{"id":7242,"date":"2022-10-11T17:38:16","date_gmt":"2022-10-11T21:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/?p=7242"},"modified":"2023-12-11T10:55:11","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T15:55:11","slug":"hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/","title":{"rendered":"Hard Work and Grit Leads to Success: Lessons from an \u201cUnlikely\u201d CEO"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><button id=\"listenButton1\" class=\"responsivevoice-button\" type=\"button\" value=\"Play\" title=\"ResponsiveVoice Tap to Start\/Stop Speech\"><span>&#128266; Listen to this article<\/span><\/button>\n        <script>\n            listenButton1.onclick = function(){\n                if(responsiveVoice.isPlaying()){\n                    responsiveVoice.cancel();\n                }else{\n                    responsiveVoice.speak(\"Donald Thompson, co-founder and CEO of The Diversity Movement, is an entrepreneur, public speaker, podcaster, and executive coach. He is also the son of parents from Bogalusa, Louisiana, who raised their children to believe that they could achieve anything they set their minds to.\u00a0 This confidence and a thirst for knowledge enabled Don to realize his dream of becoming a successful chief executive officer and entrepreneur. Along the way, he drew on lessons his parents instilled \u2013 the power of education, hard work, and a commitment to excellence \u2013 and those learned from his own mistakes. In Underestimated: A CEO\u2019s Unlikely Path to Success, Don shares his story in the hope that it will inspire \u201cfolks who maybe don\\'t have a traditional pedigree of what success looks like,\u201d he says.\u00a0 We sat down recently with Don to talk about the book and what he has learned so far about persistence, achievement, and how to keep dreaming big. What prompted you to write Underestimated? First, I wanted to honor my family: my parents, my Granny \u2013 my grandfather Big Daddy, in particular. They created a foundation for me \u2013 of love, care, excellence, and competitiveness \u2013 so I could go out into this world and win, in spite of the circumstances. If you think about the CEOs you\\'ve met or at companies you\\'ve worked for, how many of them have looked like me? The answer is likely very few.\u00a0 I remember my grandfather telling me that I was going to be the first millionaire in our family; I was maybe 8 years old. At the time, I didn\u2019t understand what that meant, why it mattered, or why he was telling me that. But there was this belief, from that young age, that I could win with the cards that I was dealt.\u00a0 Second, I hope to inspire people who have yet to make their mark in the world. You can not have a college degree and still make it. You could start out in one career and pivot; you can have some personal ups and downs. Your current circumstances don\\'t determine the size of your dream. Your current circumstances don\\'t determine what you can accomplish.\u00a0 And third, from a business standpoint, I want to build a brand to grow The Diversity Movement, to grow the executive coaching that I do, and the leadership opportunities I\u2019m pursuing. I want to create a foundation so people can get to know me, even if we haven\u2019t spent time together.\u00a0 When did you realize you\\'d \\\"made it,\\\" in terms of achieving your dreams? I don\\'t think in terms of having \u201cmade it.\u201d Have I done a few things that have worked out well? Absolutely. But I\\'m always chasing what\\'s next. I think my hunger for the next challenge doesn\\'t allow me to think about whether I\\'ve made it or not. It\\'s really more, \u201cDo I have tools now so I can make a bigger and broader impact?\u201d The answer to that is yes. Have I made it? No. But have I gotten to a point where I can see further faster, because of some things that I\\'ve done and accomplished? Absolutely. I\\'ve reached the point in my career where my focus is shifting more from myself to others \u2013 that\\'s a sign of growth and maturity. It\\'s pretty cool in terms of the way you set goals, and the way you live your life and get up every day. I get to choose what I work on and who I work with. That\\'s pretty awesome.\u00a0 https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=g_7CtzLChig When were you able to use money as a tool, rather than having it control you? One thing about money is having a little bit extra creates a different set of choices. When I got out of debt from mistakes in my young adulthood and had a little money in savings, I became a different employee. When you\\'re working to live, you put up with different things versus when you work to achieve and learn and build capabilities. When I started to work to build capabilities with people who I enjoyed and respected, that was a beautiful thing.\u00a0 That was about 15 years ago, because I didn\\'t have a big car or a house I couldn\\'t afford. Every time I got a commission check, I paid my bills, and there was some extra. And that was a good thing, because that gave me the power to make sure I was doing things that aligned with my values. I wanted to spend time chasing dreams and goals that were meaningful to me. A lot of times people think: When I\\'m a millionaire, when I have $10 million, or when I have this big house. But, it\\'s really when you get your finances in balance that you have the freedom of choice.\u00a0 What is your advice to young professionals or would-be entrepreneurs? A lot of times people don\\'t start businesses, because they can\\'t afford to go without a paycheck for a month, two months, six months, a year, but they have this big dream or vision. Most people don\\'t have the opportunity to chase future rewards, because they\\'re chasing what they\\'ve got to do to pay the light bill and the mortgage. My advice to people on the way up is this: Anything you can do to keep your expenses down is going to keep your choices up. The higher your expenses, the fewer choices you have, because you\\'re locked into a lot of financial obligations. The smaller your financial expense footprint, the more choices you have about what you can do and what you can chase.\u00a0 Sadly, what you will read in Underestimated is that I didn\\'t learn this right away. My early lessons were how to get out of debt and overcome bad credit. I did a whole series of things that I now tell people not to do from a financial perspective. I learned the hard way. I didn\\'t read books on financial planning; I lived through a historical amount of dumb decisions. But by doing that, those lessons created a foundation for better decisions in the future. I have had the opportunity to chase new dreams, even though the profits might be deferred. That doesn\\'t mean I don\\'t want to make money, but it means that I can chase big opportunities, and the money can come later. The more you can defer your personal gain, the more personal gain there will be in the future.