SPECIAL FOCUS
RESPECT. COURAGE. HUMILITY. BY VICKI JOHNSON
THERE ARE LESSONS FOR WOMEN LEADERS TO LEARN AT EVERY STAGE OF THEIR CAREERS.
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his year marks 50 years since the passage of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), allowing women to apply for lines of credit in their own name, regardless of their marital status. This act was instrumental in providing women with the means to take ownership of their own lives, and the ECOA became a critical component for women to enter business – in particular, business ownership. In the decades since, the role women play in business has continued to grow. According
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to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 38.3 percent of small businesses in the U.S. were women-owned in 2018. Closer to home, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce estimates that women-owned businesses accounted for 35 percent of firms statewide in 2018. Despite the growth in womenowned firms, gender gaps and perceptions of women in business have persisted, a fact that has not been lost on some of the newest (and youngest) leaders in Central Minnesota. Even with obstacles, new and experienced women in leadership roles are determined
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to do what generations of women have and will continue to do – show up and get the job done. Lead with humility and empathy.
“People don’t listen to us because they think we are not good communicators.” — GRETA SHOFNER, 16, AVON
––––––––– “It takes a certain amount of humility to be a leader,” Melissa Kelley said. “You need to be humble enough to learn. As much as I’ve learned now about the industry, I’m still just scratching the surface.”
Kelley was 14 when her dad first opened his jewelry store in 2000. Now, at 38, Kelley is the owner and president of J.F. Kruse Jewelers, a business she has successfully taken over from her father and run for the past decade. “I’ve really focused on creating a culture in which people want to be here,” she said. “And it takes intention. My goal is to make sure the staff feel loved and supported. It’s all about treating people with respect.” That includes asking for guidance from others. “I never came into this position thinking I knew everything,” Kelley said. “I’ve