The Power of Looking Back: Here's how a CEO's leadership journey inspired him to move forward in his career!

Fridays: Mindfulness by Miles FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: As many of you might know, I worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for over 20 years before joining MBO Partners. From being PwC’s Principal for Global Risk Management Solutions in 1998, I worked my way up and became the firm’s Global Advisory and Consulting CEO in 2016. My experiences at PwC have been helpful to me, especially now that I’m MBO Partners’ CEO. The lessons I learned from my two-decade tenure at the auditing firm helped me improve in my career and become an effective leader in my current job. That’s why when the Harvard Business School published a 2009 case study about my work at PwC, I felt honored. It’s a humbling experience to see a publication highlight my contributions and write recommendations to help me perform better in my field of expertise. You may avail a copy of Harvard’s case study about my PwC journey here: Miles Everson at PricewaterhouseCoopers. I’ll also share some insights from the case study to give you an idea on what it’s all about. Have fun reading! I hope you’ll learn a lot from today’s article. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

The Power of Looking Back: Here's how a CEO's leadership journey inspired him to move forward in his career! Miles Everson at PricewaterhouseCoopers: A Harvard Case Study PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is a multinational professional services company. It ranks as the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and KPMG. Today, the company operates in 157 countries and employs around 284,000 people. Working at PwC for 20+ years prior to joining MBO Partners is a rewarding experience for me. Moving from a lower position to a higher position enabled me to develop the right skills necessary to thrive in the business landscape. So, when the Harvard Business School published a case study titled, “Miles Everson at PricewaterhouseCoopers” in 2009, I felt extremely grateful. This further motivated me to keep up the good work and do my best in every opportunity. The Harvard case study talks about my Global Engagement Partner (GEP) role and contributions at PwC. GEPs have responsibility for PwC’s largest and most important clients. They manage a vast external network of clients and an equally vast internal network of the firm’s employees. Aside from that, GEPs need to have a deep understanding of clients and their industries to identify opportunities where PwC’s resources can be used to address their needs. … and as someone who was given this critical role at the company, some of my tasks and responsibilities were to: Be viewed as a trustworthy advisor in the eyes of clients. Build a strong network of relationships with clients who consider the GEP as their peer and a part of their inner circle. Act as a major integrator for the firm around major business problems. Lead a team that focuses on creating constant value for clients. Ensure PwC’s communications with clients occur throughout the entire line of command―from partners to staff. Establish constant communication and notify PwC about the team’s efforts to add value to the firm. Stay on top of various business issues at all times. Serve as the GEP for both C2 (non-audit) and C1 (audit) clients. Some of the highlights of my 20+ years of tenure at PwC included work for banking company BestBank. These are: Installing a Client Relationship Executive (CRE) to facilitate and establish relationships with BestBank. Focusing on the depth and breadth of PwC’s relationship with BestBank ahead of monetary goals. Helping BestBank increase its annual billings from USD 200,000 to over USD 5 million in just a span of 5 years. Serving as a central source of review for all the work carried out at BestBank. I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to be featured at the Harvard case study. I believe it’s nice to look back at this publication every once in a while because it reminds me of my good old days working at PwC. I also thank the accounting firm for trusting me to handle huge roles excellently. Through these experiences, I was able to grow in my career, develop my personality and skills, and prepare for an even greater role at MBO Partners. The lessons I like to impart to you today? It is in looking back that you will see how far you’ve come and how much you’ve contributed to the industry you’re in. For me, having these realizations is important because they will inspire you to move forward and aim for greater things in both your personal life and career life. The second lesson? Being a leader is no easy task. It requires a strong sense of responsibility and commitment. The best companies are those that have great leaders inspiring every area of the business to do their work excellently. I hope you’re inspired with this Harvard case study! Whether it’s about consulting, the independent workforce, or others, I hope my 30+ years of experience and insights will motivate you to aim higher and see your journey in a positive light. Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for next Friday’s article!