\u00a0 Now, when I think about business, when I think about growth, when I think about things that I do day-to-day, finances are a factor, but they\\'re not the number one consideration. Instead, I can ask: What is the mission? Who are the people involved? What is the goal? Discover more advice from Donald Thompson in Underestimated: A CEO\u2019s Unlikely Path to Success, available October 11. Amber Keister is a Content Writer and Editor at The Diversity Movement. She has spent more than 20 years as a journalist for publications throughout the South. Connect with her on Linkedin.\", \"US English Male\");\n                }\n            };\n        <\/script>\n     <\/br><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Donald Thompson, co-founder and CEO of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/team\/donald-thompson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Diversity Movement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is an entrepreneur, public speaker, podcaster, and executive coach. He is also the son of parents from Bogalusa, Louisiana, who raised their children to believe that they could achieve anything they set their minds to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This confidence and a thirst for knowledge enabled Don to realize his dream of becoming a successful chief executive officer and entrepreneur. Along the way, he drew on lessons his parents instilled \u2013 the power of education, hard work, and a commitment to excellence \u2013 and those learned from his own mistakes. In <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/underestimated\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Underestimated: A CEO\u2019s Unlikely Path to Success<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Don shares his story in the hope that it will inspire \u201cfolks who maybe don&#8217;t have a traditional pedigree of what success looks like,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We sat down recently with Don to talk about the book and what he has learned so far about persistence, achievement, and how to keep dreaming big.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What prompted you to write <i>Underestimated<\/i>?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5975 alignleft lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/underestimated-300x277.png\" alt=\"Underestimated book cover featuring an image of Donald\" width=\"300\" height=\"277\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/underestimated-300x277.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/underestimated-600x553.png 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/underestimated-1024x944.png 1024w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/underestimated-768x708.png 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/underestimated.png 1500w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/277;\" \/>First, I wanted to honor my family: my parents, my Granny \u2013 my grandfather Big Daddy, in particular. They created a foundation for me \u2013 of love, care, excellence, and competitiveness \u2013 so I could go out into this world and win, in spite of the circumstances. If you think about the CEOs you&#8217;ve met or at companies you&#8217;ve worked for, how many of them have looked like me? The answer is likely very few.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I remember my grandfather telling me that I was going to be the first millionaire in our family; I was maybe 8 years old. At the time, I didn\u2019t understand what that meant, why it mattered, or why he was telling me that. But there was this belief, from that young age, that I could win with the cards that I was dealt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Second, I hope to inspire people who have yet to make their mark in the world. You can not have a college degree and still make it. You could start out in one career and pivot; you can have some personal ups and downs. Your current circumstances don&#8217;t determine the size of your dream. Your current circumstances don&#8217;t determine what you can accomplish.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And third, from a business standpoint, I want to build a brand to grow The Diversity Movement, to grow the executive coaching that I do, and the leadership opportunities I\u2019m pursuing. I want to create a foundation so people can get to know me, even if we haven\u2019t spent time together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/library\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8878 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-C-1024x341.png\" alt=\"TDM Library: your one-stop-shop for update, expert DEI Resources. Explore the platform with a free trial. Click here to learn more.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"341\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-C-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-C-600x200.png 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-C-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-C-768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-C.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/341;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>When did you realize you&#8217;d &#8220;made it,&#8221; in terms of achieving your dreams?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I don&#8217;t think in terms of having \u201cmade it.\u201d Have I done a few things that have worked out well? Absolutely. But I&#8217;m always <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CJOZLk18QDw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">chasing what&#8217;s next<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. I think my hunger for the next challenge doesn&#8217;t allow me to think about whether I&#8217;ve made it or not. It&#8217;s really more, \u201cDo I have tools now so I can make a bigger and broader impact?\u201d The answer to that is yes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have I made it? No. But have I gotten to a point where I can see further faster, because of some things that I&#8217;ve done and accomplished? Absolutely. I&#8217;ve reached the point in my career where my focus is shifting more from myself to others \u2013 that&#8217;s a sign of growth and maturity. It&#8217;s pretty cool in terms of the way you set goals, and the way you live your life and get up every day. I get to choose what I work on and who I work with. That&#8217;s pretty awesome.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\"><iframe title=\"Underestimated: A CEO&#039;s Unlikely Path to Success\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g_7CtzLChig?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>When were you able to use money as a tool, rather than having it control you?