A Conversation with Jenny Ming

May 13th, 2008 | By Beauty Snob | Category: Conscious Fashion

Rating 3.00 out of 5

The Conscious Snob chatted with Jenny Ming this past weekend over Sprinkles cupcakes for a sweet bite of career and lifestyle advice from the former Old Navy President and current Kaiser Foundation Board Director. Ming has been recognized in BusinessWeek’s Top 25 Managers as well as in Fortune’s 2003 and 2004 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business list.

What advice do you have for young professionals who are at the start of their careers?

You pick what you are doing. Make sure you are working with people that are really great, that you can learn from, that have a purpose because you don’t want to work in a company that the people that you work with are not smart and inspiring. I think working with the right people in the early stages is very important.

In regards to young female professionals - what pointers would you give them as they work along sides their male colleagues?

Really be yourself. I think being female today is a positive, I don’t think it’s a negative. Don’t ever let a man make you feel inferior because women today have a lot more power. They’re wanted, they know more. So, don’t feel inferior. Step into your own.

What did you enjoy most while working in fashion?

It’s ever changing. It’s never the same. Every season’s a new season. Fashion’s always changing. I love that. If I did the same thing over and over again, it would be boring - so that’s why I love [fashion].

Was there ever a point in your career when you considered a career change, perhaps even switching to another industry altogether?

No. Never. I just knew [fashion] was the right thing for me.

Well for the younger generations, it’s no longer common for young professionals to stay and raise through the ranks with the same company. People talk about working to learn transferrable skills so that they can move on - what do you think about that?

I’m not your typical [professional]. I don’t have any how-to books. I think you have to go with your heart. I think that’s always the right thing to do.

Are there aspects of your lifestyle that you’re most proud of?

Connecting with my kids, with my family. Even though I had a very busy career, we have a very close-knit family and I think that’s what I’m most proud of. Now that I’m not working, I think I’ve made incredible friends during my career that I still connect with and talk to all the time. So I just think that even though I’ve moved on from my old career, I’ve built an incredible network of friendship that I can still continue - so I’m very proud of that.

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