A Digital Diplomat

Nobody comes out of an MBA program the same as they started. I firmly believe that it changes you. At the point in my career that I applied to Booth, after more than a decade working in consulting and then in the banking industry, I was looking for that change—and at the same time, I wanted to get outside of my comfort zone.

I went into consulting at the start of my career out of curiosity, because I reasoned that I’d get to see a variety of companies. Moves in my professional life that took me across the world, partnered with this sense of curiosity, have given me adaptability and empathy. Global experience brings that quick understanding of why someone is reacting a certain way. When I was in Asia and I’d do projects with Japanese colleagues, the tendency there was to be very, very detailed. Here in Europe, the attitude is more: “We’ll deal with the details later. Let’s go!”

I think of it a bit like diplomacy. Diplomats are sometimes strategic and sometimes lower level. I have meetings with heads of lines of business who only give me 10 minutes of their time, so we need to keep it high level and focus on impact. And then there are days when I’m speaking to more tech-driven customers or staff members who do have the time and interest in talking more about the features and possibilities and comparisons of technology. That’s why I call myself a diplomat: I’ve got to be agile.

Pivoting to a career in technology came into the picture for me after conversations with other executives in my cohort at Booth. Once I knew I wanted to pursue it, I was able to reach out to alumni in the industry to find out more and better position my skills. It’s wonderful to have a set of friends around the globe that I discuss career ambitions and goals with—in fact, I just had a goal-setting session with another graduate from my cohort. These are the lifelong bonds I take with me from Booth.

—As told to Heather Lalley