Photo: Lowe’s
Marvin Ellison, CEO at Lowe’s, speaking at the NRF Big Show, said he learned early on that, to get ahead in his career, his best approach was to “just take tough assignments.” True to his focus, every job he’s taken over the last 25 years — including his current role — has involved succeeding someone who was fired or pushed out.
He joked, “That means you’re on nobody’s succession plan.”
Oftentimes, the opportunities were ones that others felt were too risky for the potential rewards. He said, “But I would raise my hand because it was my way to make a contribution to the company. It's my way to demonstrate my ability to lead, my ability to build teams.”
Mr. Ellison, who is Black, also noted that “not too many people that look like me” have been able to lead two Fortune 500 companies, also including JCPenney. He also lacked “an elite education from a prestigious education institution” and early access to executive sponsors.
His parents were “incredibly influential” in providing lessons around perseverance that helped guide his career development. Mr. Ellison said, “Put God first, focus on education and work hard — those were the pillars of success that our parents gave us.”
He also admitted he struggled to “fit in” as the “only Black person” in the corporate office, but came to realize “my greatest attribute was to be the best, most authentic version of myself.”
He further encourages his staff to lean into their “unique diverse abilities to solve problems.”
At Lowe’s, one of his goals is “trying to create a company I wish I could have worked for when I was coming up the ranks.” Long curious about the criteria that leads to major promotions, Lowe’s publishes a list of core behaviors looked for in leaders for every associate to view.
Mr. Ellison said, “Deliver consistent results, continue to learn, take care of the customers, take action and be courageous. These are not extraordinary things but there are things you have to do consistently.”