Career Story Event: Fireside Chat with Shirley Everett, Ed.D., MBA

I would say that the most pivotal learning experience I have had is when I've had to stretch as a leader. When I have had to take on challenges that, in some cases, seem to be insurmountable. For example, leading my team through a pandemic – something that I've never done before. I had no experience in wearing a mask every day. No experience in working with county and federal organizations. So leading a team through COVID was challenging. I needed to transform our services from dine-in to take-out. I needed to redeploy staff, but wanted to make sure that I held onto them. I kept them employed throughout the pandemic when many of my colleagues across the country were sending students and staff home.

You bet I had imposter syndrome. Almost every leader that I know, at some point in their career, has dealt with it. I dealt with mine by understanding myself – assessing my courage, my ability to think beyond the issue, and to put plans in place. Understand the principles that I’ve learned. And to know at that point that I am enough.

I have had several mentors and advocates, even sponsors. My parents were two incredible and loving people who were both strong mentors and advocates for my family. They inspired me and my eight siblings to dream big and be prepared to achieve our dreams. They believe that when preparation and opportunity meet, it provides a high probability for us to achieve success. And they wanted us to be committed to excellence, not mediocrity. They taught us that access to merit belongs to everyone regardless of race and gender. And to not let racism that runs rampant across our world hold us back. 

I would say for anyone who is thinking about a career in leadership to learn the craft. It is essential to build relations across the campus because it allows you to create allies. It allows people to see you and want to sponsor you; it allows you to get mentors. And depending on what level you’re at, you can also mentor others. It helps you build a community of practice that allows you to advance your goals without feeling isolated. So professional relationships can turn into personal relationships. They can impact your life in so many different ways. 

I have relationships with folks that look like me, and don't look like me. The first mentor I had was an elderly white male. We don’t look alike at all, but I learned so much from that particular individual. I have had Condoleza Rice, Mary Edmonds, Persis Drell – so many wonderful women in my life.

Prayer. I have a hope in and a connection to a higher power. I tell anybody, to create a quiet place for you, and if exercise, prayer, reading, or having a glass of wine centers you, do that. For me, thinking about the hope that I have for advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging – it’s a part of my DNA. And so how I get myself through all of the challenges of being a Black leader, a Black woman, many of the things I encounter, my counterparts don’t always have to deal with. And so for me, it goes back to building relationships. It goes back to holding people accountable. 

When I see racism – because it is alive and well – I try to make sure that when I hear microaggressions, I confront them in a way that people understand what it is without accusing them. Because I want people to learn. When I feel as though I am a part of implicit bias, I want to explain what that means and how it made me feel. Otherwise, people who are doing it will not understand their part in it and it will continue.

I have been working with Patrick Dunkley, Ayodele Thomas, Sharon Ott, the President, and the Provost to put together that document. We included many of you on this Zoom, along with UHR, and all seven schools, to create a document with goals and strategies so that we could unveil them together. Every school and organization needs to be in alignment. 

So we are reaching out to everyone who has diversity, equity, and inclusion in their title to get involved. Even staff who may not have that in their title, please get involved. When we schedule meetings with schools, ask your leaders how you can be a part of them. Dr. [Ayodele] Thomas has done a wonderful job in her new role. It would be great for you, anytime she sends out a meeting request, to try to be a part of it because that’s how we're going to be able to roll out our strategic plan and make sure everyone is included.

People believe you can just walk up and say “Can you mentor me?” It would be great if it were that easy. My advice would be to build relations first and ask to go to lunch. Inquire about a person that you hold in high regard and that you want to get to know better. This should be someone that you feel will add value to your profession, to your life, and your career. Meet with them and ask questions. 

Generally, when you build relationships, the person that you are building it with will start to mentor you in a way that is so exciting without even having the title or the label “mentor.” And then it might just move into a more structured mentor/mentee relationship. Or ask folks to sponsor you. Sometimes sponsoring is easier than mentoring because there are a lot of folks who are busy.

I would say that is one area that I struggle with the most because I always want to provide support or mentorship. I always want to be accessible to my team, so many times I get very little sleep. I wear several hats. As you know, I am the Senior Adviser to the Provost on equity and inclusion, but I also am the Senior Associate Vice Provost for Residential and Dining Enterprises. And I also am the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Stanford Federal Credit Union. And so I wear all of those hats; along with being a wife, mother, and sibling. So what I do in managing my time is to give it priority. I prioritize what I think is most important and sometimes I have to be flexible. Because when I plan something, but yet an emergency happens, I make sure that the folks I hired to do the job can do the job as opposed to me getting involved in every situation. I also bring my senior leaders into my world so that they can attend certain meetings on my behalf.

I think every day that I step on the campus as a woman of color, I am judged differently. There is a light shining on my leadership that is sometimes not there to show my work positively. Sometimes it is there to show why I should not be in the role. Certain folks have told me over the years that as a staff member, I have too much power. I thought the only power I had was my necklace and my lipstick – I get to decide what I wear. But when you hear those things, you have to ask yourself the question, “Why are they believing that I have too much power? Is it because I am a staff member, a woman, because I am Black?” And so I always have to work harder, and when folks are sleeping, I’m up because I always want to make sure that I set an example and I move barriers out of the way for people of color and women who are striving for the same thing I am – to make a difference.

Legacy is a big word. I want to make sure that people know when I leave here, I am committed to excellence. I worked to make a difference in the lives of students and faculty to build an inclusive community. I want to make sure that people understand that I did my best to make Stanford a better place. And when we all do that together, it provides a great legacy for Stanford as a whole.