Bonjour from Brussels!
I’m thrilled to be writing you my first blog entry, having been passed the proverbial torch from my friend and former colleague, Cleo Thompson. Cleo’s passion for diversity took our global effort from its inception in 2006 to what it is today – a dynamic, prolific, and award winning initiative (take a stroll around the website to see what the Gender Advisory Council has accomplished with Cleo at the helm). Thanks to Cleo’s commitment to my development (she was my coach!) I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to a number of GAC projects over the years (she’s also been instrumental in growing my reading list significantly – and YES, I have seen the bookcase in her home, and YES, it is Something to Behold.)
Having told people about my new role as Global Gender Advisory Council Programme Office Leader, their reactions can be summed up in the following ways:
“Wow! Your title is almost as long as your company name!”
and
“Wow! What an amazing role! How did you get it?”
The truth is, I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on how I got here (for more on my background, you can check out my bio – to make a long story short, I was born in Scotland, raised mostly in the U.S., and live in Europe). With hindsight, I think the single most important element in my career trajectory was the first PwC Partner I worked for in Washington, D.C. At the time I wouldn’t have called Jim my “mentor” but in retrospect that’s exactly what he was. From him I learned practical skills that I realized recently have become firmly embedded in the way I work.
From my day one with the firm, he taught me to run his office like a small business; I learned time management, efficiency, relationship-building, professionalism, and (most important!) resourcefulness. He taught me that details not only matter, but are in fact what separate the Very Good from the Best. In other words, he taught me what client service really means. He also showed me the importance of courage and risk-taking; at a time when the internet was still relatively new (I can see Millennials fainting off their chairs left and right), we drove our business on-line via an innovative communication tool. This exercise also taught me how to achieve credibility and consensus with stakeholders, as well as how to put together a strong fact-based business case (something that’s central to our diversity efforts).
I learned relationship-building skills through role modelling; Jim demonstrated trust by inviting me to sit on conference calls and meetings with Partners, client executives, and in some cases, Congressmen – at first as an observer and eventually, when I gained enough experience, as an active contributor. I believe this trust grew my confidence as I gradually learned to interact and articulate myself in a professional environment. Jim palpably demonstrated transparency in our projects and communications which is something that’s served me well in my own career. He staffed me on high profile projects that gave me exposure to senior PwC Partners. This visibility and the resulting networking were key factors in me clinching a secondment to Europe in 2005.
Finally, Jim definitely taught me the Art of Not Taking Yourself Too Seriously – we laughed a lot on our team. A lot. I’ve always found that the times when I’m having the most fun at work coincide with my most productive and creative spells (and with my HR background, I know that this bears out in research – having fun is good for business).
I guess you could say I was lucky in working for a boss very early in my career who accelerated my growth as a professional; but in my experience, even if we’re not working on the “ideal” project or in the “ideal” environment, there are always little things we can be doing to get closer to where we want to be. We can actively seek out mentors, aligning ourselves with experienced colleagues who have the specific skills and competencies that we admire and aspire to; we can volunteer for interesting or high-profile assignments. As a famous football (the American kind) coach once said “inches make champions.”
And speaking of “champions,” I’m pleased to tell you that Dennis Nally will be personally championing diversity at PwC during his tenure as Chairman of our global network. As a result of Dennis’s engagement, some compelling new things are coming down the pipeline – stay tuned as I’ll be sharing those developments with you here in future posts. We also have a few exciting diversity events coming up this month and I’ve been in conversations with a series of businesswomen who’ve given me great ideas for topics (coming soon to the blog: France, Foreigners, and Four-letter words…)
à bientôt,
(that’s roughly French for ‘until next time’)
Dale
Oh and –
P.S. – thanks, Jim!
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