You can now watch the first event in the new virtual Alumni series, Engage Episcopal. On Thursday, Nov. 19, Caroline Waxler Levitt '89 moderated a conversation of EA alumni business leaders: Courtney Banks Spaeth '92, CEO and founder at growth[period]; Geoff Walker '92, Senior Managing Director at Ankura; and Rob Wright '95, Founder and CEO at World Back at Work.
All three panelists agreed that nothing can really prepare you for being a CEO, but they have learned quite a bit about leadership during the pandemic. They shared the importance of encouraging a cohesive culture, promoting career development, trusting your employees, keeping them informed, and letting them know they are valued.
The three panelists were pleasantly surprised with how productive they and their employees have been from home, but also underscored the importance of nurturing interpersonal relationships in the work environment. Maintaining relationships with employees has been a priority for each of our alumni CEOs this year.
With increased productivity, our panelists also all encouraged setting boundaries as we all work from home. "Your day used to be divided for you," said Rob Wright '95. "And now, it seems like the world doesn't have any divisions any more. I'm excited that my employees are happy to jump on a call on Saturday at four. But at some point, from a mental health perspective, I think that's going to bubble over."
Some ventures, especially during a pandemic, are not going to be successful. Being a CEO isn't always what it looks like in the movies. "Being an entrepreneur is not like being on the cover of a magazine," Geoff Walker '92 said, "It's often dealing with setbacks or ugly tradeoffs. My career has been as much defined by setbacks as it has by successes. It's all about how we respond to failures."
Courtney Banks Spaeth' 92 and Rob also shared an interesting conversation about being a female or being a person of color in the business world. Courtney described an experience facing gender-based discrimination in the workplace that pushed her to found her own company, but the challenges did not end there. "We don't have the same access to capital [as men]," she said. She would like to see more female entrepreneurs. "If there are women on this call who are thinking about being an entrepreneur, call me, email me, text me," she said.
Each panelist ended by answering how EA made them who they are today. Geoff shared that the EA network helped him through many professional transitions in his life. Courtney said that Episcopal gave her enormous self-confidence (without arrogance) and a strong moral compass. Rob said EA was the main influence in what made him who he is today, a well-rounded person.
We hope you will enjoy watching the entire program. The panelists also discussed fascinating topics such as the future of commercial real estate and how a job at an ice cream parlor can prepare you for entrepreneurship. Please also join us for our upcoming Engage Episcopal events. You can learn more about the upcoming panelists and RSVP at episcopalacademy.org/engage.