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One thing about money is having a little bit extra creates a different set of choices. When I got out of debt from mistakes in my young adulthood and had a little money in savings, I became a different employee. When you&#8217;re working to live, you put up with different things versus when you work to achieve and learn and build capabilities. When I started to work to build capabilities with people who I enjoyed and respected, that was a beautiful thing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That was about 15 years ago, because I didn&#8217;t have a big car or a house I couldn&#8217;t afford. Every time I got a commission check, I paid my bills, and there was some extra. And that was a good thing, because that gave me the power to make sure I was doing things that aligned with my values. I wanted to spend time chasing dreams and goals that were meaningful to me. A lot of times people think: When I&#8217;m a millionaire, when I have $10 million, or when I have this big house. But, it&#8217;s really when you get your finances in balance that you have the freedom of choice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>What is your advice to young professionals or would-be entrepreneurs?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5985 alignleft lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/0-5-300x300.png\" alt=\"Donald sitting in an office chair\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/0-5-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/0-5-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/0-5-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/0-5.png 600w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/300;\" \/>A lot of times people don&#8217;t start businesses, because they can&#8217;t afford to go without a paycheck for a month, two months, six months, a year, but they have this big dream or vision. Most people don&#8217;t have the opportunity to chase future rewards, because they&#8217;re chasing what they&#8217;ve got to do to pay the light bill and the mortgage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My advice to people on the way up is this: Anything you can do to keep your expenses down is going to keep your choices up. The higher your expenses, the fewer choices you have, because you&#8217;re locked into a lot of financial obligations. The smaller your financial expense footprint, the more choices you have about what you can do and what you can chase.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sadly, what you will read in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Underestimated<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is that I didn&#8217;t learn this right away. My early lessons were how to get out of debt and overcome bad credit. I did a whole series of things that I now tell people not to do from a financial perspective. I learned the hard way. I didn&#8217;t read books on financial planning; I lived through a historical amount of dumb decisions. But by doing that, those lessons created a foundation for better decisions in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have had the opportunity to chase new dreams, even though the profits might be deferred. That doesn&#8217;t mean I don&#8217;t want to make money, but it means that I can chase big opportunities, and the money can come later. The more you can defer your personal gain, the more personal gain there will be in the future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, when I think about business, when I think about growth, when I think about things that I do day-to-day, finances are a factor, but they&#8217;re not the number one consideration. Instead, I can ask: What is the mission? Who are the people involved? What is the goal?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Discover more advice from Donald Thompson in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/underestimated\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Underestimated: A CEO\u2019s Unlikely Path to Success<\/a><\/em>, available October 11.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/library\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-8045 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-C-1024x85.png\" alt=\"Display ad for TDM Library. Text says &quot;Find more content like this in TDM Library. Start my free trial&quot;\" width=\"1024\" height=\"85\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-C-1024x85.png 1024w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-C-600x50.png 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-C-300x25.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-C-768x64.png 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-C.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/85;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/team\/amber-keister\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Amber Keister<\/b><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is a Content Writer and Editor at The Diversity Movement. She has spent more than 20 years as a journalist for publications throughout the South. Connect with her on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/amberkeister\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Linkedin<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Thompson, co-founder and CEO of The Diversity Movement, is an entrepreneur, public speaker, podcaster, and executive coach. He is also the son of parents from Bogalusa, Louisiana, who raised15<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5982,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[79],"tdm_type":[92],"class_list":["post-7242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs","tag-personal-stories","tdm_type-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Hard Work and Grit Leads to Success: Lessons from an \u201cUnlikely\u201d CEO - The Diversity Movement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Underestimated: A CEO\u2019s Unlikely Path to Success, Don shares his story in the hope that it will inspire \u201cfolks who maybe don&#039;t have a traditional pedigree of what success looks like,\u201d he says.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hard Work and Grit Leads to Success: Lessons from an \u201cUnlikely\u201d CEO - The Diversity Movement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In Underestimated: A CEO\u2019s Unlikely Path to Success, Don shares his story in the hope that it will inspire \u201cfolks who maybe don&#039;t have a traditional pedigree of what success looks like,\u201d he says.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Diversity Movement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thediversitymovement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-10-11T21:38:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-11T15:55:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-14-at-10.58.15-AM.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"930\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Walk West\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Walk West\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Walk West\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/96226c18fc3fda99e138ea5726960e51\"},\"headline\":\"Hard Work and Grit Leads to Success: Lessons from an \u201cUnlikely\u201d CEO\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-11T21:38:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-11T15:55:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/\"},\"wordCount\":1234,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-14-at-10.58.15-AM.