Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to another episode of Balancing the Future. i am Chris Mitchell and today we have Marvin Chittick here. He is an executive leader, very impressive background. We were talking beforehand and I'm impressed by how long you have been so successful in your business, but I won't ruin it. I won't share too much. I'll let you share.
Speaker: on your background and give us a brief synopsis of your of your bio. Hey, thanks, Chris. Yes, um you know, i I've been at this for 35 plus years.
Speaker: um It wasn't too long ago before then that um I didn't know where I was going to school. i didn't know what degree I would pursue. um i started down a path of political science.
Speaker: And had I not gone to an event with, um I think, Big Six or Big Eight accounting firms, it's been a while. There's only four now.
Speaker: And um they actually had free food and soft drinks and talked about having a career in a accounting. And that that one event at Michigan State University ah was a milestone event. It really had me think about ah doing the math on political science law school versus getting a degree in accountancy and um and not having to pay for law school. yeah
Speaker: There you go. And it's been it's been quite the journey. So do me a favor and frame it as to what it was like. Because we talked about this. Yeah. When you started 35 years ago, because I don't think the audience gets it.
Speaker: It was just different culturally, the whole experience. And I remember the suits yeah and I remember the shoes and I remember the briefcase and all that went with it. What's your take on that?
Speaker: I remember not being able to afford going to a place where you can get a tailored suit and going to like Marshall's and getting whatever they were selling. I didn't, I had maybe one suit for interviews.
Speaker: So you you had to build a wardrobe. um I didn't have a briefcase. You didn't need it for school. I had to get a briefcase. And, you know i think I ended up getting an upgraded briefcase later on in life. And that was also a milestone moment.
Speaker: um You know, everything at that time was all new. First generation college student, first generation professional. you know, had one of those white collar jobs.
Speaker: And, you know, it was it was interesting because the To forge a path meant that you had to have people in your extended circle to help guide you.
Speaker: And you had to put a lot of trust in people giving you the right advice. And i was fortunate. There were so many people that were kind and they were giving of their time and their knowledge.
Speaker: And there was a lot of grace. I mean, I made a lot of mistakes. I remember um some of the things that I did weren't necessarily quite as professional as they should have been. And i would get that feedback, thank goodness, or early in my career.
Speaker: And, you know, the i you know if I think about 35 years ago and I think about now, what the big differences are, It takes me 10 minutes to get ready for I don't have to tie the tie.
Speaker: um i don't have to polish the shoes. I, you know, I have a very comfortable um wardrobe that I get to wear and feel very comfortable. You know, work, um I think I work fewer hours, but probably more efficient yeah in the time that I have.
Speaker: And able to... i'm i'm able to feel more of my natural self when I go to the office. I mean, I'm i'm a little bit more casual now because we're at a conference, but i um I don't wear a tie. I have lots of them, but I don't i don't wear them.
Speaker: Are they in style though? They're not still real wide at the tip, am I correct? Or you still have some of those? I'm sure I would say in style, and I'm sure my wife would say, you need to get rid of that.
Speaker: ah So, but yeah, some of them have seen their better days and will never be worn again. Maybe that's something I'll do this weekend. I'll pull all those ties out and go through them and donate them to to a worthy cause.
Speaker: I happen to know that you've been very successful and within finance. What took you down that path of finance?
Speaker: So, look, i have I have to thank so many people and my journey. You know, like i i got involved in student government in high school and, you know, had a leadership role, played sports, thought I would play sports in college, got injured, had to pivot from there, had to really double down on being a better student. I was a good student, but I had to be a better student. ah my My guidance counselor paid for my application. Wow.
Speaker: to college. Had he not done that, it could have been different. So, you know, because i because I was involved in student government and he saw something in me and he went to the school that he paid for the application for was also a big part of it.
Speaker: And, you know, is the success, part of the success is also seeing my mom work multiple jobs during the holiday season. hey And just so we could have something under the tree.
Speaker: And it was something that I noticed that we never talked about it. Like, I've never talked to her about that. About how how she knew we were grateful.
Speaker: But how much of a sacrifice that must have been to work. She had like a ah full-time job. And then she would go work at a department store, get the discount and be able to buy things for for Christmas.
