Times may have changed, but the number of female leaders in tech and media has remained stagnant since 2018 — at 32%, according to LinkedIn.
“I always got the question, ‘What’s it like being a woman in sports television?’” said Amy Rosenfeld, senior vice president of Olympics production for NBC Sports. “And frankly, victory will be when that question doesn’t get asked anymore.”
In honor of women’s history, NBCU Academy sat down with some of media’s top female leaders to talk career advice, inspiration and what obstacles women face in leadership today.
“We as women, sometimes we don’t believe in ourselves, and we don’t believe in the skills that we bring to the table, and that’s a hurdle for us,” said Elizabeth Flores, vice president of News for Philadelphia’s NBC10 and Telemundo62. “Believe in the skills you are bringing to the table because they are unique and they are important.”
Watch the video above and read their comments below for more leadership insights.
Believe in yourself
Connie Chung, former NBC News anchor and journalism icon: When I first got into the news business, all I saw around me were men. The entire newsroom was filled with men, maybe one woman, one Black man. There were certainly no Asians. I made sure that they would take me seriously. I took on a persona that I thought was ballsy, but a necessity to survive in an all-male environment.
Hoda Kotb, former “TODAY” co-anchor: You just have to work hard and keep pushing. You just have to be the one who doesn’t quit.
Talia Parkinson-Jones, executive vice president of “TODAY with Jenna and Friends”: It’s important to really tap into who you are, what are the things that are important to you and your community, and having the courage to bring those things to the forefront. It’s really important to be authentic and curate and cultivate meaningful relationships in a real way.
Be versatile
Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC president: There is no job above you and there’s no job beneath you. I am happy to run the meeting. I am also happy to hand out coffee at the beginning of the meeting.
Molly Solomon, president of Olympics production at NBC Sports: You can be tough, but you can also be classy and warm and compassionate and nurturing but still have really, really high goals. It’s just imperative that you say to yourself that no decision is made in a vacuum. And if you’re making a decision in a vacuum, it’s probably not a very good decision.
Embrace challenge
Emma Carrasco, senior vice president of corporate affairs for the NBCUniversal News Group: Good leaders hold their teams accountable and reward when teams are really succeeding and contributing to the overall vision. I love it when our people challenge us because it makes us better, and I love the opportunity to be able to grow with a team.
Catherine Kim, executive vice president of NBC News Editorial: It’s important to feel challenged by your job, to be a little bit afraid of the learning curve, the unknown, to take risks. If you’re not a little bit afraid of your job, at some point it’s probably like you hit a plateau. I want to be challenged. I don’t want everything to feel safe or knowable.
