Best Leadership Advice I Received

When asked about the greatest lesson I’ve learned in my professional journey, my answer is always is to remember the importance of influence. When I was leaving First Union after 3 years working to develop and implement customer retention and loyalty programs, I had an exit interview with Cece Gardiner (now Stewart). This was in 1999 – three years after my MBA graduation. I had done well at First Union – among other projects, I had identified our most loyal customers and implemented a comprehensive loyalty program across the bank to increase their retention.

During that exit interview Cece told me the most critical thing I needed to improve was my influencing skills. I had to think about that one quite a bit; but I did I began to understand what she meant as my career progressed.

I learned the value of listening when I worked in a residential program for high-risk emotionally disturbed teenagers and with homeless young adults prior to business school. We usually ran daily group sessions and if you weren’t listening, the group could go off kilter quickly.

But listening and incorporating feedback without circling back to ensure colleagues understood the project or initiative direction isn’t enough. I had to learn the fine art of constant communication if I wanted my work to be productive and valued. Thankfully I ended up working in the management consulting space where influencing skills are critical to survival! Every time I talk with or message Cece I thank her for her candor and insight – her honest feedback certainly helped propel my career.

I wish I could say that I learned this lesson and never repeated the mistakes again. I sometimes struggle to make the time needed for effective influencing and developing buy-in. At times I assume colleagues know that I have their and the organization’s best interest at heart and go about my business. An assumption that usually backfires, and I’m brought back to that day sitting in the small conference room on the 30th floor of First Union with my boss’s boss hearing these words – “if you are going to be successful in your career, you need to improve your influencing skills.”  I smile, give a nod to Cece, and start making calls, sending texts, and setting up meetings with colleagues.