Speaker: And I said, I want to have one job. And I was driven to get my degree and make enough money so that I could have one job. Now, I always thought there was a number that I would make.
Speaker: And i remember having a conversation with a cousin who was in sales. And I i was probably- Always sales. It was probably like 25 years ago, maybe 30.
Speaker: thirty It was early in my career. And she said, you'll make so many more multiples times that number. And I was thinking to myself, really?
Speaker: I'm definitely not going to have to work another job for Christmas if I can make that number. And she thinks I can make more than that number. So that was also motivating. um It wasn't about doing it just for the money, but the money does matter, right? Absolutely. Knowing that you could actually have a successful career and eventually have a family and make enough where you can take care of your family and put your kids through school and still have enough to retire.
Speaker: was something that you know we didn't really have. it was um There was no generational wealth that that we experienced. And i was always competitive, but I measure myself against myself. I always say, like, you're you're you're your own best measuring stick.
Speaker: Be the best that you can be yourself. So if if you keep looking around at what everyone else is doing, you're going to lose sight of the fact that you're probably not maximizing your own potential.
Speaker: Just be the best that you can be. And it's one day at a time. Yes, you have to plot out longer term three-year goals, four-year goals, five-year goals. But If you go at it each and every single day of trying to just be better than you were the day before, learn something.
Speaker: Even if you make a mistake, learn from those mistakes. um Everything else will sort of take care of itself and just have people around you that make sure that you stay grounded. Because if you get too full yourself, that could also be a blind spot and a pitfall.
Speaker: So help the audience understand, and I can identify with this, and I say fear. Because when you don't come from a certain system and an upbringing and you get opportunity, you often know what opportunity looks like or how to react and respond to it.
Speaker: What's some of those early fears? And I think about being the only one that looked like me in an accounting class, the only one that looked like me in public accounting, the only one. it It's a lot more pressure than anyone could ever imagine. So what's some of that fear impact and and and impact you and and then influence you?
Speaker: That's, you know, it's that's true. Look, there were there were others that came before me. Now, were there a lot? No. would you get I don't know if you get comfortable, but you you get used to being the only one in the room.
Speaker: i don't know if that's a good thing. i actually think it's it's a bad symptom of what you have to go through, but don't let that change your focus and your effort.
Speaker: And i I remember reading a book from ah Andy Grove, I think Intel CEO, and he had this thing, only the paranoid survive. And like and i I took that to heart of I stayed on top of my game. I stayed paranoid. i stayed with a chip on my shoulder and And when you you do that, you don't really notice so much of the the environment that you and you're in And you you you really get to hone your skills and just become sharper and better.
Speaker: um I was always taught that you had to work hard. And, you know, it's so funny because i I then taught my kids how to work smart.
Speaker: No one was teaching me how to work smart. It was always, you need to work hard. And don't let anyone outwork you. Don't get outworked. It was sort of like sports.
Speaker: If practice was over, go practice a little bit more. Just get better. Be the best that you can possibly be. um But the the, yeah, the the fear...
Speaker: The fear is real. i had a I had a fear of of failure. And i I didn't know where that really came from. um Because I always thought that you could fail once and that would be it.
Speaker: I didn't realize I'd build up credibility i because I was still so paranoid. And i um I remember being really hard on myself and my self-evaluations early in my career because I was like, oh, I could have done so much better.
Speaker: And i had several managers. It was ah a theme. as Several managers would tell me, you're being a little too hard on yourself. And i guess they were concerned that it wasn't healthy, right?
Speaker: Or maybe they weren't providing enough reinforcement of the fact that I was valued at the company. And i i i I remember one time where ah this guy got promoted over me.
Speaker: And I'm telling you, it was like going from associate to vice president at one of the big banks. And he probably had five or six years more experience than me. I didn't care.
Speaker: i It felt like a gut punch. And i remember going to my mentor, who actually went to Michigan State University. um She was in public accounting.
Speaker: She was from New York. And she was at this big bank. she called me her um her son, like the son she never had. And i could have a conversation with her.
