Cosmo Beauty Director Julee Wilson on Maintaining High Performance During a Pandemic and #WorkingWhileBlack

One thing to know about Julee Wilson, whether in the workplace or her personal life, she’s all about a vibe. Her unapologetic vibe of work meets woke, coupled with her infectious jovial spirit and proven track record of success at brands including Real Simple, HuffPost, Essence and now Cosmopolitan magazine where she serves as Beauty Director, is undoubtedly what has allowed her to thrive in her 15+ year career in the magazine and beauty industry.

Some call it “magic” however, beneath the sparkles and behind the Instagram posts, you’ll find a combination of grit, drive, consistent high performance, and late nights extending well beyond her son Orion’s bedtime. Top this off with Wilson’s intentional commitment to remain authentic to herself, and there you have the recipe to her self-proclaimed “dopeness.”

When Wilson accepted the title of Cosmo Beauty Director earlier this year, little did she know her “dopeness” would be tested like never before as she began her new role in the midst of a global pandemic and on the precipice of national racial unrest. But in true Julee Wilson fashion, she’s risen to and above the occasion. As one of the highest-ranking black women in the Hearst family, she’s taken the culture with her at every turn, increasing the diversity of Cosmo Beauty content, including spotlighting 125 black-owned beauty brands, all while making time for Zoom happy hours and virtual coffee dates to get to know her team, who are all working remotely due to COVID-19.

Recently, we sat down with the beauty boss to discuss her virtual transition into the Cosmo family and also how she’s balancing #WorkingWhileBlack in a majority white organization.

Your first day at Cosmo was during the rise of COVID-19, particularly at a time when many companies were still adjusting to remote work culture. What was your virtual on-boarding experience like?

I signed my contract [with Hearst] before we knew the world was going to stop, so I fully anticipated going into the office and starting my new job as normal. My first day was April 1…and the world stopped on March 15. My onboarding process quickly shifted into “no-boarding.” We did a virtual orientation through Zoom where myself and other new hires learned what Hearst was all about, along with the company’s ethos and mission. From there it was really diving head first into trying to get to know Cosmo, its readership and staff. Cosmo is a big Slack culture, so I got to know a lot of people virtually through text messages [with the Slack app].

[For my Beauty team], I set up weekly Zoom happy hours so I could get to know everyone personally and see their faces. I’m a very in-person, personable and social person so it’s hard not being face-to-face with people I work with. That’s probably been the hardest part of the onboarding process, getting to know the people I’m creating with.

So, as a leader, would you say virtual tools like Zoom and Slack have been effective in allowing you to form strong interpersonal relationships and work effectively with your team?

It’s complicated but yes. I trust the team, and the team is dope. [I work with] confident professionals who know what they’re doing, and part of my job is to get out of their way and allow them to do their job in an effective way, and at the top of their game. To do that I have to get to know who they are and how they think, and really drive the vision of beauty at Cosmo — all virtually.

That’s really been the silver lining in coming on remotely. I’m someone who likes to hit the ground running and as women of color we put extra pressure on ourselves to show our worth, and to validate the reason for being chosen for a position — that extra pressure had to go away. [Working within a remote work culture] gave me the grace and time to step back and observe how things works, how people think and how my team creates, instead of coming in and feeling like I had to make an impact immediately.

As a people-leader, what would be your advice to up-and-coming professionals working remotely right now?

Take initiative and over communicate. A lot of things can get lost in translation when everyone is working in silos. We might be working on the same team, but we’re not in the same room we’re not collaborating like we used to, and everyone is moving at their own pace. A lot of times you can get lost in your own world of “I’m doing this and I’m just moving forward,” and that lack of communication can cause more problems than anyone wants.

If you are moving fast and you are doing the work, it doesn’t take much time to stop and say “Hey I’m doing [X] just to let you know.” This reduces the risk of double work and no one is questioning if you’ve accomplished anything. It’s all about having a smooth and consistent dialogue with your boss, and making sure tasks get done at the highest level.

Not only did you begin your new role at Cosmo during a global pandemic, you also began right as our country was entering a period of racial unrest and growing demands for social justice. What was this like for you, especially while working in a majority white organization?

I’m a black woman. I can’t change that, and I would never want to. For me, it’s about standing in that and the position that I have, and not shying away from it. Is it unfair to try to speak for a whole community of people? Yes, that’s unfair, but we also know that when we’re in rarified spaces we must try our best to represent our people in a way that will uplift and celebrate them, giving them the dignity we know they deserve.

I’m in a very white space and I’m [one of] the highest ranking people of color at Cosmo (and that only happened 12 weeks ago), so I, along with the other black women on staff, are definitely tapped to help navigate the conversation in the way Cosmo needs to go in order to get it right. And is that a lot of pressure? Yes. Is it pressure that can be overwhelming? Yes. But I am grateful for the fact that I can be in a position where I have influence on a brand as big as Cosmo. I don’t take it lightly. I’m there to push [the magazine] in a direction that is more diverse and inclusive, and luckily they’re not resisting that — everyone is actually very excited about it and welcome the support. I’m not working with “Karens,” I’m working with white women who get it and who want to fight the good fight, and that helps tremendously.

Self-admittedly, you’re at a place in your career where you can be unapologetically black and bold. What would be your advice to women of color who may have that confidence or flexibility to fully celebrate their blackness in the workplace?

I was there at one point in my career and I was lucky enough to surround myself with black women I admired who could pour into me to help me gain that confidence. It didn’t come right away. I didn’t walk into this industry in my early ‘20s with my fist up. I was wearing Twinsets, straightening my hair and trying to assimilate in a way that would allow me to move up quickly and not ruffle any white people’s feathers. Having black women around me to reassure my dopeness and talent, and reinforce I could be me in all my blackness allowed me to move quicker toward gaining that confidence.

Surrounding yourself with dope black women that can remind you and push you to be who you are is critical in moving up in the industry. I’m a big advocate of recommending black women for jobs, having Kiki’s and us pouring into one other whenever needed. — Julee Wilson

It’s not about begging anyone for a job at this point. It’s about being truly who you are and sticking to those beliefs no matter your professional level. As a black woman in this space and time I cannot be muted to not talk about how I feel.

To move ahead professionally, particularly with women of color, brand champions are key in offering guidance and access. I’m sure you get a lot DM’s and emails from people who would love for you to be their mentor. How does one go about getting a “Julee Wilson” to be their champion?

I’m against people directly asking for mentors — it seems hollow in the sense of “I see you’re popping and I want you to make me popping.” People that make my radar go up are the ones who say, “I want to learn from you.” If a mentorship comes from that, great however, don’t expect some grand relationship off the bat.

I’m a big energy person. In an email how are you addressing me? Do you know my work, or do you see that I work at Cosmo and have some 50K followers? When you know someone’s work it shows you’re passionate about being in a certain space, and that inspires me to pour back into someone. Although my schedule is busy and my inbox is a bottomless pit, I try to be very intentional in letting black women know I see them. I remember coming up in the industry and being seen, and not being seen, by people I admire. I try to be that person who sees black women.

Julee, we could chat with you all day. J Any final words for young women navigating work and life during this time?

Be easy on yourself. These are hard times…give yourself grace. As black women we are constantly trying to prove ourselves. During this time just being black and healthy, mentally and spiritually, is enough. Anything we can do beyond that for work is an added bonus.

Follow Julee Wilson on Instagram at @MissJulee. Also view the awesome work of her, and her Cosmo team at www.Cosmopolitan.com.

CareerChevonne HarrisJuly 6, 2020Career, Beauty, Fashion, Julee WIlsonComment