Conversations at the Top

Marvin Ellison, CEO, Lowe’s Companies, Inc.

SKIP SPRIGGS: How did your upbringing help form your views around inclusion?

MARVIN ELLISON: I was raised in a small, segregated Southern town, but my parents were very progressive thinkers. My dad would never allow us to say, “Well, this group of people are bad because of what they did during Jim Crow.” You have to take the time to get to know people as individuals and never paint groups with broad brushstrokes. For me, that translates into making sure that everyone has the opportunity to be viewed as an individual, not a stereotype.

And I remember college—a large, urban university—where I’m sitting next to somebody from Japan, somebody from Africa. I loved to talk with them about how they grew up. I learned the enriching, really magical aspects of the broadest array of what diversity means.

Today, at Lowe’s, we don’t want an environment where your uniqueness doesn’t matter. The fundamental thing is: Can you do the job effectively? So we have to change the way some people think about individuals based on a stereotype. Everyone brings something special to the table.

SS: Are there certain things you do at Lowe’s to amplify that message?

ME: Well, I’m a big believer in the old saying “Talk is cheap.” What really matters is your actions. When I got the chance to build this leadership team, we went out and hired diverse executives. Now when I talk about diversity and inclusion, the words carry weight. It’s encouraging to see someone who looks like you being successful, and it creates a rising tide. It gives you confidence that you can get there too.

SS: Does having a diverse set of people around your senior leadership table lead to better business decisions?

ME: One hundred percent. The worst mistake leaders can make is to surround themselves with people that think like them and look like them. You’re just limiting the strategic discussion that’s going to take place. I often say, “Look, if everybody is going to agree with me, I’ll cancel the meeting and make all the decisions myself.” That’s my way of encouraging spirited debate.

At the end of the day, we are each products of where we come from and what we’ve done. If you really bring those things to the table, and those things become part of your decision making, that’s a powerful combination to have. That’s what I’m trying to facilitate.

SS: Yes, right on, Marvin. And I just saw your phenomenal second-quarter results. One last question. With so much media attention to race and gender issues, it seems awareness around diversity and inclusion has never been higher. Are you getting any different communications from investors yet?

ME: To be honest with you, it hasn’t changed much. Most investors are focused on the management team’s ability to run the company with effectiveness and integrity. But since I’m one of very few African Americans running a major public company, part of the role I take on is education of my leadership team and my board of directors. When communicating with my management team and board, I want to be authentic. I take the lead in having uncomfortable conversations, not to be provocative but to help answer questions where others’ lenses may not give them the whole vantage point. I try to create an environment where people are not afraid to have those conversations, and I challenge others to lead if it is something that matters to them.

I know I have an obligation to perform well every day, because that’s the ultimate scorecard for a public company CEO. And if I perform well, then I’m hoping the door opens for others who look like me to be next in line.

If I perform well, then I’m hoping the door opens for others who look like me to be next in line.”