She Did What?! Judith Batty, Board Of Directors of Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
This is a platform to share the radical pivots, risks, self evaluations and reflections of people I admire. We dig into the moments that led the people in their lives to go, “She Did What?!” and ultimately, to their personal or professional metamorphosis.
Judith Batty is an expert in legal issues, public and government affairs, and business operations. She served as an executive and senior attorney at ExxonMobil Corporation for over 28 years. She was the first female, and first African American, General Counsel of ExxonMobil's 3,000 employee, publicly traded, Japanese affiliate. In addition to her legal positions, Judith served as Senior Director of Federal Relations, Government and Public Affairs for ExxonMobil Corporation. Prior to her time with ExxonMobil, Judith was an antitrust attorney in private practice. After graduating from law school, she joined the United States Department of Justice, through its Honors Program, and was assigned to the Trial Section of the Antitrust Division.
Most recently, Judith served as the first Black CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA, where she had previously served on the National Board and as the International Commissioner. Currently, Judith serves as a Board Member for the Metropolitan-Washington Airports Authority and co-chairs the Finance Committee and the Governance and Executive Committee.
To start out my conversation with Judith, I asked her about the biggest pivots she’s made throughout her impressive career.
The first big pivot for me was when I was at Mobil, and someone asked me about working overseas. I had never thought about working overseas or entertained that as part of my career path. It intrigued me, but I was in my late 20s. I was, or so I thought, at that prime age of finding your life partner and getting married. So, I said no because I thought the timing was wrong. Then, I spoke with my friends and reflected on the opportunity, and ultimately, I said yes to an overseas assignment. That decision changed the trajectory of my career. I first went to Dallas, which led me to London, and eventually to Japan.
Judith brings up a great point about changing our minds. While we often may have an immediate reaction to say ‘no’ to big opportunities, it is important to take the appropriate time to reflect and talk with friends and family about these major life decisions. Don’t let the fear of radical change stop you from experiencing great opportunities. As expected, this wasn’t the last hard decision Judith had to make. She shares about another, recent major opportunity.
The most recent pivot was being asked to become the interim CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA. At first, I said ‘no’ because I was retired and liked my retirement. I had never been or thought about being a CEO. Again, I spoke with my friends and board colleagues about the decision, and ended up saying ‘yes,’ and I am very glad I did.’ I was interim CEO for 18 months, and it was a very good experience for me. I learned a lot about my management style and myself, and I think I did a lot of good.
Like Judith, sometimes we may be wary of accepting opportunities in the fear of being under qualified. We also know this is a mental barrier that women in particular have to overcome. I know a lot of our readers have shared tips and tricks for how to overcome the pitfall of imposter syndrome. I appreciate Judith’s mindset that they wouldn’t approach her if they didn’t think she had the ability. The hardest part is having that unwavering confidence in ourselves.
Hearing about the fascinating experiences Judith has had in her career and all she has accomplished, I wanted to know if she has a process to take stock of where she is and what she wants to accomplish. Judith’s answer might surprise you. In short, her answer is, ‘No.’
I found in my career, unlike in a particular job, that things have happened and things have been offered to me that were not even on my radar, like moving to London or working for an oil company. I learned early on that, for me, planning my career step by step was a little futile. It usually did not work out, and other things came my way that I had not expected, and they were great things that I wanted to do. While I don’t tend to plan each move, I do have an overall goal. I want to continue to move up. When opportunities are offered, I am looking for positions that increase my knowledge, augment my skills, and challenge me intellectually.
There is something to be said about Judith’s ability to let life guide her through the many chapters that often come unexpectedly. I think most of us could benefit from being a little more spontaneous, especially, in the thoughtfully crafted and measured way that Judith is. Judith is a perfect example of how unexpected decisions can lead to amazing success and unique opportunities.
I have always been extremely impressed with Judith’s extraordinary way of consistently leveling up in her career, and making it seem so effortless. You might be wondering, ‘How does one self-assess throughout these new experiences that were never on their radar?’ The answer for Judith is a profound level of self awareness that stems back to her childhood.
I think I am fairly self aware. I grew up in a household where I was taught by my parents that, if you put your mind to it, you can do anything. I grew up in a world where Black people weren’t allowed to do a lot of things or didn’t do a lot of things, and my parents did not want me to believe that my race was a limitation on my capabilities or possibilities. In my household, anything was possible, as long as you worked hard and put your mind to it. I still believe that; however, I am self aware of my limitations. I know I’m a lawyer, so I’m not going to take a job as a rocket scientist because, of course, I do not know anything about that.
I love Judith’s point about believing in yourself and your capabilities while still taking note of your limitations. We can’t all be good at everything or have knowledge in every subject. That’s just a fact of life. Deeply knowing yourself and your talents is the best way to set yourself up for successful and fulfilling ventures. However, sometimes we must rely on the support of our friends, family, and colleagues to make us realize our true inner potential. This is something that Judith consistently relates back to her time at Girl Scouts of the USA .