Speaker: And she's she knew because she was on a leadership team. She knew that I was valued. And they knew and they talked about how they said I was going to take this pretty hard when it happened. So they discussed it.
Speaker: And they knew that it was going to be apparent that I was out working this other guy. But I don't know what the reasons were. and I got a little too focused on someone else's success and not my own, that the big lesson I learned from that was don't let that be a distraction in your career.
Speaker: Don't ever worry about that again. And it was pivotal in my career of focus on your own performance and don't worry about the noise around you.
Speaker: And I look back at, like, so if someone said to me, What would you tell yourself today that you didn't know 35 years ago? I said, I wish I would have known to back then. And that was probably 20 years ago. I wish I would have known back then that just don't focus on what someone else is doing, succeeding or failing. Just for worry about yourself.
Speaker: You know, one thing, one takeaway from what you're saying is when you first said you have to outwork those around you. And I would always share with my my kids, I'm like, it's not by 50%.
Speaker: fifty percent It's probably like 5%, 10%. Yeah. Just be there along. Participate in a different way. Raise your hand. Accept that assignment. It's not going to kill you.
Speaker: And then, oh, well, I can do that. I'm like, that's what it looks like. And then you start talking about the comparison game. Yeah. Not a comparison game. Put your best foot forward and then volunteer, as I mentioned, giving that 10 percent. It goes a long way.
Speaker: So when we when I think about your ascension up and through the ranks of corporate and corporate finance, how did that happen? Because you you probably get that question often.
Speaker: Because others want to know, well, how did, how'd you get there? And what's the secret sauce? And, you know, what does that look like though? Because it's not like they may think it looks.
Speaker: It's just hard work. It's being consistent. It's a lot of things that go into that. What's your version of that? So I, I always wanted to have a seat at the table. tos And I've got a great mentor here who puts it best. He says,
Speaker: performance or table stakes. Like you're not going to get a seat the table if you don't perform. And look, you're not going to be successful. is All you do is perform. You've got to do the extra bits.
Speaker: And i in part of my career, i spent three and a half years in Asia. And some people will ask, like, why did you go to Asia?
Speaker: was like, well,
Speaker: There's a part of me that, in addition to being competitive, is also looking to do things that just i haven't been done before. I like testing myself. I like i like stretch goals.
Speaker: And yes, I i had moved to Japan and didn't speak Japanese. And I had a ah wife... who didn't speak Japanese from South Carolina and um a new wife, by the way.
Speaker: And I had to convince her to move across the other side of the world. And i knew that she would do it because she believed in me. And she knew I believed in me.
Speaker: yeah And part of the that success is Opportunities may not look like the opportunity that you planned for them to be.
Speaker: I thought my international assignment would be London. No language barrier. Yes, there'll be a cultural difference, um but I didn't think it would be Japan.
Speaker: And Japan brought out the best in me. It truly did. I thought i was inclusive.
Speaker: I thought I was adaptive before Japan. When I got to Japan, it really tested me. It tested me in ways that I didn't know.
Speaker: And it also made me appreciate some of the things that I had been through in America that prepared me for Japan. I remember um other Western colleagues that didn't look like me.
Speaker: They would complain about the taxis in Japan not stopping to pick them up.
Speaker: That happened to me in New York City all the time. like I appreciated the Japanese taxis that passed by because they didn't want to speak English.
Speaker: and And the ones that did stop didn't mind if my Japanese wasn't quite good. But my taxi Japanese actually got to be pretty good. and And there was just those things that prepared me. this um the The experience of of working with colleagues that English was their second language.
Speaker: And you had to become really clear describing what you wanted done and and providing feedback. And that that feedback has to be such that they understand what success is.
Speaker: the The Japanese taught me ah valuable lesson of um why, why. why
Speaker: If you get asked a question, the first why is the surface area answer. The second why goes deeper. The third why typically gets to the core.
Speaker: And that's where you have enough understanding to make a difference. um I learned that in order to be a successful um person who can execute,
Speaker: You have to understand first, then you have to advise, but then you have to make sure that advice is actually executed upon. And that's ah another valuable lesson I learned in in Asia that helped propel my success.
Speaker: And when I was repatriated, things were so much easier.
