Kim Insley is a multi-media journalist with more than 30 years in the business, and multiple awards in producing, reporting and anchoring, most of which as co-anchor of KARE-11’s Sunrise program. In her work Kim has covered everything from natural disasters to presidential candidates to the pope. Kim is a mentor to both young professionals as well as high school students through her work with the Minnetonka School District Vantage program. Kim is excited to announce she has launched a new venture that will not only continue to support young people with their dreams, but also actively help organization share their stories and ideas for moving our community forward.

What drew you to TeamWomenMN?

What drew me to TeamWomenMN was the team behind it – including, of course, Pam Borton. I had the pleasure of interviewing her in recent months on KARE11. She is so dynamic and level-headed. Learning more about this organization supporting women in their careers made it a no-brainer to get involved.

What have been your experiences with TeamWomenMN?

I’m a newbie to TeamWomenMN, so my experiences are limited to just one luncheon, which I was honored to be a part of. Our guest speakers were generous with their time and their knowledge. Penny Wheeler of Allina and Shari Ballard of Best Buy are quite a team themselves. I already have my tickets to the Nov. 29th Power Luncheon with Marcia Ballinger and Lars Leafblad and I can’t wait! I’ve also had the pleasure of a bit of the behind the scenes operation, getting to know executive director Katy Burke – a powerhouse of energy, commitment and so much fun!

What can women do to support each other?

Mentor a younger colleague. If your company has an internship program, get involved with it. I loved working with interns – not just setting an example, but taking an interest in their career goals. Are you mid or late career? You have lots of contacts. Connect the women you know so they can expand their own network. At the office, have each other’s back, don’t talk behind backs. A successful woman is not a threat – she is at the very least someone you can learn from. At best, an ally. When you feel alone, or stalled out in your career, another woman might have the insight you need to move past that. Women can do so much more to support each other!

What does success mean to you?

Success, to me, is being happy and passionate about what you are doing. I’ve seen people at the very top of their profession who have no passion for their jobs, who have no joy in their lives. Who wants to live like that? Bear in mind success might change over time. What got your motor racing at age 25 might be different by the time you hit 45. Be open to change, and pay attention to your gut. If you don’t feel fulfilled in your job, find out why. Can you change it? Should you try something else altogether? Give yourself permission to be happy in what you do. That is true success.

What are three things you attribute your success to?

I have never let myself be defined by others. I realize many people have an opinion of me but I know myself pretty well.
I have a strong work ethic. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it. Being a life long learner. I have had to change my skillset many times over my career as technology and attitudes have changed over what people want from their news. It keeps me engaged. There are many, many things that have helped me over the years. It’s hard to choose only three!

If you could change one thing about your career, what would it be?

I have been extremely blessed in my career so far. Although, not everything has gone perfectly. If I could change one thing it would be to have paid more attention when I was younger – I think I assumed I knew far more than I did. That cockiness can be helpful, but a little humility goes a long way.

What is one piece of advice you have for our TeamWomenMN members?

Advice for all of us – get out there! Don’t be afraid to meet new people. Learn something about someone in a field that is not your own. You never know where it might take you!

Shari Ballard is senior executive vice president and president of multichannel retail for Best Buy Co. Inc. In her role, she is responsible for all U.S. Best Buy stores, e-commerce, Best Buy Mexico and the company’s real estate strategy.

Ms. Ballard is a seasoned executive with deep retail experience. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan – Flint, she was hired in 1993 to work in a local Best Buy store, beginning as an assistant store manager and rising to general manager. After a variety of retail leadership roles, she was promoted to executive vice president of human resources and legal.

In 2007, Ms. Ballard assumed responsibility for Best Buy stores in the United States, focusing her energies on deepening customer relationships and better utilizing the full range of talent and resources that reside within the company’s stores to drive growth. She was promoted to president of Americas, U.S. and Mexico in 2010, and two years later, she was appointed the president of international, overseeing business and the transformation efforts in Canada, China, Europe, and Mexico. In April 2014, Ms. Ballard assumed the role of president of U.S. retail and a few months later, began a dual role to include chief human resources officer, a position allowing her to leverage her broad experience, expertise and knowledge of the company and its employees.

Ms. Ballard serves on the board of directors for the University of Minnesota Foundation.

How did you get involved with Team Women?

I’ve known Pam Borton for a long time and she is a friend of mine. When Pam started TeamWomenMN, I got involved.  I really like how it is growing and evolving into a community of mentors and support for women, not only support of developing skills, but also the need for health and wellness. I like the holistic approach to success!

What do you like most about Team Women?

I really like the full range of people involved. It’s great to connect and learn from all members.  The members who are new in their career have such a fresh, new perspective and outlook.  And, then you have someone who is more experienced in their career and has tremendous knowledge to share from their perspective. Creating that diversity is great.

How can women support women?

It’s important to have relationships and a support group outside of your internal infrastructure. No matter where you are in your career, it is always good to have a safe place to bounce things off your peers and get a different point of view. But it is equally important that your values and beliefs align with your support group. Industries can be very different and the level of job responsibility can be different but you should always share a common belief and value system – or you might not get the best outcome.  People should work to bring out the best in each other – believing in the same core values supports this process.

What do you contribute your success to?

1) Luck. I consider myself very lucky in that I have been in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills – to fill a need.  It’s not that others wouldn’t be able to do the job; it’s just that my skills, style, approach or point of view aligned with the needs of the organization at the exact time it was needed and everything else fell into place.

2) I really enjoy people. I mean I genuinely enjoy getting to know people at any level, understanding their motivations and unique skills and then putting those in action with the job. I like when people can be themselves at work and I approach my team with that attitude so I can understand them and put together a team that creates meaningful outcomes. I believe in surrounding myself with people who compliment diversity in the truest sense. When you do, it will help you collectively see things differently.

3) Learn from your mistakes and move forward. Every day is a new day to do better. When leaders fail, find out what caused them to fail. Don’t try to be the smartest person in the world.

Any last comments?

I am a firm believer in finding your mission that you love. It doesn’t matter what it is. In the grand scheme, we should ask ourselves, “Why we are doing what we are doing?” At the very core, it’s about various groups of people coming together to create something meaningful. Try to stay clear on that point – it does not matter what your title is, how much money you make, etc. Those things do not always lead to a good outcome if they are not aligned with your mission. Stay away from things that don’t feed your soul – if you have to, take a temporary day trip, but always get back to feeding your soul.