Dennis Pierce talks working relationships, staying humble with New Execs
The New Executives program hosted Dennis Pierce from Intelligent Leadership Executive Coaching last week, allowing participants to dig into the importance of relationships and building camaraderie in the workplace.
As a jack-of-all-trades turned executive coach, Pierce has an arsenal of skills that the New Execs were able to take advantage of, asking him how he navigates conflict, connects with folks from all walks of life, and guides his clients to achieve their definition of success.
Words of Wisdom:
Put Yourself in Their Shoes
In order to better understand the people you work with, whether they are your supervisor, client, intern, or colleague, think intentionally about where they are coming from. For that reason, Pierce says his dream job would be “to do every job on the planet for one day.”
Sit Down, Stay Humble
When traversing the ranks of corporate America, Pierce worked tremendously hard to ground himself. “The bigger the title, I wanted to feel that I was more humble,” he said. “Nobody ever worked for me — I worked for them, and wanted to build a platform where people felt comfortable coming to me to say ‘This is what is working, and this is what isn’t’ or ‘I need help.’”
“As I moved up, I felt more pressure from the corner office and the C suite, saying ‘You must do this,’ but the greatest compliment I was ever paid was that I kept that off my team’s plate.”
On the Lookout for Leaders
After getting to know each of the New Executives over the course of the session, Pierce called out the fact that every one of them held great potential. “Millennials, Gen Z, everybody, all generations, are looking for leaders,” he said. “They are looking for mentors, and they are looking for somebody who is going to take them under their wing and share what it is that they have learned … That will be your job.”
