Leslie Hutto’s #SeeHer Story: Succeeding In A Male-Dominated Role

In Leslie Hutto’s line of work, women managers are the exception.

She admits that she’s walked into a meeting with male clients who’ve mistakenly assumed she was taking the lunch order and then were surprised to learn she was leading the meeting.

But Hutto, the Director of Sales for Georgia‐Pacific in Atlanta, doesn’t let things like that rattle her.

Responsible for managing the sales of GP building products to Lowes, Hutto in this video describes what she does instead, and how the key influences in her life – her father, mother and grandmother – all taught her, in their own ways, that she could do anything she set her mind to.

The advice she’d give to her younger self for succeeding in a male‐dominated business? “You have to be mentally tough. And as people get in the way or tell you you can’t, you just keep focused on your goals and keep moving forward.”

Hutto is passing on that wisdom to her own daughters, and by extension showing them that if you “see her,” you can “be her.” That’s what the #SeeHer initiative is all about – giving light to everyday female role models to inspire young women.

Georgia‐Pacific is committed to the #SeeHer initiative, an effort from more than 50 major advertisers representing 1,000 brands to eliminate bias against women from advertising and media and promote equality.

Watch Hutto’s story to hear more about her determination to succeed.