Shellye Archambeau

Shellye Archambeau One of Silicon Valley's first female African American CEOs. Fortune 500 board member and author.

Leadership isn't always about having all the answers. It's about knowing how to make decisions when you don't.When I fir...
10/12/2026

Leadership isn't always about having all the answers. It's about knowing how to make decisions when you don't.

When I first became a sales leader, my team projected we'd achieve just 60% of our annual target.

But that number didn't justify the resources we'd been given. So I did my homework.

I studied past performance, analyzed market trends, reviewed my team's track record, and sought advice from the previous sales leader.

Then I made a decision. My forecast was 85%.

I didn't have perfect information, but I had enough to make a thoughtful judgment.

That experience taught me an important leadership lesson:

Do the research. Seek perspective. Understand the risks. Then trust your judgment and move forward.

That's what I'm excited to explore with Jeffery S. Perry** in our upcoming **Executive Leader Series session.

With 30 years of management consulting experience, Jeffery brings valuable insights on strategic decision-making, navigating uncertainty, and leading with courage and authenticity.

Join us for a conversation on leadership, strategy, and leading with purpose.

📅 October 15, 2026
🕔 5 PM PST

Join us here: https://ignite-ambition.mn.co/posts/104966283

Early in my career, a manager gave me advice that changed how I approached my career:“Shellye, if you want to be conside...
10/08/2026

Early in my career, a manager gave me advice that changed how I approached my career:

“Shellye, if you want to be considered for opportunities, you need to make yourself visible.”

That advice helped shape my journey from executive to CEO and eventually to serving on Fortune 500 boards.

But visibility isn't just about being in the right rooms.

It's about how you show up, communicate, build relationships, and demonstrate your value.

Because people need to understand not just what you do, but the impact you're capable of making.

That's why I'm excited to welcome Sonya Bibilos to our next Ignite Ambition cohort on Executive Presence.

With over 15 years of executive coaching experience, Sonya will help us explore how to build confidence, strengthen our presence, and show up authentically—especially when the stakes are high.

Your work matters. But making your impact visible matters too.

📅 October 8, 2026
🕔 5 PM PST

Join us here: https://ignite-ambition.mn.co/posts/108098198

I took the CEO role at MetricStream against the advice of a former boss I deeply respected.It wasn’t an easy decision.Bu...
10/07/2026

I took the CEO role at MetricStream against the advice of a former boss I deeply respected.

It wasn’t an easy decision.

But it taught me something I’ve carried with me ever since: Trust your inner wisdom.

Seek advice. Listen to people you respect. Understand the risks and learn from their perspectives.

But remember, people give advice based on their experiences and their perception of who you are. Nobody knows you better than you know yourself.

I ultimately trusted my instincts, became CEO of MetricStream, and spent 15 years leading the company.

Looking back, I’m grateful I listened to the advice around me but I’m even more grateful I trusted myself.

That ability to listen without surrendering your own judgment is an important part of executive presence.

It’s something I’m looking forward to exploring with Sonya Bibilos in our upcoming cohort on Executive Presence.

If you’ve ever second-guessed yourself or looked outside yourself for the “right” answer, this conversation is for you.

📅 October 8, 2026
🕔 5 PM PST

Join us here: https://ignite-ambition.mn.co/posts/108098198

Executive presence is often associated with confidence, communication, and commanding a room.But I believe it starts som...
10/06/2026

Executive presence is often associated with confidence, communication, and commanding a room.

But I believe it starts somewhere else: Knowing yourself.

Knowing what you bring t e.
Knowing when to speak and when to listen.
Knowing when to stand by your point of view.

And perhaps most importantly, being comfortable enough with yourself that you don’t constantly look around the room for validation.

Executive presence isn’t about performing confidence. It’s having the self-awareness to:

→ Speak up when you have something valuable to add
→ Ask the difficult question
→ Disagree respectfully
→ Say, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out”

The more you understand your strengths, values, and natural leadership style, the less you have to look confident.

Confidence starts showing up naturally.

That’s what I’m looking forward to exploring with Sonya Bibilos in our upcoming cohort on Executive Presence.

📅 October 8, 2026
🕔 5 PM PST

Join us as we explore how to show up with greater confidence, clarity, and authenticity—especially when the stakes are high.

Join us here: https://ignite-ambition.mn.co/posts/108098198

In my 20s, I spent far too much time worrying about what other people thought of me.What I said in meetings. Whether I ...
10/01/2026

In my 20s, I spent far too much time worrying about what other people thought of me.

What I said in meetings.
Whether I asked the right questions.
How I came across.
Whether people were judging me.

What I eventually realized?

People weren’t thinking about me nearly as much as I thought they were.

I wish I had understood that sooner.

As I grew in my career, I stopped asking: “How am I coming across?”

And started asking: “What do I have to contribute?”

That shift changed how I showed up.

I spoke with more confidence. Asked the questions I was really thinking about. Shared my perspective without worrying whether everyone would agree.

And to me, that’s a big part of executive presence.

It isn’t about trying to look or sound like a leader.

It’s about being grounded enough in who you are to show up with confidence, clarity, and authenticity.

That’s what I’m looking forward to exploring with Sonya Bibilos in our upcoming cohort on Executive Presence.

