Who Believed in You?

Observations from Managing Partner Jen Prosek in the Leading in Volatile Times Newsletter.

When I think back to the business I was running in my 20s, the two words that come to mind are “small” and “ugly.”  We had a terrible little office and a very odd mix of clients. It was nothing like what I pictured when I envisioned my career.

I was working in an off-the-radar suburb, we would take any client we could get, and it was tough to convince anyone with any talent to work for us. Two years in, I decided I would leave my small and ugly business and find a job in the big city. I had “Sex and the City” on the brain. I wanted to join a big firm with a training program where I could make lots of friends. So, I started interviewing.

One day I ended up in an interview with the GM of FleishmanHillard’s New York office, Jan Van Meter. It was unusual for sure, as I was around 24 years old. Perhaps he was impressed that I had my own little entrepreneurial venture, even though my firm might have been four people at the time.

At the end of the interview he got up, shut the door and said, “You can have this job. It’s on a silver platter. But I am going to give you the advice I would give my own daughter. Why don’t you grow your firm and sell it to us one day?  Why don’t you do that?”  I was absolutely taken aback. The words “Can you dothat?” slipped out of my mouth.

My parents were teachers. I did not grow up in the world of business. It never dawned on me that if I grew my venture, I could build something with that kind of value. Jan’s small selfless act changed the course of my career. I decided to dig in, go to business school, focus on financial services and build my company. There’s a lot more to the story, but if not for Jan’s advice I would probably have a very different life and career.

BDT & MSD Partners Vice Chairman & President of Global Client Services  and former Deputy National Security Advisor Dina Powell McCormick and Pennsylvania Senator David McCormick have just written a book entitled “Who Believed in You: How Purposeful Mentorship Changes the World.” In it, they tell the stories of major successes like Hollywood producer Brian Grazer and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the people who allowed them to stand on their backs to get ahead. The people who took the time.

These were more traditional mentors than Jan was to me, but in every case the more experienced person was selfless, kind and caring. They also saw something in the younger person that motivated them to spend the time and give the advice.  I agree with Dina and David that if we can inspire more of this transformational mentorship, the American Dream has a better shot of staying alive.

What I love most about the book is the inspiring stories – not just of the famous people they profile, but of the McCormicks themselves. Like me, Dina and David were squarely middle or lower-middle class. They had to work hard to get where they did, but in each case, they had mentors pulling them up. If David didn’t have a transformational football coach to recognize him, he might not have landed at West Point. If Dina didn’t have a policy heavyweight take notice of her, she would never have landed a job at the White House so early in her career.

As someone who was trying to do something big and bold in their early 20s, as I think back, I can remember so many seasoned professionals that gave me bits of help and advice because they saw my authentic and genuine ambition, energy and drive. And now that I’m older, I know why they did it – because it feels good to know you have transformed someone’s career or boosted their trajectory. In fact, there is no greater psychic  income in the world. Thank you, Dina and David, for reminding us of the transformational power we all have.

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