One of the most important qualities I inherited from my father was never to stop learning. As a child, I seemed to be the only one in my class who asked so many questions and always remained curious. I have always loved to learn and believe this has been one of the keys to my professional success.
It was important for me to choose a profession and work environment that encouraged and supported my love of learning. When I found this at The Hartford, I committed myself to my work, looked to learn as much as I could from each of my positions, and remained focused to ensure I had given my best effort to complete the job.
Moving through a variety of financial and operational roles, I’ve relished the opportunities to learn many areas of The Hartford’s business, work with new teams, and discover how individual strengths could be best leveraged to produce the optimal result. These new opportunities did not always come at the most convenient times, but I always took them on and I’m thrilled that I did. Ultimately, these varied experiences broadened my knowledge and skills, allowed me to develop new interests and helped me to become a more well-rounded business leader.
As I took on these managerial positions, I quickly realized that my personal and professional “lessons learned” were far more valuable when I shared them with my teams and colleagues. As a leader, one of my most important roles is one of mentor, and not just to those in my business unit but to many across the organization. To be a good mentor, I have strived to be a valuable resource of information and guidance as well as, hopefully, stirred in others a passion for learning The Hartford’s businesses. I believe you should never stop learning and help those around you learn.
I have been quite fortunate in my career to work closely with many talented people who have often taught their adviser new perspectives and solutions to problems. So, even with this incredibly rewarding experience where I am expected to be the one imparting knowledge, I am given yet another opportunity to learn. I have truly cherished that.