Speaker: I mean, it was it was remarkable of how I got better at so many things from, you know, before I left the States and then when I came back. ah The more difficult things weren't really that difficult. They didn't feel that difficult.
Speaker: It didn't feel that impossible. It felt so much easier. um it Not saying they were anything that was easy to do, but it just felt relatively easier. And that helped with my success.
Speaker: um But then life happens. I wasn't really a balanced life type of person. tall nothing Until my we had our second child. And then my wife had to have a conversation with me about the meaning of what I was doing. And I learned that um you don't you don't work to live.
Speaker: I'm sorry, you don't live to work. You work to live. Meaning, you work as hard as you want to have the life that you want, to provide for your family the things that you want.
Speaker: The end all be all is not just the work. And that was also helpful because I became a much smarter worker and a less harder worker.
Speaker: um I'm sure people think I still work hard, but when I measure myself against myself, I know I can work harder, but it may not be healthy. Wow. You know, when when you mention opportunity and obviously you shared some incredible things, you always have to be ready.
Speaker: And what I mean by ready is you never know who's watching. You don't, you never know what the valuation looks like. Yeah. Can you explain that a little bit? Because in my words, it's, I'm always, okay, if the opportunity is for me to be in Asia, then I need to go i need to go to Asia.
Speaker: i don't know. Someone may be pointing me in that direction for a reason. Yeah. And if I opt out, then I opt out of the learning experience and all these other things that happen as a consequence of my being there.
Speaker: How do you see that? Because that's why I see it as the opportunity and you always have to be ready because I don't know who's watching.
Speaker: Back to my being paranoid. I think they're always watching. I mean, I i i behave as if they're always watching.
Speaker: The... Outside of work, and i'll I'll be brief, but outside of work, I volunteer coach at the First Tee of Greater Charlotte. And um my youngest daughter went through the program, and she won an award, and they teach these core values.
Speaker: And the value that she liked the most was integrity, and it was doing the right thing when no one's watching. And I was so proud of her. because that's how i sort of live.
Speaker: And that's how I behave. I think someone's always watching and you always have to do the right thing. And back to your question about being prepared, I also think it's always an interview.
Speaker: okay i think like every every time you're working, every time you're having a discussion, treat it like an interview. Treat it like someone's assessing your capabilities, your abilities,
Speaker: and you also have an opportunity to explain to someone what you want to do, what you're interested in doing, and what you're good at. i i I definitely follow this Japanese paradigm called ikigai.
Speaker: Okay. And ikigai is the intersection of four things. It's what you're good at, what the world needs,
Speaker: what you love to do, and what you can get paid to do. And where are those four things intersect, that's the true, like your true calling.
Speaker: And it doesn't feel like work as much as it it would normally. And sometimes the world may not need what you're good at, what you love to do, and what you get paid to do.
Speaker: And that's sometimes a conflict. And sometimes you fall out of love with what you're doing. And we've seen that happen. So it's a journey.
Speaker: I treat it as a journey and I feel fortunate to go through that journey. And i also find that people who continue to pursue the journey, like it's a never ending quest. Unless you're like Stevie Wonder, I imagine that's a Ziki guy. He's not trying to do anything different. The world needs what he does. He's really good at it. You know, and he gets paid to do it.
Speaker: And i try to help people understand that when someone taps you on the shoulder, it's It's not by chance necessarily.
Speaker: And back to you saying you're prepared. Yes, you prepared yourself for that opportunity and nor they've done their research. they're They're making that decision because they talk to someone or they've observed your performance.
Speaker: And, you know, and then some people say, oh, I never had to go through an interview. huh You did. It's always an interview. Every opportunity is an interview. Treat it like that.
Speaker: Be respectful of your time and everyone else's time. This is an interview. a lot of people I may be in your chair in two or three years. Awesome. Awesome.
Speaker: Awesome. You know, you mentioned influencers, those that come along and help. Can we go deeper into what that really looks like when we transact throughout our career? Because it looks different.
Speaker: Yeah. Okay, a mentor. When I'm a staff, there's a, how can I put it? There's a sponsor when I get to a certain level. Yeah. Let's talk about how important that is. And you have to be on the lookout for who fits what for you.
