"There have been times in all of our careers where we've been passed up, or we didn't get that next role when we felt like we were ready for it,"
"And I said that the one thing that's really true to me is, I think that you can either choose to be bitter or you can be better."
"I learned as much as I could to prepare myself for the next role, and I think that actually allowed me to hit the ground running,"
"If I would have been bitter, I could have left and taken a CEO job someplace else. I had plenty of opportunities, but this is the company that I wanted to be with, and I took that opportunity to be better instead of being bitter."
Kecia Steelman advises responding to career setbacks with persistence and improvement rather than resentment. She became Ulta Beauty CEO in January 2025 after 11 years at the company, most recently as chief operating officer. Ulta's stock rose 26% year-to-date and the company partnered with Beyoncé on in-store events and Cécred hair brand promotion. Steelman prepared for the CEO role under former boss Dave Kimball and credits preparation for allowing her to hit the ground running. Her career began as an assistant store manager at Target in 1993 and included senior roles at Home Depot and Family Dollar. She is executing a turnaround plan that includes agentic AI and loyalty growth.
Read at Fortune
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