ASK A FILIPINA: Leadership Tip from Michele Bumgarner, Professional Race Car Driver (Global FWN100™ '13)

Michelle Bumgarner

As for working in a man’s world, allow femininity to be an asset! The natural tendency when you are surrounded by all guys is that you need to act like one of the guys to get along. But it is not about fitting in. I have seen some other women drivers think that if they did not get angry about an incident on track, that the guys would not take them seriously. Instead, it negatively impacted their public persona. It is more important to be true to who you are as a woman. Women build consensus. We pull together to solve problems and on a race team, that is a helpful skill. Racing is a team sport, but the driver is the team leader. So it is important to be firm, but by doing so with a smile, it makes it hard for people to tell you, “No.”

-Michele Bumgarner, Professional Race Car Driver, Global FWN100™ '13

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