Speaker: You can't do it by yourself. No. that's what the That's what I want everyone to understand. It doesn't happen alone. no You don't wake up and all of a sudden you're the CEO. The CEO had help getting there.
Speaker: So let's dive into that. So I mentioned at one of the banks that I work for, the the mentor that I had that I was like her son.
Speaker: she would um She would be honest with me. And she would say, whenever we meet, you always manage to get something out of our interactions.
Speaker: yes, i I don't want to waste her time. And it may have felt like a little bit of work, but we also, we liked each other.
Speaker: And we loved each other. Like she was just brilliant. And she helped solicit sponsors for me. So much so that i I knew that in that room, when they were talking about me, she had my back.
Speaker: And it's heartfelt to know that someone's endorsing you in such a way that others in the room then provide opportunities.
Speaker: And yeah like I had sponsors, but more importantly, I ended up having a rabbi. us had a corporate rabbi. That is powerful.
Speaker: I had someone who was so influential that he left one bank, went to another bank, became CFO of that bank. And after his non-compete, I had breakfast in his office.
Speaker: Breakfast came to the office. It's a little different. and ah Very much so. And i knew he was my sponsor, but not until that breakfast did i realize that he was more than that.
Speaker: And the only word I could think of is he was my rabbi. I mean, he was vested in my success. And it wasn't about leaving one bank going to the other. I did end up leaving.
Speaker: um But it was the proposition, the value proposition of what he could do for my career at that institution.
Speaker: And that felt awesome. ah There's no other word to explain how powerful that felt. And I would have run through walls for him.
Speaker: He ended up retiring. And then i ended up around the same time having that conversation with my wife. I'd probably still be there had it that not happened. But I'm grateful for all the things that have happened because that was 19 years ago. And we moved from the New York Metro to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Speaker: And I got to raise two incredible young women in Charlotte, North Carolina, with an incredible loving wife. And i wouldn't trade that for the world.
Speaker: and We did move to California for two years, so I should throw that. Just two. Just two. Just two. Nothing wrong with California. nothing wrong like there's Nothing wrong with California. And we ended up coming back.
Speaker: So. Awesome. So when you when you go through an experience like that and you get to that level, and you know what level I'm talking you're graduating up. How do you become an influencer? How do you go back? How do you give? How do you mentor? How do you...
Speaker: you know, sponsor. And I know you've done it. Yeah. And that's very rewarding. That's what I want the audience to understand, how rewarding it is. And it's expected. It really is.
Speaker: your Your soul can be a cup. And you need to figure out how to fill your cup. I personally fill my cup by giving back to my community,
Speaker: ah my family and colleagues. And their success, if I can just do a little bit, one person at a time, to help them be successful, it's paying back all the things that people have done for my career.
Speaker: And I don't do it so they can say nice things about me. I do it because it's the right thing to do.
Speaker: It's almost like a moral obligation ah you're so fortunate. you You give back to fill that cup, to make sure that
Speaker: you're appreciative. it's i don't know i don't know what it is, but it's hard to explain, but it helps me sleep better.
Speaker: It reinforces the fact that I'm here um on this planet for a limited time, upright, and don't take it for granted.
Speaker: They're always watching. So when I'm intentional about providing career advice, I'm not trying to be selfish.
Speaker: I'm trying to be giving. I'm trying to be graceful in how I do it. I'm trying to provide the feedback they meant may not be getting from management and
Speaker: I am helping them realize the importance of integrity, being yourself.
Speaker: I...
Speaker: I know that it can be hard. Not everyone has an opportunity to work for an institution that
Speaker: values the things that we value.
Speaker: I ah try to remind them that sometimes you're going to work for someone that you never want to be like. And sometimes that's the greatest lesson in your career. As long as you remember not to be like that person.
Speaker: If you become that person because of, again, you look at their success, it's important that they learn not to be the bad manager that they may be working for.
Speaker: It's one of the greatest lessons.
Speaker: They may not feel that way when they're going through it. But um'm I'm there to remind them that you don't want to ever be that person. You don't ever want to treat someone or make them feel the way that you're feeling when you go through difficult times.
