebody, you've got to trust them. And if you're going to follow somebody who's your leader, you want to have access to them to be able to talk and make yourself available. You have a daughter, so tell us a little bit about how you use your own experience to encourage her to maybe be a leader someday?
Leslie Gill: I model the behavior in every interaction. She comes and sees me in action at work, and really look for every opportunity to allow that to happen. She participates in events where I'm speaking or receiving an award or being on a panel. I think access and exposure is so important. The adage, "You can only be what you see," is especially important for girls and young women. And it is behavior that I model, it's behavior that I really encourage. We often have children in our building and watching what we do all the time. And I just think that's really important. That exposure is important.
Exposure is also a big piece of our work because we're encouraging our participants, our members to go into environments where there will likely be people that don't look like them, and they may or may not know what the day-to-day entails for certain jobs or industries. So, being able to spend time and shadow and see what industry is like is also really important. And that's exactly what I do for my daughter. I want her to see it all. She may or may not choose to be a CEO but it's not, because she doesn't know what it takes.
Sharon Fiehler: You brought up something that I think is so important. When women have other women as role models, it makes a difference. We all know there are wonderful male role models out there. That's not to take anything from male role models. But when women see other women, it makes it a lot more personal. It's like, "I can do it too."
Leslie Gill: Yeah, and achievable. If you see someone sitting in the seat that looks like you, you're inspired by that. And that's what I want to do. I have a team, 99% of our team are women. I really try to lead by example, and provide growth opportunities for our team, exposure opportunities for our team, and ways for them to talk to me. There's one thing that I do every year. I sit down with each of our team members every January and just have coffee, our entire team. My calendar for January is already booked. I bring the coffee, the tea, whatever their Starbucks preference is. I bring the beverages and we just talk. So often, those types of opportunities are not available. That type of access is not available for our CEOs.
Sharon Fiehler: Well, another question I have for you. If you're sitting in front of a group of, let's say, high school women, what would be the couple pieces of advice you would give them before they start college?
Leslie Gill: I would say my first bit of advice would be don't stress about a major. I'm a perfect example. I thought I was going to law school. Like if you want to be a doctor, I think suddenly the medical path is one that you have to commit to. But if you're really unsure, I encourage high schoolers and early college students to try it all. Because you never know where you're going to have the most compelling and enriching experience. So, try it all is really my advice. Don't get so hung up on, "I have to choose a major," and, "I have to chart my path. I have four years to do it." You don't know what you don't know. And that's something I learned early on, you really don't know what you don't know. Unless you try things, you don't know if you'll like it.
Sharon Fiehler: That's a very good point.
Leslie Gill: Yeah, the other thing I would add, Sharon, is I encouraged and I still do to this day, is have your own personnel board of directors. Those people who are going to hold you accountable to your goals. My board of director changes depending on what my goals are for the year. But I always seek out people who can help hold me accountable. Not family members, not friends, people who don't know me that well. But maybe I decide, "You know what? Sharon would be a good member of my board of directors for this year, because she has a skill set that I'm interested in growing in." I will call you Sharon and say, "Hey, Sharon. This is my goal for the year will you hold me accountable?"
Sharon Fiehler: I would be honored to do that. I love that idea, to have your own personal board of directors. What a clever thought.
Leslie Gill: Yeah, I have done it for many, many years. And it's just a way of checking in with yourself. Because so often, especially as women, we get derailed by everyone else's burdens and everyone else's projects and everyone else's thing. And sometimes, you just need a little nudge to keep you on track for your goals and your own personal and professional development.
Sharon Fiehler: Well, it has definitely worked for you. You are quite impressive. You are a role model to many, many, anybody who knows you and anybody who's going to know you in the future. Hopefully, this Preparing for the Possibility Podcast can give you another audience and people fortunate enough to hear your words. Anything else you wanted to add?
Leslie Gill: Like I said when we opened, I just really enjoy-- I love the title, Preparing for the Possibilities, because I think we don't spend enough time doing that. And so, hopefully this discussion will encourage young women and women across the country to really stop and think about what preparation looks like.
Sharon Fiehler: Very good. So here, we've had words of wisdom from Leslie Gill, thank you so much for joining us today. And to our audience, thank you for being with us. And I hope you found this as fascinating as I did.
Having served in leadership capacities for several profit and non-profit organizations, Leslie Gill has been deeply involved in a wide range of social welfare issues. Before joining Rung for Women, Leslie Gill served as the Chief Executive Officer of Annie Malone Children’s & Foster Service Center.
Prior to her role at Annie Malone, Leslie served as Executive Director of College Summit, where she had multi-state responsibility for programs, fundraising, and business operations. Prior to that she spent six years in executive leadership roles with the Girl Scouts in St. Louis and Atlanta. In those roles she oversaw advocacy and governmental affairs, strategic planning, program development, membership recruitment, and cookie sales.
Leslie is a native of St. Louis, and now resides in the Skinker-Debalivier neighborhood with her daughter, Marley. She is distinguished alumnus of Hampton University, where she holds a Bachelor of Arts in English degree. She also has a Master of International Business from St. Louis University. Leslie serves on the Board of Directors for St. Louis Art Fair, St. Louis Public Schools Foundation, and Park Central Development.
Leslie’s years of experience in executive leadership positions combined with her deep commitment to women’s issues makes her uniquely positioned to lead Rung for Women.