Creating the Future

In my role as Chief People Officer, I am able to ask senior executives many questions to ascertain if they will be a good fit for the role and our company.  One question usually garners the most enthusiasm and energy:  “Who are you most proud of having had a positive impact on their career?” 

Often the candidate wants to talk about more than one person which of course is not surprising for great leaders who have a career that spans decades.  As the saying goes, “A sign of a good leader is not how many followers you have, but how many leaders you create.” 

Near the end of my career at ARAMARK, I was speaking in front of a classroom for a leadership development program and was asked, “When you leave the company, what will you be most proud of having accomplished?” 

My answer, “The people who I have hired and helped develop.”

Yes, we all have programs and projects we can point to as successes.  And it is great to quantify the sales, profit, market share, and growth of the businesses you have led.  But when you look back in five or ten years, many of those successes will have become outdated and replaced. 

However, the people we have brought to an organization and helped nourish and flourish continue to grow and renew the entire organization as they carry on the tradition of true leadership as defined in the saying above. 

It is reminiscent of when my dad took me around Chicago when I was 12 and pointed out the buildings he had helped construct decades prior.  His part of creating a lasting legacy when he was in school.  Now of course, he is proud of having raised me and helped me develop into the person I am today.

Constructor of skyscrapers, teacher, parent, and leader.  All of them build the future.  All immensely proud of their work.

So, when asked, “Who are you most proud of having had a positive impact on their career?”  you should have many stories to tell.  Sorry if I limit you to just one.