Michelle Boven: Authentic leaders refuse to compromise core values

Nashville, Tenn. — Michelle Boven is honest about who she is and what she wants to achieve. And as she pursues success, she keeps a small reminder on her desk: a picture with six words that, to her, mean a thousand.

"Be bold, be brave, be courageous," the picture reads.

And that's exactly what Boven strives to be: bold in her aspirations, brave in her ability to follow her heart and courageous enough to be herself.

"For me, it's a reinforcement of what my core values are, it reminds me of my personal brand, and it just reinforces to do the right thing at all times," Boven, vice president and general manager of Nexeo Plastics' consumer and packaging solutions, said during her presentation at the Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum.

For instance, there are a lot of things that Boven will do to help her team succeed. But she will never compromise her core values: things like kindness, honesty and perseverance.

And to help keep her focused on all those things, Boven follows the ABCs:

• Be Authentic. Building success means understanding who you are and where you want to go, she said. And that requires a bit of truth-telling. It means being honest about your strengths and weaknesses, and it means being true to yourself in the work you do.

"If you are not authentic, what are you?" Boven said. "If you're not your true self and you are trying to be somebody else, you'll wake up one day and say, 'I got there; I got to where I wanted to be.' But if you haven't been yourself, it doesn't feel good.

"You really want to make sure that you are your true self in everything you do."

• Believe in yourself. Falling victim to imposter syndrome is easy, especially as you find success and work your way up the ladder. You face new challenges, challenges that may be difficult to overcome. But the thing that pulls you through every single time is you, Boven said.

"You have got to believe in yourself," Boven said. "If you don't believe in yourself, how can anyone believe in you? ... Find people around you who will help you. Find people who are going to be encouraging you. ... You have got to surround yourself with people that are going to raise you up, not bring you down."

• Exhibit Confidence. With an authentic approach to your every day and the harnessing of your belief in yourself, you are better positioned to lead with confidence, Boven said, because you'll know you are leading with your heart. "If you don't exhibit confidence, how will people follow you as a leader?"

Prior to joining Nexeo Plastics, Boven spent more than 25 years with Dow Chemical Co. And it was there she learned a lot about what authenticity required.

She recalled how some of the company's most prestigious roles were product director positions, and she badly wanted to earn one of the titles, particularly in the plastics arena. And with time, she did.

But she wasn't in the role long when one of the senior product directors — someone she counted as a mentor — pulled her aside and told her to change her leadership style. Be "tougher," her mentor said. Be "mean."

"I was like, wait. Time out. I can be direct, and I can be tough, but I only need to do it when it's necessary," Boven said. "I don't need to put on this act that I am this tough person or this mean person. That's not my style, and if I try that, it is not going to fit me."

With that, Boven pushed back. She refused to change or adapt who she was. She chose instead to lead with authenticity.

"I said, 'No, I'm sorry. If that is what is needed, then I'm not changing my style. If that means I'm not the right fit for the role, I'm OK with that. Then, maybe, we need to look at a different job for me. But I am not going to change my style because I know I can be successful with my style,'" Boven said.

It's a good thing she kept her focus on leading authentically, because her team thrived under her leadership — her authentic and confident leadership.

With Boven's guidance — and during a time that included Hurricane Harvey's landfall — her product line didn't shut down operations or go into force majeure. Instead, the teams continued to break production records, and they did so at aging facilities.

At the same time, the teams led by Boven developed and commercialized new technologies and brought a new plant online in record time.

"It was just amazing what we did," Boven said, "but the most important thing is we built a culture where people wanted to belong and be together. They wanted to be part of that product line because they knew you could really be yourself and bring your whole self to work and truly be yourself.

"So, as I reflect on this experience, it taught me a couple of things: One, to stay true to your core values. Know what your negotiables are and what your nonnegotiables are."

And above all else, lead with kindness.

"It's OK to be kind," Boven said. "I say that kindness is always possible."