Speaker: And that's why grace is so important. And perspective is important. And the why, why, why isn't just about the work, it's about the person. And you have to understand you know why this person react this way.
Speaker: And you ask why again. You ask why. You get to the meaning. You get to the core of it. And it's important to make sure a that they stay on the path.
Speaker: They don't let it crush them. um Look, you you get knocked down. You got to brush yourself off. You have to get back up. And some people go through life and it's, they probably get knocked down more than they should.
Speaker: They probably have to brush themselves off more than they should. um i can't control that. What I can control is how I can be present, how I can be supportive, the advice that I can provide, and to help them understand that, yes, there is a sacrifice, but sometimes the sacrifice is worth it. And sometimes it's not worth it Sometimes you have to be honest with yourself and you you want them to have mental health, the best mental health they possibly can.
Speaker: And sometimes I got to help them figure out a way to put themselves in a different situation. And that's, it fills my cup. and Okay.
Speaker: Awesome. You know, one thing that comes to mind and I'm thinking about, you know, your journey. yeah Okay. And I think about risk. And sometimes we don't consider what a risk is.
Speaker: Am I working for a manager that I'm uncomfortable with? Am I going to a geography I'm unfamiliar with? Am I dropping and going to different line of business? How important is it to just measure those risks and to continue down the path?
Speaker: And the path has risk. Yes. But I want the audience to understand it's not without risk. It's there. What are your thoughts when I when i bring up risk?
Speaker: How do you prepare yourself to be resilient?
Speaker: How do you surround yourself with the support? to help you be successful.
Speaker: you know They're not gonna do the job, but sometimes you need them around you to help you remember how valuable you are.
Speaker: And what you're what you're capable of isn't what you've done in the past, it's what you can do in the future.
Speaker: And the risk The risk is betting on yourself, but it's not high stakes. It's taking measured risk.
Speaker: And sometimes you have to have a conversation with someone in your network that you can trust that may have been through something similar. And they may provide some pearls of wisdom. They may provide some tactics.
Speaker: Or they just may offer up their support of if you need to talk to me about it while you're going through it, come see me. And
Speaker: you have to live up to those expectations of when you need to talk to someone, go talk to them. Like, don't have so much pride that you try to get through it without talking to them. They offered up their assistance.
Speaker: I'm sure they were genuine in supporting you through that journey because you don't know necessarily what they've been through. I try to help people understand that everyone has challenges and they've been through things.
Speaker: And it's a blessing when someone offers up their advice or their time. Don't keep it all bottled up inside.
Speaker: And that'll help you be more of a quote-unquote risk taker. um It's part of the the tools and equipment you need to um to go through your career.
Speaker: Awesome, awesome. You know I think about today and we're going to do a bit of a fast forward. And what I mean by that, I look at and I, my apologies for being so informal saying human capital equation.
Speaker: And what it looks like for those that are entering the workforce and how to prepare them for success. Because the business, corporate, is different. To me, it's just a different landscape.
Speaker: You got AI, you got all these other ways of measuring talent and what's ah what's necessary for a company to be successful. I know it's way different than it was 10 years ago.
Speaker: I know I'm not the only one. When I say that, i mean, what comes to mind for you? AI? That... The...
Speaker: be
Speaker: I feel for these students that we're but we're interviewing this week. where I feel for them. And they're going through it. And i had a conversation with a student yesterday who is computer science, does not like AI.
Speaker: And I had to give him the feedback of it's not going anywhere. Get comfortable with it. Now, I don't believe it's going to eliminate jobs in the way people think about job elimination.
Speaker: I think it's an evolution. I think about if you go, America at some time in its history had a lot of farmers.
Speaker: And farmers were replaced with farm equipment. And you needed fewer farmers.
Speaker: We didn't end up with 20% unemployment. They had to reskill. So these students have to re-skill. These professionals have to re-skill. I have to re-skill.
Speaker: I am prompting. I prompt so much so that sometimes my children want to take the AI away from me.
Speaker: um And my children are you know young women. And I think it's important for all generations to either...
Speaker: get comfortable with using the AI. And the b the artificial intelligence is is going to change things much more rapidly than we can ever imagine.
