Seeing What Others Can't

Our professional and personal lives are often touched by leaders who see something in us that we don’t yet see in ourselves. And that x-ray vision can lead us to unexpectedly wonderful places.

As I prepared to graduate with my MBA, I considered several career options—general management, marketing, and entrepreneurship were among them. As I talked with a classmate about my search, he said, “You should consider consulting.”

“Consulting? What’s that?” I replied. As a chemical engineer, I had never been exposed to that field. I was clueless as to what a consulting career would entail.

He explained that consultants are outside advisors who help companies improve. He said that he had watched how I responded to questions in class and was sure that I’d made a great strategy consultant.

I asked, “Which firms should I look at?”

He gave me a list of the top firms, and he helped me prepare for my case interviews. I had no idea about this unique interview method, but he encouraged me. “I’ve seen how you break down problems in class. Just do that, and you’ll be fine.”

So I did.

And I won the career lottery. I was hired by one of the “Big 3” consulting firms.

I didn’t even realize at the time the significance of what had happened. When I told classmates about my offer, they were amazed. “You realize, it’s VERY hard to get an offer from them,” they informed me. 

“Really?” I replied.

Again, I was clueless.

When I arrived at the firm, the partner who had interviewed me on campus pulled me into an engagement for his large client. When I thanked him for hiring me, he said, “You’ve got a lot of potential. That’s who we hire—people who can become future partners and executives.”

I didn’t really know what he was talking about, but I trusted that he could see something I couldn’t.

And I went to work.

Now, twenty years later, as a Managing Director in a large consulting firm and a former chief strategy officer of a large health system, I understand what my classmate and that partner saw in me.

I couldn’t be more grateful for them.

Best Bosses see something in us that we don’t yet see in ourselves. These special leaders have an “intuitive intelligence” about people—the ability to sense that a person has potential well beyond their present.

They make controlled bets on people in the same way an investor senses that a company might turn out to be a highly profitable venture in the future. It's an act of faith.

And they win more than they lose.

Seeing what others can’t in another person is a core attribute of a Best Boss.

I’m personally grateful for those insightful leaders in my life.

And I’m sure you are, too.