Charlie Jordan Brookins

Jordan Brookins oversees BET programming including “Being Mary Jane,” and “Nellyville.” Next up is “According to Alex,” which follows the daily life of Alex Martin Dean, the daughter of Whoopi Goldberg. To foster promotions from within BET, Jordan Brookins has developed BRIDGE (Building Resources Internally to Develop Game-Changing Executives), which allows assistants to step up and shine. The exec crossed her own “bridge” when she completed WICT’s Betsy Magness Leadership Institute. “The program built my leadership toolkit tremendously,” she says.

What’s your biggest professional accomplishment in the past 12 months? 

One of my biggest and more cherished accomplishments in the past 12 months was being accepted into and completing Women In Cable Television’s highly competitive Betsy Magness Leadership Institute. The program brings together top cross-functional female leaders in the cable industry for a 10-month intensive leadership development program. Not only did I have the opportunity to meet and grow with 26 of the most amazing women in the cable industry, but the program also built my leadership toolkit tremendously and prepared me to better manage and innovate in this ever-changing landscape of cable television.

Best business advice you’ve received?

One of the best mantras that was shared with me that I apply daily in business is the martial arts concept of “mind like water.” It is based on the principle that when you throw something into water it responds with a force equal to the force of the input, then returns to calm. It doesn’t overreact or underreact. The goal is to apply that principle to day to day life – so whether it is an email that sets you off, a creative who is exhibiting less than ideal behavior, or a five-alarm crisis that needs an immediate solution, I endeavor to return to calm with a “mind like water” to deliver the most efficient solution.