Speaker: um And there's nothing we can do about it. I think slowing that down is not a good thing. I think that being a adaptable is something that we are really, really good at We've proven it time and time again. And this will just be another opportunity to prove that we are adaptable.
Speaker: And, you know, our country um is typically the best at being adaptable. And I hope we embrace that, and especially in education and in how we interact.
Speaker: The The way in which we get there may not be easy. No one says it's supposed to be easy. the um The lessons learned will be hard.
Speaker: the The future, unknown. But at least we know we have a future. So there's promise. Knowing that there is a future and being part of the journey is important.
Speaker: I hope, I'm hopeful that we look back at this time as being pivotal
Speaker: in terms of not having clarity, but having faith and commitment and the determination to be successful.
Speaker: And it's it's in life. It's in corporate America. It's with your family. It's with the world. It's with what we're doing to this planet. you know Look, there's another thing. like Maybe AI is going to help us figure out how to heal this planet.
Speaker: Because you know
Speaker: where we are in Charlotte, North Carolina right now, there's some really bad storms that just pop up. And I've been here for the good part of 19 years. And yeah, it's getting worse and worse.
Speaker: The weather is getting to be more challenging. And I i look at AI as being part of the solution. People go through health challenges. I look at AI as being part of the solution. I look at our health, AI being part of the solution.
Speaker: um um my my My belief in AI for the really good purposes by far outweighs the the risk that people use it for bad purposes. I know they're out there. I know there will be bad actors, there will always be bad actors, but I believe that the good will outweigh the bad.
Speaker: And i hope that we do enough as a society to promote that and to still invest in jobs for these young individuals who are going to go through that change.
Speaker: I hope companies continue to show up and support things like, you know, the conference that we're at, you know, this week and not knowing how the workforce will change, but still being there to hire people to go through that journey.
Speaker: And I'm fortunate enough to work for a company that's doing just that. And I ah just, you know, I feel so proud of the other companies that are in that convention center across the street.
Speaker: And it's, um, it fills the cup. Awesome. You know, I'm thinking back to human capital again, and I'm thinking the transformative or transformation associated with human capital and AI.
Speaker: And I'm thinking about those skilled workers that are already out there. They've been there five, 10, 15, 20 years. You made reference to yourself. My advice to them is don't look away.
Speaker: Don't disengage. Figure it out because it's not going anywhere. When I say that, what comes to mind for you?
Speaker: You've invested 10, 15 years in your career, and it may feel like you didn't invest in the right way because of the the emergence of this new technology.
Speaker: And you may think you're unprepared, but you are prepared. you You just need to believe in yourself to be able to adapt. And it's more important now than ever to be adaptive, to have faith, to invest, reinvest. Yes, it is a new investment in yourself.
Speaker: And you have a foundation that you've built up over the last however many years, 10, 15, let's use 15. And now you have an opportunity to take that 15-year investment and figure out how to reinvest.
Speaker: And it's going to be hard. Let's just be honest. But what isn't hard that's meaningful? And if you if you just get used to being diligent about embracing this new technology and this new way of working,
Speaker: you will be successful. And you have to believe that. If you don't believe you're going to be successful, you may just get up from the table and not participate. And I don't want anyone to do that.
Speaker: I want you to keep your seat at the table. I want you to push more chips in. And I want you to reinvest in yourself. Believe in yourself.
Speaker: I want you to be there for each other, too. You need support. you You can't do it alone. And you're all going through it. Even if you don't want to talk about it, you need to talk about it. You need to have the honest conversation and you need to share lessons, best practices, tactics.
Speaker: um We need to be there for each other. We need to be a community, especially, don't know, I feel, especially for people who look like me, but it's not like I'm being exclusionary. yeah i I'm inclusive.
Speaker: But my life experience has been that I don't want people that look like me to be left behind. And when I say people that look me, um it's not just Black people. It's broader than that. it's It's more colorful than that.
Speaker: I just don't want people who may not have had the right opportunities. I want the first generation college students, no matter what they look like, they could be white males, but they're first generation college students and they're like me. they're They're more like me because they're going through this the first time for their families.
