What has inspired you to stay at Bernstein for as long as you have?
The people. Our team is not only exceptionally talented but also one of the best in the industry. However, and more importantly, the people I work with are amazing. We care deeply for one another and are supportive of each other’s personal and professional endeavors and growth. The Bernstein culture is also supportive of bringing your whole self to work, which makes our environment incredibly interesting. We genuinely enjoy learning about one another’s diverse backgrounds and feel comfortable sharing about our life experiences as well. The hope is to learn from the wide variety of insights that we all bring to the table. Having a better understanding of my colleagues’ starting points and unique perspectives has improved my ability to lead effectively. By getting to know each person and their individual strengths, areas for improvement and quirks, I can figure out exactly what I need to do to help them be most successful.
If you didn’t work for Bernstein, what else would you be doing?
When I try to imagine what I would do beyond Bernstein, I see myself teaching high school and perhaps coaching a baseball team. Thankfully, there are many parallels between a high school teacher’s and coach’s paths and the one that I’m currently on. I would equate my managerial role to that of a coach in many respects. In order for our team to be successful, I must attract the right talent, develop them into top performers and then elevate them to the next phase of their career. I particularly enjoy finding people who fit into, and will enhance, our firm’s culture—and creating a nurturing environment so we can retain them. Above all else, I love helping my team members develop their skill sets so they continue to thrive at the next level of their career. Watching the team progress into other phases is a gratifying outcome of the hard work that I put in.
Share one of your most memorable professional accomplishments with us.
Looking back on my most memorable accomplishments, they are always the ones in which my team members reached the next step in their careers. Since I started at Bernstein, I’ve seen many colleagues move into new positions and sometimes, new offices. I love finding ways to expose my team to opportunities they may not have heard or thought of, and elevating them, whether it is in terms of their spirit or skills, so they can rise to the occasion. My goal is to prepare them so they are confident enough to take on those future roles. In playing the role of a manager, I view it as a personal mandate to prepare my team for the responsibilities they want tomorrow, today. Seeing them take on new positions, after working hard to differentiate themselves in a competitive industry, never gets old!