In Partnership With Marvin Ellison, Lowe's CEO | American Express

It's great to be here.

Yes, ma'am.

Play.

I'm a bass player. Yeah, I grew up. I started playing bass when I was about 9 years old. We had a family gospel singing group.

Yeah, so we were like the gospel version of the Jacksons.

Not quite as good, but my father, mother, my two brothers and I and my sister. I'm the middle child of seven. And I'm the least musically talented of any of my siblings.

It's a great question. We had not been together in years and my dad, who is 81 years old, summoned all of us Labor Day weekend last year to come home. And we're thinking, 'Is there something going wrong?' So I called my stepmom and she assured me that no, he was healthy. He just wanted us to get together, bring all of our instruments, come back home, and we sat down all evening and we just played.

We had neighbors that just came around from all over the area who heard we were there, and before we knew it, the house was filled. It was one of the nicest, most enjoyable evenings I've had in a very long time.

And we had neighbors that just came around from all over the area who heard we were there, and before we knew it, the house was filled. It was one of the nicest, most enjoyable evenings I've had in a very long time.

No.

And any of the video that remains, I want to find it and burn it. But we had a good time. We had a great time. And more importantly, my dad really enjoyed it. So, I would much rather play than sing or dance.

Right.

You know, I would say simplifying the complex. One of the things I've always tried to pride myself on is that in any situation, whether it's an equation to be solved or a business to be turned around, there are probably three or four things that really matter. So I try to jump into all the complexity and find those three or four levers that really drive the outcome. I tell my team all the time, 'A simple plan does not make you a simple leader.' And oftentimes, we get really concerned about over-simplifying things because we think that will give a limited view of our sophistication as a leader. And that's speaking for someone who struggled with that for a lot of years. But what I came to the conclusion is that if you can develop a simple plan with clarity, then you can drive excellent execution. At the end of the day, that's what matters in getting the outcome. So simplifying the complex is something I try to pride myself in doing.

I'm a do-it-for-me because the most valuable asset I have besides my health and my family is my time. So if I can get someone to do it for me and I can take that time and repurpose it to spend the evening with my wife or read a good book or go to a religious service, that's a much more valuable return than being tied up all day doing something that someone else can do at a higher skill level.

The best advice I received probably from my dad, and that is no one can beat you being you. For someone who grew up without a lot of material belongings, you could easily compare yourself to someone who's driving a better car, nicer clothes, a more prestigious education. My dad would always remind my siblings and I that whenever you feel like you're less than or a little overwhelmed, just always remember that God granted you unique gifts, so nobody can beat you being you. So be the best version of yourself. I have remembered that and forgotten that in different stages of my life and career, but whenever I'm faced with any insecurities, I reflect back to that advice.

Yeah, amen to that.

Yes, ma'am.

Yeah.

Well, I've said it many times, if there were two words to describe my career journey, they both would begin with the letter B: blessed and bumpy. I'm blessed because I'm here, and I thank God every day for allowing me to persevere through some of the challenges I faced. But it's been bumpy. The thing for me that's allowed me to be here is just being resilient. It's not the number of times that you get knocked down that matters, it's the number of times you get up. Growing up in the South, coming from a family that didn't really have a lot of financial wherewithal, but I was gifted with the lottery ticket of two great parents. They didn't have formal education, but they understood that there were so much greater opportunities out there beyond our small community. They encouraged us, motivated us, and supported us. My parents always found a way to be there, and they were always supportive. I won a lottery ticket in that regard. For a young black man growing up, having a dad that worked every day, never complained, went to church every Sunday, respected my mother, he gave me everything I needed to be the type of man I should be. He was a living example. I started working in retail in college as a part-time job at Target, and it just kind of resonated with me. I had to have ambition. I continued to look at the next opportunity. The one big unlock for me was when I determined that because I didn't have an educational pedigree or influential mentors, I had to take on assignments that no one else wanted. That started my journey around getting into turnaround situations. For the last 20 years of my career, I have replaced individuals who have been fired or forced out, including the job I'm in right now. I had to take on those high-risk positions to prove I could make it work. I've been fortunate to have a great team around me and have had success along the way.

Beyond what you said, when I was born, number four, my mother, who's the oldest of 16, was a maid at a truck stop motel. They had to get my dad out of the cotton field to let him know his fourth child was on the way, because he was a sharecropper. After I was born, he got into the insurance industry. In the South, the insurance industry was very segregated. He worked for a hometown company owned by a black gentleman who started a funeral home and an insurance company. He went door-to-door to collect payments. That transformed our life from rural poverty to lower middle class. The parallels are strikingly similar.

I cannot imagine. Yeah.