Speaker: and and those individuals who did that 10, 15 years ago, they're going through a similar journey. Right? there's there's a lot of There's a lot more similarities because they didn't have generational wealth.
Speaker: And they invested in themselves. And it was a huge investment that no one in their family had ever made. And 15 years later, they may feel a little bit betrayed. But no, no. You learn. It was valuable for you to put those years in. It was valuable for you to get that degree.
Speaker: Now, you just have to reinvest. Right? Yes, you went to school for four years. of you know that was it ah you know If you went for your undergraduate, typically.
Speaker: You may only have a year to retrain and reskill yourself because it's happening a lot faster.
Speaker: But you can do it. I know you can do it. We can do it. We can do it together. i'm I'm working on this every single day. I'm trying to get better.
Speaker: and And it's not easy, and it does require reprioritizing your time and making sure that you're intentional about using the new tools.
Speaker: Whatever the artificial intelligence that you prefer to use, it's important for you to use it. It's important for you to get comfortable with it. It's important for you to push the boundaries in a responsible way of um what you can do.
Speaker: You know, you've shared so much just solid advice in general about your upbringing, your journey. You know, not being afraid to take on challenges that are put in front of you, assessing and evaluating risk.
Speaker: I want the audience, I always try and give them takeaways because I want them to have something, whether they're entering the workforce or already in the workforce, and they look to you as a leader, executive leader, and say, well, what can you share with me?
Speaker: What three or four or one thing can you share with me that's going to help me be successful in this corporate equation?
Speaker: That's a really good question.
Speaker: There's one thing that I try to help people understand, which is know your strengths. And there are various tools out there to help you understand your strengths.
Speaker: I recommend Clifton's Strengths Finder, and it gives you five strengths. So if you understand your strengths, why that's important is... your performance can be enhanced if you figure out how to leverage your strengths to perform.
Speaker: It also, more importantly sometimes, it allows you to have your elevator speech. Meaning, the ability for you within 60 seconds to explain to someone what you're good at, what your strengths are,
Speaker: your experience, what you want to do, right? It's that interview. So that that's one. The other is you have to be able to communicate.
Speaker: And there's a book called The Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto. And that is a way in which you're able to structure your communication in a logical manner.
Speaker: And why that's important is effective communication can also influence your success. It can influence the opportunities.
Speaker: So many people who are smart aren't able to communicate effectively. And being able to be an effective communicator can be career changing.
Speaker: or provide you with career opportunities that you normally wouldn't have had.
Speaker: the The other thing is, yeah you say three, i mean, i I could probably pick more, but the other the other sound advice that I would provide is be there for each other.
Speaker: Build your community. They say build your board of directors. Okay, fine, you can call it whatever you want to call it but build your community. um Build your network that you can trust.
Speaker: And trust means that if you provide facts of what you're going through or what you're dealing with, they will give you the hard truths, the tough feedback, constructive feedback.
Speaker: I think you need that. And, you know, ah it's also, you'll know your trust network if... when you have interactions, maybe they lead off with, how are you doing?
Speaker: Like they to make sure that you're okay. um Because that's important. Your physical, your mental well-being is really important.
Speaker: You're not going to be successful if you're not physically, mentally well. you're You're just not going to be that type of corporate athlete that you need to be to be successful.
Speaker: Marvin, it's been an absolute pleasure just having a conversation with you today. I think conversations like these are necessary. I think it's scary at times yeah in corporate, but speaking with someone like you makes it a lot easier just to process and digest. So thank you for your time.
Speaker: Thank you. Awesome. Yeah, so it's, look, what you're doing is impressive. You're impressive. And I'm sure your journey has not been easy.
Speaker: It's been challenging. It's different. yeah But look at where we are. Absolutely. And look how fortunate we are. um I'm so glad I got to meet you. Awesome. Thank you.
Speaker: I'm going to share ah just a few words with the audience, as I always do. Don't be afraid. ai is not taking your job. You need to engage.
Speaker: You need to find support. in corporate, however level that may be. It may be a coach, it may be a mentor, it may be a sponsor. It is necessary.
Speaker: And don't be afraid to take risk. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Balancing the Future. And I look forward to future conversations.
