Best Buy CEO Backs Virtual CES; Shares Mentoring Views; Worries on E-Learning

Shapiro sits on its board. “Kudos to you for making such a sizable decision,” Barry told Shapiro when he asked how she reacted to the news. “It was clear the decision prioritized safety above all else.” Barry, a Minnesota native, said some of her “perspectives" on mentoring changed after George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis police custody not far from corporate headquarters. “CEOs now more than ever need to be in constant learning mode,” she said. “Your whole career, you look for mentors who are more accomplished than you and can help you get to that next level. My perspective now is I need to surround myself with people who are completely different.” Work from home happened “almost overnight, literally,” said Barry. Telework “started with people being interested in products,” she said. “It’s turning into productivity,” she said. “It’s less about I need a computer, and it’s more about I need a comfortable home office space.” Telework forced Barry to reinstall a landline, she said. “My cell reception is awful, and I have so many calls that I needed something stable.” As work from home grew progressively longer, “you’re not just buying an iPad, you’re trying to figure out how do I create a productive space.” And “work flexibility is going to stick, said Barry. The days are over of “everyone needing to be in the office all the time to get their work done,” she said. Remote learning is “another space where we were forced into change,” said Barry. There are “pockets of places” where school districts “have done an amazing job” transitioning, she said. “But across the U.S., I think you can see a pretty big gap in distant learning capabilities.”