Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

I was once asked what it means to “own your career.” My answer at the time was to seek opportunities for growth both personally and professionally. I continued by stating that you won’t always be doing what you “want to do” in order to grow. As I reflect on that answer, I think I got it wrong. Not totally wrong, but I missed an important step. Not just any step, but the first step. 

Growing leaders faster is a key need for most companies. With the changing workplace demographics—including the mass exodus of Baby Boomers and inept succession planning—organizations are scrambling to grow high potentials into leaders who can lead faster.

I will never forget my first internship during the last semester of undergrad, sitting in the board room of a publicly traded bank starry eyed and amazed. I thought everyone was a genius and there was no way I could ever learn all that they knew. I left there sad to return to school, but excited and anxious to start back as an associate at HORNE. Fast forward three short years later (one year of grad school and two years of professional experience) and I’ve found myself on the other side of the prior situation. I am now the person that interns are looking at and thinking I have it all together and know everything. While I still have lots to learn and I by no means know everything, every year when we get a new group of interns I stop and reflect on how far I’ve come from the time I was in their shoes.

For millennials, the workforce looks vastly different today than when baby boomers were entering. Passion is a hot topic that society pushes millennials towards in the search for a career. Many millennials believe they will be unfilled in the corporate world because it does not provide an opportunity to pursue certain passions. For me, a millennial, life at HORNE has proven that a personal passion can easily align with my career. 

When it comes to our personal and professional growth, the common denominator that often trips us up involves risk. As I consider my performance over the past years and my future ambitions, I find myself pondering these two questions:

Today marks the 53^rd anniversary since the founding of HORNE. Five decades of serving clients!

When someone recently asked me what I thought Mr. Horne, Sr. would say if he could see us now, I chuckled and told her that Mr. Horne would probably have more than a few words for me! I know he would ask “What is this Wise Firm?” and “Why are we putting so much knowledge out on our website?”