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Personal Stories\"],\"articleSection\":[\"x Blogs\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/\",\"name\":\"Hard Work and Grit Leads to Success: Lessons from an \u201cUnlikely\u201d CEO - The Diversity Movement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-14-at-10.58.15-AM.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-11T21:38:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-11T15:55:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"In Underestimated: A CEO\u2019s Unlikely Path to Success, Don shares his story in the hope that it will inspire \u201cfolks who maybe don't have a traditional pedigree of what success looks like,\u201d he says.\u00a0\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-14-at-10.58.15-AM.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-14-at-10.58.15-AM.png\",\"width\":1768,\"height\":930,\"caption\":\"Donald standing with his arms crossed\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/type\/articles\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Hard Work and Grit Leads to Success: Lessons from an \u201cUnlikely\u201d CEO\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/\",\"name\":\"The Diversity Movement\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Diversity Movement\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Stack-Blue.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Stack-Blue.jpg\",\"width\":1500,\"height\":619,\"caption\":\"The Diversity Movement\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thediversitymovement\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thediversitymovement\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/thediversitymovement\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/96226c18fc3fda99e138ea5726960e51\",\"name\":\"Walk West\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/098990f08f15560a82addd4bf4c3ec68a20487d4d17beade5a7e24775b385f86?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/098990f08f15560a82addd4bf4c3ec68a20487d4d17beade5a7e24775b385f86?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Walk West\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Hard Work and Grit Leads to Success: Lessons from an \u201cUnlikely\u201d CEO - The Diversity Movement","description":"In Underestimated: A CEO\u2019s Unlikely Path to Success, Don shares his story in the hope that it will inspire \u201cfolks who maybe don't have a traditional pedigree of what success looks like,\u201d he says.\u00a0","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Hard Work and Grit Leads to Success: Lessons from an \u201cUnlikely\u201d CEO - The Diversity Movement","og_description":"In Underestimated: A CEO\u2019s Unlikely Path to Success, Don shares his story in the hope that it will inspire \u201cfolks who maybe don't have a traditional pedigree of what success looks like,\u201d he says.\u00a0","og_url":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/","og_site_name":"The Diversity Movement","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thediversitymovement\/","article_published_time":"2022-10-11T21:38:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-12-11T15:55:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1768,"height":930,"url":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-14-at-10.58.15-AM.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Walk West","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Walk West","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/"},"author":{"name":"Walk West","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/96226c18fc3fda99e138ea5726960e51"},"headline":"Hard Work and Grit Leads to Success: Lessons from an \u201cUnlikely\u201d CEO","datePublished":"2022-10-11T21:38:16+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-11T15:55:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/"},"wordCount":1234,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-14-at-10.58.15-AM.png","keywords":["Personal Stories"],"articleSection":["x Blogs"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/","url":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/","name":"Hard Work and Grit Leads to Success: Lessons from an \u201cUnlikely\u201d CEO - The Diversity Movement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-14-at-10.58.15-AM.png","datePublished":"2022-10-11T21:38:16+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-11T15:55:11+00:00","description":"In Underestimated: A CEO\u2019s Unlikely Path to Success, Don shares his story in the hope that it will inspire \u201cfolks who maybe don't have a traditional pedigree of what success looks like,\u201d he says.\u00a0","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-14-at-10.58.15-AM.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-14-at-10.58.15-AM.png","width":1768,"height":930,"caption":"Donald standing with his arms crossed"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/live-diversitymovement.pantheonsite.io\/hard-work-and-grit-leads-to-success-lessons-from-an-unlikely-ceo\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Articles","item":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/type\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Hard Work and Grit Leads to Success: Lessons from an \u201cUnlikely\u201d CEO"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/","name":"The Diversity Movement","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization","name":"The Diversity Movement","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Stack-Blue.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Stack-Blue.jpg","width":1500,"height":619,"caption":"The Diversity Movement"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thediversitymovement\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thediversitymovement\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/thediversitymovement\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/96226c18fc3fda99e138ea5726960e51","name":"Walk West","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/098990f08f15560a82addd4bf4c3ec68a20487d4d17beade5a7e24775b385f86?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/098990f08f15560a82addd4bf4c3ec68a20487d4d17beade5a7e24775b385f86?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Walk West"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7242"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8905,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7242\/revisions\/8905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7242"},{"taxonomy":"tdm_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tdm_type?post=7242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}