To know me is to understand my passion for my chosen career path. It’s also to know I have a real distaste for my field of “Human Resources” as a general statement. Here’s the backstory.
I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. I learned a lot from that, but two of the big takeaways were 1) think differently and 2) I don’t like taking directions from others. As a result, if I wanted to carve out a good career for myself, I realized early on I had better find a way to create my own niche if I were to be successful.
My junior summer in college I was fortunate enough to score an internship at a hot software company in Cambridge. They went public about three weeks into my time there. In a way only a naive 20 year old could think, I assumed “Awesome! Get a bunch of smart people who work hard and have a great idea together and they will all make a lot of money…that’s what I want to do!” So that’s what I set out to do.
I love my career. Out of college, I joined a company my father had started (he had long since left) with two of his fraternity brothers. In 1990, the company had morphed into a hyper-growth management consulting firm. I joined in a junior “HR” role, and watched us zoom from about 150 people to close to a 900 person global presence (if memory serves) in a matter of 5 years. We literally wrote the book that defined an emerging business category (Reengineering the Corporation) and my career went from grunt to management consultant during that time. How?
I took the Johnny Depp approach.
I, like most girls in the early 90’s, crushed hard on the Johnny Depp of 21 Jump Street. It had nothing to do with anything other than the fact that he was nice looking. Apparently, that really pissed him off.
This guy has talent. And a passion for what he does. And a creative mind. He clearly plays by his own rules. So what does a heart-throb do to follow up a successful tv debut when people only pay attention to his looks? He stars in Edward Scissorhands. Brilliant.
I get Johnny Depp. When I was 22, people saw what they wanted to see. I’m getting up there now, but 20+ years ago, I was in the “cute” category. People took a look at me and drew their own conclusions about what I was capable of. And it pissed me off too. So I decided to play against type. I worked my a** off. I went to grad school at night, gave up all semblance of a social life, and finished in 2 1/2 years. I become the youngest consultant in the company’s history.
I also developed a point of view. Namely, I decided that I disliked the notion of “HR” - that if you think of your people as “resources”, you are kind of missing the point. So while it took me a while to build the credibility to get there, the notion of “People Strategy” was created. I don’t know if I truly created that, but before Sapient, I’d never heard it…and it warms my heart that it’s used all over the place now. I aligned myself with others who thought big and differently, and allowed me the creative space to thrive. (Note: Huge shout out to an amazing VP who took a chance and let me play a significant role on a project with 21 up and coming German executives that no Associate should have ever had the right to have done. I am still reaping the benefits of that experience)
I love Johnny Depp. The guy plays by his own rules, and doesn’t apologize for it. And he’s got the talent to back it up. He also doesn’t make a big deal about his successes. And he loves his kids. I don’t know the guy in real life, but from everything I’ve read, his whole vibe just resonates with me. I’ve got a lot a heroes and reasons why I connect to them. For me, he’s a person who takes risks, is comfortable in his own skin. Ultimately, he just happens to be the one who changed the way I approached my field and altered the way I drove my career.
“Just keep moving forward and don’t give a shit about what anybody thinks. Do what you have to do, for you.” - Johnny Depp.
No comments:
Post a Comment