Dr. Yvonne Thompson, CBE; stops in Brooklyn, NY to talk with What's The 411TV about her new book, 7 Traits of Highly Successful Women on Boards

Dr. Yvonne Thompson, CBE, was born into a family of entrepreneurial parents who left the Caribbean and immigrated to England at the request of Queen Elizabeth to help rebuild England after the war. Dr. Thompson arrived in England as an elementary school student and came of age during a time when racism was legal in England; John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States and assassinated; freedom fighter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream and was assassinated, as well as, Robert F. Kennedy. These events could have dimmed her spirits, but they were countered with man landing on the moon. This one act helped to develop Dr. Thompson's entrepreneurial spirit and propelled her thinking that she could do anything.

At her first job at CBS Records, Dr. Thompson realized quickly that she would not escalate up the corporate ladder as quickly as she would like. Consequently, she started her own company, which was the first black public relations company in the UK. Dr. Thompson was also the editor of the first black glossy magazine in the UK; and a founding director of the U.K.'s first black-formatted radio station, Legal Choice FM. As a director of Legal Choice FM, Dr. Thompson was the lone female voice on a board with nine men. Although people advised her not to invest her money in a "pirate radio station," Dr. Thompson made the investment and looks back with pride because it was a wise investment and the black music played by Legal Choice FM helped to change the culture of the UK for the better.

Despite the financial and cultural success of Dr Thompson's investment in Legal Choice FM, being the lone female voice on a board with nine men was not a walk in the park.

"It was a struggle to have my voice heard," Dr. Thompson stated. "It was a struggle for me to come in and work with nine men who...nine men who thought they knew it all."

Through this experience, of working with nine men who thought they knew it all, she realized that there must be other women with common experiences, so Dr. Thompson decided to write the book, 7 Traits of Highly Successful Women on Boards to share her experience, strategies, tips, advice, her challenges, and how to overcome them.

In the process, to make the book, 7 Traits of Highly Successful Women on Boards, multi-dimensional, Dr. Thompson interviewed 22 women on other boards including one woman who for the first 40 years of her life lived as a man.

The result is a highly informative guide to navigating the dynamics of human behavior; 7 Traits of Highly Successful Women on Boards reads like a businessperson's novel, and the book includes its methodology and space to take notes. 

Lastly, and hugely important, 7 Traits of Highly Successful Women on Boards, shows how one can arrive in the UK as an immigrant and be honored by the Queen because of one's contributions for the greater good.

Bravo, Dr. Yvonne Thompson, CBE, bravo!

Much continued success to you.