Career Growth Without Limits

I started my career at HORNE back in 2010 as an administrative assistant on the firm's first-ever Texas project. So, I've really seen our work in Texas grow from inception and I've played many roles on our team during that time. Today, I am a senior manager and a member of HORNE's partner development program. But my biggest accomplishment to date has been the ability to maintain an impactful career and also build my family.

Over the past nine and a half years, I have been blessed with two sons and it's just been an incredibly powerful experience being able to accelerate my life and my career at the same time. HORNE is such a unique place — it is truly a family. And I've enjoyed every moment of being here.

One of my greatest and most impactful mentors, Bryan McDonald, always told me that there are three legs to every stool. So I thought, why not let that be the way that I share my story and what's helped me throughout my career.

The first leg of the stool is culture. The culture at HORNE is special. It's not something that you can get at any other firm. I was challenged early on — Own Your Career. You don't hear that other places. And I'm living proof that that's not just a tagline. It's an actual reality within the HORNE team, and I'm living that every day.

Fierce ownership is a big part of my story, and naturally, the second leg of the stool. I took that challenge and focused on being a problem-solver. Bryan always referred to it as killing snakes. You see a snake, kill it, doesn't matter how, just tell him when it's done, right?

And I think that plays into building really solid, high-trust relationships, not only with your team and leaders but also your clients. Fierce ownership is what continues to make you that first call when they have a problem to solve — they trust us — they know that we'll tell them when they're going in the wrong direction. And we'll help them kill the snake. 

Alright, the third leg is there are no glass ceilings here.

Do what it takes to get the job done. Never let a role or a title or a position define what you can accomplish. In fact, you should always be outperforming the position that you're in. So when the team collaborates, your name is at the top of the list. And then there's no question about whether you're ready to go to the next level.

I think too many times in our career we say or hear people say, "This is not in my lane." There are no lanes! Get the job done. Serve then lead. It's all about how we empower those around us. If you're the smartest person in the room, then you've got a problem. There are no one-man shows. Bringing the team along with you and making sure that you're sharing lessons-learned, giving direct feedback and growing the team around you is what makes continues to make us successful for our clients.

So those are the three legs of my stool that have helped me grow in my career. A culture that encouraged and supported me, fierce ownership and a mindset to get the job done regardless of the task. I've been very blessed, and I'm so thankful to continue my journey at HORNE.

About the Author

Lacy Lyons is truly growing without limits. Her career at HORNE has been marked by ownership, flexibility and the ability to see obstacles as infinite opportunities to #beEvenBetter with no sign of slowing down anytime soon.