“I don’t just love Black culture – the magic in our hair, the swagger in our steps, the particular way we can say ‘alright now’ to fit our changing moods—Black culture saved me.”
Debra Lee, an attorney who began her career working for “Big Law”, left her prestigious firm to work as in-house counsel at BET (Black Entertainment Television) at a 26% pay cut. She wanted to support, serve and transform her Black culture.
Debra felt she was supposed to be there: it was where she belonged. Her commitment to supporting and transforming the Black culture expanded as her duties expanded. Taking on more and more responsibility, she was at one point running three magazines: YSB, (Young Sisters and Brothers), Emerge, and BET Weekend.
“This is what BET can do. We can provide opportunities for young creatives that wouldn’t exist otherwise. We can tell stories no one tells.”
Reflect:
Have you ever taken a lower position because you felt you belonged there?
Would you?
BET is a Black company success story, and Debra was there every step of the way, going from in-house counsel to COO (Chief Operating Officer) to CEO (Chief Executive Officer).
Founded by Bob Johnson, a charismatic lobbyist for the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, the office motto was “Paint it Black” – a bold statement in 1979. In 1991, it was the first Black IPO filed with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) – going public to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
When Debra became CEO, BET wasn’t the only Black network, and competition became key. To keep the loyal viewers, Debra knew she had to stand for something. “Being Black was no longer a brand.”
She spent eighteen months clarifying BET values and direction. She hired a branding consultant whose firm spent months interviewing critics and stakeholders. The results were heartbreaking for her:
They don’t respect women.
Their shows are so low budget.
My great-auntie watches it but I don’t.
Concurrently, she had the executive team talk about what BET meant to them and how the network impacted the world. They established the values of the organization and narrowed it down to
(1) family
(2) community
(3) uplift.
Then three more words were added as foundational for what the company should stand for and how they wanted to treat their audience:
(1) respect
(2) reflect
(3) elevate.
Now BET had a blueprint for moving forward.
“If anything we did didn’t meet two of our brand values, then we didn’t do it, period. That went for programming, advertising, business partnerships, community events — all of it. Going forward, BET would be a company that respected, reflected, and elevated its’ audience.”
Reflect:
How does having clearly stated and agreed upon values guide a leader and / or business to make conscious decisions?
The ultimate test came at the 9th Annual BET Awards. Michael Jackson died a few days before the event, and BET dedicated the show to him. That meant scrapping the planned sow and starting from scratch to plan his first official memorial. They had to get it right.
One of the executive staff unilaterally decided Chris Brown would perform the formal tribute, and invited him to perform. Chris accepted. Because Chris had admitted to physically assaulting his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, dissension broke out among the staff. How did this fit their values of respect, reflect, and elevate?
Before rendering her final decision on whether or not Chris would perform, Debra sought input. Opinions were wide-ranging. One staffer said she would quit if Chris performed. Clarence Avant, the Godfather of Black music, advised Debra to forgive him – he was family. Tito Jackson called to say the Jackson family was in support of Chris. In all the opinions she garnered, not one person mentioned Rihanna’s possible response to letting her abuser onstage.
Debra explains her decision making process as follows:
There was so much pressure on me to let Chris perform. But the night belonged to MJ. If Chris went on that stage, then the next day’s headlines would be all about him—positive and negative. I wanted the story to be about Michael Jackson and how BET, the first network by and for Black people, was also the first to pay its respects to the King of Pop.
That was my business mind talking, and it made sense. Equally important was my heart, and it was aching for Rihanna. While she didn’t ask for it specifically, I would not put a spotlight on her abuser just days after the two had been in court together. I couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t… (not to her and all the young women who would be watching from home).
Deciding Chris would not perform, Debra reflected on the “oldie” statement – you can’t please all of the people all of the time. She rewrote it to reflect her leadership and decision making:
If you can please the right people — not the most powerful or most popular — then you’re golden.
After 32 years at BET and 13 years as CEO, Debra retired. She has been named one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Entertainment. She has been honored in many venues and serves on Fortune 500 boards. In 2009, she founded Leading Women Defined, a foundation of Black women thought leaders.
Apply:
If you haven’t identified your personal and / or company values, start the process now.
I Am Debra Lee: A Memoir, Debra Lee, Legacy Lit, 2023.