📅 October 8, 2026
🕔 5 PM PST

Join us here: https://ignite-ambition.mn.co/posts/108098198

Meet Karyn Twaronite, our upcoming Executive Leader Series guest.Karyn is a retired EY Partner and Global Vice Chair, bo...
09/29/2026

Meet Karyn Twaronite, our upcoming Executive Leader Series guest.

Karyn is a retired EY Partner and Global Vice Chair, board advisor, and thought leader in culture, governance, and transformation.

During more than three decades at EY, she helped shape how 400,000 people worked and led across a $54B global organization.

Her experience includes:

→ Culture and leadership transformation
→ Governance and workforce strategy
→ M&A integration
→ AI-enabled operating models
→ Global talent and performance

Karyn also helped design a culture and inclusion roadmap adopted across 150 countries, bringing greater accountability to how organizations think about people and performance.

Now, we’re bringing that experience to Ignite Ambition.

Join us as we explore leadership, culture, transformation, and what it really takes to lead people and organizations through change.

📅 September 29
🕔 5 PM PST

Join us here: https://ignite-ambition.mn.co/posts/104966139

If you want to get promoted, being good at your job isn’t enough. You also need to demonstrate good judgment.As you move...
09/28/2026

If you want to get promoted, being good at your job isn’t enough. You also need to demonstrate good judgment.

As you move up, your role changes. You’re no longer expected to simply execute—you’re expected to evaluate options, understand trade-offs, and make decisions.

So instead of going to your manager and saying: “Here are the options. What do you think?”

Try:

“Here are the options and trade-offs. Based on what I know, I recommend this path because ____. But I’d like your perspective in case I’m missing something.”

That small shift shows something important.

You can analyze a problem.
You can take a position.
You’re open to another perspective.
And you’re willing to be accountable for your recommendation.

That’s how you start demonstrating leadership before you have the title.

And it’s exactly what we’ll explore with Karyn Twaronite during our next Executive Leader Series session.

Drawing on more than three decades at EY, Karyn will share her perspective on how leaders navigate complex decisions, competing priorities, and situations where there isn’t an obvious right answer.

📅 September 29
🕔 5 PM PST

Join us here: https://ignite-ambition.mn.co/posts/104966139

Your business moves at the speed of trust.When people don’t trust their leaders, they second-guess themselves. They hesi...
09/24/2026

Your business moves at the speed of trust.

When people don’t trust their leaders, they second-guess themselves. They hesitate to share opinions. And they may wait too long to surface problems because they’re afraid of how those problems will be received.

By the time leaders hear about an issue, it may already be bigger, harder, and more costly to solve.

Building trust starts with leadership.

→ Be willing to be vulnerable
→ Admit when you make mistakes
→ Ask your team for help
→ Listen with the intention of learning
→ Treat failures as opportunities to improve

When people know they can tell you the truth without being blamed or punished, they speak up sooner.

And when problems surface sooner, you can solve them faster. That’s the power of trust.

It’s also what I’m looking forward to exploring with Karyn Twaronite during our next Executive Leader Series Fireside Chat.

With more than 30 years of global leadership experience at EY, Karyn brings a valuable perspective on how leadership and culture shape trust, performance, and long-term value.

I’m looking forward to a thoughtful conversation about what it really takes to create an environment where people feel safe to speak up, challenge ideas, and tell leaders what they need to hear.

📅 September 29
🕔 5 PM PST

Join us here: https://ignite-ambition.mn.co/posts/104966139

Karla Trotman didn’t take a traditional path to becoming CEO.She grew up around her family’s manufacturing business, lef...
09/21/2026

Karla Trotman didn’t take a traditional path to becoming CEO.

She grew up around her family’s manufacturing business, left to build a career in corporate America, launched her own e-commerce business, and eventually returned—not just to continue what her parents built, but to reimagine what it could become.

Today, she leads Electro Soft as CEO.

What makes Karla’s story so compelling isn’t only the business she built. It’s the questions she had to answer along the way:

→ How do you honor a legacy while still making it your own?
→ When does a business need to evolve?
→ How do you bring new ideas, people, and technology into an established organization?

In her book, Dark, Dirty, Dangerous: Building the Vibrant Future of Manufacturing, Karla explores these questions through the lens of entrepreneurship, family business, technology, leadership, and generational wealth.

And these lessons go far beyond manufacturing.

That’s exactly what we’ll explore when Karla joins us for the second half of our Ignite Ambition Book Club.

📅 September 23
🕔 5 PM PST

Join us here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScauLnb39OgGUftDNgXpCLpSfSELi-fXZBcpfyy0Rr853ElXw/viewform
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I’ve never had a job where I loved every single task and responsibility. I don’t think anybody does.There will always be...
09/18/2026

I’ve never had a job where I loved every single task and responsibility. I don’t think anybody does.

There will always be work you enjoy and work you simply need to get done.

The key is not letting the things you dislike become the things you constantly avoid.

Here are three things that help me:

→ Schedule it.
Don’t say, “I’ll do it when I have time.” Put it on your calendar and create the time.

→ Reward yourself.
Give yourself something small to look forward to once the task is finished—a walk, a book, a conversation, whatever feels like a treat.

→ Find accountability.
Tell someone what you’re going to do and when you’re going to do it. Ask them to hold you to it.

Sometimes, you don’t need more motivation.

You need a system that makes it harder to avoid what needs to get done.
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