Hard Work and Grit Leads to Success: Lessons from an “Unlikely” CEO

Donald Thompson, co-founder and CEO of The Diversity Movement, is an entrepreneur, public speaker, podcaster, and executive coach. He is also the son of parents from Bogalusa, Louisiana, who raised their children to believe that they could achieve anything they set their minds to.

This confidence and a thirst for knowledge enabled Don to realize his dream of becoming a successful chief executive officer and entrepreneur. Along the way, he drew on lessons his parents instilled – the power of education, hard work, and a commitment to excellence – and those learned from his own mistakes. In Underestimated: A CEO’s Unlikely Path to Success, Don shares his story in the hope that it will inspire “folks who maybe don't have a traditional pedigree of what success looks like,” he says.

We sat down recently with Don to talk about the book and what he has learned so far about persistence, achievement, and how to keep dreaming big.