I will only take a position outside of my comfort zone if I think I can be useful to the organization, but it may take me a minute to realize that. For me, taking the job as CEO at the Girl Scouts was outside my comfort zone. There were a couple people telling me that I would be really good as CEO, and I took it to heart that they saw something in me that I was not quite sure I had. This was a totally different type of job for me. I knew I could manage people, I had run a budget, and had been on the Board long enough to know what the big issues were at Girl Scouts, but I knew being CEO was going to push me in some capacities.
I’m so impressed with Judith’s time at GSUSA and what she was able to accomplish. From starting DEI work, to raising more money, to receiving the highest Gallup rating, Judith’s tenure at Girl Scouts is the perfect example of the good that can come when we take a chance on ourselves and our capabilities. Although Judith is rightfully proud of her work at Girl Scouts, she notes that her successes were not just her own doing.
I truly believe as a leader that you never know everything, and you do have to depend on your team, so you have to build a strong team. I know I’m not a marketer, so I hired a woman who was a great marketer. I know I’m not an IT person, so we looked for the right person. I absolutely rely on the people with the expertise in the areas where I don’t have expertise. Even in areas that I do have expertise, I bring in other experts. As the CEO and a lawyer, I still had general counsel.
I believe an important trait in any successful leader is admitting you don’t know it all, and bringing in people with varieties of expertise to get the job done. It’s much more impressive when leaders, like Judith, share their successes with their teams and recognize others for their unique contributions.
In a constantly changing and accelerating career, I wanted to know how Judith stays motivated to grow and evolve. She shared with me her newfound approach to work that her younger self would not have believed.
One of the biggest differences now vs. when I was younger, is I was always a person who worked really hard, but I was never a person who lived to work. I was always a person who worked to live. When I had business trips to places I had never been before, I would try to tack on a couple of days so I could see the place. The first time I went to Namibia on a deal, I stayed a couple of extra days because I had never been to Namibia and wanted to see it. In South Africa, I took a weekend and went on safari. Back then, work was fun, exciting, and I worked hard, but it was a means to an end. I’ve been retired now for awhile, and then I took the CEO position, and I think one of the things that’s different now is I don’t have to work to live, but I do want to work. I like being involved in day-to-day decisions and helping an organization achieve its goals.
When caught up in the daily grind, I think so many of us forget to stop and take moments for ourselves or make time for what we like to do outside of our careers. Judith is the perfect example of how you can combine your professional life with your personal interests and hobbies – even within the same trip.
I asked Judith to share her tips for radical self-evaluation which is something she has clearly practiced throughout her career. She pointed out a harsh reality for women, especially women of color.
I do have a couple of tips, especially for women and people of color. When women and people of color are hired by major companies, it’s usually because throughout school you were number one in your class, and you did well in college and graduate school. Then, when you get to the company, and you are suddenly not the big superstar that you were; this can totally shake your confidence. I always tell people, you need to listen to what people tell you and take it in, but it’s still somebody's opinion, so don’t forget your critical thinking skills. Evaluate the comment. Do you agree with it? Is part of it valid? Is it totally off the wall? What’s the motivation behind it? I really do think when people of color and women work in major companies, a lot of times their confidence gets shaken and that limits their opportunities in that company. There was a time when my confidence was shaken. All through school and my first job, I was told that I was a very good writer. Then, at this one job, a lawyer told me that I couldn’t write. I thought about how this had never been a problem before, but I still took it to heart and it really shook my confidence. At my next job, the first comment I received was praise for my writing skills. It was then that I made the decision that you need to remember the source of the comment and not let others shake your confidence. Take on the constructive criticism, but make a judgment call on what you think is valid.
To close out our conversation, I asked Judith to share her tips for anyone looking to make radical changes in their own lives and careers.
Think about what the change will bring about. Think about what you will be leaving behind. Make sure that the benefit of the change is worth what you’re leaving behind because there’s always a good and bad side to every decision, but don't be afraid to make a change just because you’re going to leave something behind. I think part of living a fulfilled life is being open to change and pivoting, but do some evaluation to make sure it's right for you at the time. I believe in the saying ‘Women can have it all’, but I also believe in the saying ‘Women can have it all, just not all at once.’ I believe in pivots. I believe in change. I believe some of the best things that can happen to you come from things you hadn't anticipated or expected, but make sure it’s the right thing at the right time for you.
I think so many “She Did What?!” readers can relate to Judith’s experiences of taking on the unexpected and knowing ourselves deeply to make the best decisions for ourselves. Without this bold spirit, we might limit ourselves professionally and personally. Thank you so much to Judith for sharing your captivating thoughts and experiences with our readers!
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