HBR On Leadership How to Succeed in Your Career When Change Is a Constant
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Jul 9, 2025 
Bonnie Hammer, the former Vice Chairman of NBCUniversal, shares her journey from production assistant to media leader. She discusses how to thrive amid constant change in the industry. Key insights include the importance of adaptability and leveraging opportunities. Bonnie emphasizes balancing instincts with analytical decision-making and the value of empathy in leadership. She also offers practical advice for young professionals, stressing hard work, positivity, and resilience as essential traits for navigating a dynamic career landscape.
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Humble Career Beginnings
- Bonnie Hammer started her career as a production assistant cleaning up after a dog on a kids' math TV show.
- She embraced the job with a positive attitude, seeing it as an opportunity to enter the television industry.
Embrace Change Proactively
- Embrace change since it is inevitable and unavoidable in any industry.
- Understand the new culture, find where you fit, and show positivity to earn support from new leadership.
ABCs to Gut-Checked Decisions
- Use the ABCDEFG method for important decisions: Analyze, Brainstorm, Compare, Devil's advocate, Effort, Facts, and Gut feeling.
- Combining rational analysis with gut instinct limits failure and guides smart choices.