Work From The Inside Out 122: Always Be Learning & Creating Opportunities with Mike Smith
Mike Smith still keeps in touch with his boss from Deloitte, his first employer after college graduation, 25+ years ago. How many of us can claim that? We know that most people, when they resign from a job, are actually leaving a boss. Remarkably, Mike's next move was to follow his boss as he became the CFO at the local NBC Philadelphia TV station. By the time he was 28, his boss was elevated to the national network and Mike filled his boss’s shoes.
As a young finance leader, Mike felt he was in over his head but the company was big on investing in talent and knew this would be a formative experience. After two years, NBC pushed Mike out of his comfort zone again. They transferred him to Los Angeles to work with NBC Corporate and GE Capital, which owned the network, to work on a theme park acquisition.
Mike credits having had a few great bosses who were instrumental in enabling him to grow. He always aimed to make their lives easier, by offering solutions, and not adding problems, so that they would look out for him. Mike cited research demonstrating that 70% of a person's daily experience at work is directly shaped by their boss. Likewise, as Mike has been promoted, he has made it a priority to mentor and coach his direct reports.
Bosses have been instrumental every step of the way in Mike’s career. His last boss at NBC left the network to go to the NFL, National Football League, and within months, had recruited Mike to join her on the finance team there. Eventually, Mike became the CFO and in his last few years, he moved over to human capital because of his passion for engaging people to drive business performance. He then founded Huddle Advisory, which focuses on strategic planning, human capital effectiveness, leadership and culture.
In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about Mike’s journey:
- Huddle Advisory’s mission is to guide leaders and teams to peak performance because it consistently delivers better business results.
- His approach guides clients to maximize their potential through skilled inquiry, objective analysis, and practical counsel.
- Mike is also working on his doctoral degree in Leadership & Learning in Organizations from Vanderbilt University.
Learn more and connect with Mike here:
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