Name: Mae Ocie Riley

Title: Model, actor, writer, business owner, and Ceo

Organisation: Baby Girl Inc. and Mae Riley

I am a model, actor, entertainer, business owner, CEO, and mom. I was born and raised in Alabama. I was dubbed Alabama's Pride by the media in New York in 2006.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Mae's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

Delivering bad news and making difficult decisions that affect other lives and livelihoods.

Every team is different. They have different Needs, Strengths, Skills, Motivation, Work styles, and Risk tolerance. To lead well, you have to match your style to your team. EQ is vital to know when to use which style. Good leaders adapt and choose the right style at the right time.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I was trained early growing up in my hometown of Tuskegee, Alabama to be a leader in school and community.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I sleep in a little during the morning unless I have a meeting and I am up until the early morning hours so I can do business worldwide.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

I am reminded that learning and evolving as a leader is constant. And that my impact on people directly and indirectly can be very significant.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

How to win friends and influence people. It gave me unique insight that I didn't get anywhere else.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Learn as much as you can, be respectful and tactful, and keep an open mind about learning and true leadership.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

My favorite story about leadership comes from mentoring my daughter. I believe in leading by example. I motivated and taught her everything that I know and inspired her to believe that she can do anything that she can achieve, anything that she puts her mind to.