Susan Butler, First Female Partner, Andersen Consulting (Accenture), Interview Part II
Invisible Mentor: Susan B. Butler
Company Name: The SBB Institute
Website: http://www.sbbinstitute.org
In this interview with Susan Butler, you will hear time and time again, the importance of listening, speaking up for yourself and being the CEO of YOU. You have to clearly articulate where you want your career to go, create and execute your plan.
Avil Beckford: What are three events that helped to shape your life?
Susan Butler: I believe the first one was when a Partner in the company (and these are the owners) said, “Susan you can be a Partner and we are going to help you get there”. Now I had no more idea at that point in time that that was even something that I could achieve. I was a manager, an experienced manager, but still Partners were way up on the ladder, and when he said that it just put a really big thing in my head that said, “Susan you can do it.” And I learnt from that a very important point that we need to do that for others, to give them hope and give them livelihood that they can make it. So that was a big one when he said that he would make it happen.
I also won a huge project, and I didn’t know it was so important at the time, but a very important project with the US Navy. After I became a Partner this new line of business called Change Management helped us to get a big training project from the US Navy, training the people in the Navy to use an aircraft maintenance system. What that did was it opened other doors, which I didn’t realize at the time but the computer system that we were training on was not a very good system and the Navy realized that. So they put out a proposal for a company to come in and redesign the computer system. Of course they had to competitively bid it but because we had been there for doing all the training we knew a lot about that system. As a result, we won that project, and I became the Partner in charge of installing an aircraft maintenance system for the US Navy.
So this one idea of my getting promoted, the training job and then moving on to the US Navy was one of my significant events that helped to shape my life and then asking for what I want.
There was a point in time when everybody knew who I was because I was the first woman hired, and the first woman Partner, but I wasn’t on one of the big organization charts. And I don’t where this came to mind, but I can see myself in my office in Washington DC thinking about this, and saying to Susan , “Susan if don’t throw your name in the hat you will never know whether you are being considered.” Interestingly enough, about a week later I heard about a job, a position that was available in Philadelphia. It was the Partner in charge of Change Management in Philadelphia, and I said,” I can do that. “Remember Susan you have to throw your name into the hat because you don’t know whether you will be considered.” So I had to find out who was filling that position. I found out that it wasn’t one of my most favourite Partners in the firm, but I said, “Nothing ventured nothing gained Susan, you have got to throw your name in the hat”. So I went and had a meeting with this individual, and actually it turned out that I made his job easy. He made an assumption that I wouldn’t want to move because I was so entrenched in Washington DC – I loved it. I said, “Larry how many times have I moved for the firm?” The rest was history. I made his job easy. I moved to Philadelphia and I ran this Partner in Charge of Change Management.
Another learning I had; remember you have to ask for what you want. I asked other people that were in that position in other offices. I said, “Will you help me if I have a problem because I have never done this before?” And they said, “Absolutely Susan, don’t hesitate one minute to call me”.
So that was a big event. And then, lucky as I was, being in Philadelphia, the firm changed, and I became the Partner in Charge of the Philadelphia Office, of which I probably would never have done had I still been in Washington DC. So it’s interesting how things lead from one to another.
Avil Beckford: What’s an accomplishment that you are proudest of?
Susan Butler: Well it’s getting hired in the first place. In those days there weren’t many opportunities. I had offers from Arthur Andersen and IBM and that was it. But getting hired by Arthur Anderson was the first step. Obviously getting promoted, and then what I am proudest of now is opening doors for other women so that they can be successful. I have to say I am so tired of people saying, “Susan, why are women so hard on other women?” I am trying to change that so that women start helping other women, and if we could come together as a whole group of women supporting other women, and helping them up the ladder, can you imagine how quickly the equality insight would happen?
Avil Beckford: It’s interesting that you raise this issue because I have faced that. I have seen women who are part of an association and then when they get to the top they forget to send the elevator back down and they’re saying that they are busy and they won’t give you the time of day. I’ve asked a few women for some help, and they say they would and when I emailed them they didn’t give me the time of day. That’s important what you are doing. That’s really good work.
Susan Butler: Yes that’s how I spend my time helping other women.
Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?
Susan Butler: Interesting that you say ‘so far’ because we are always continuing to learn. The one thing is you can do anything you set your mind to do. That is a big deal for me and I learnt it the hard way (I guess). Because we let our confidence get in our way, and we have got to build our confidence to say you can do anything you set your mind to do. This goes to another phrase ‘when to say yes, and when to say no’ because I have a tendency at times to say no without thinking about it, and I missed out on a great opportunity to Rio de Janeiro to help out on a proposal once because I didn’t have the confidence in my ability to do the work. I made up some idea why I couldn’t go, but I missed out on building my confidence and learning how to write proposals, because I had never written one before and that’s what got in my way. I missed out on this big trip to South America and the Amazon. I mean they had such a good time when that team went down, and my mentor said ‘Susan, Carlos had more confidence in you than you had in yourself. He wasn’t going to let you not succeed.” So that was a big Aha! You can do anything you set your mind to do, but sometimes you have to say yes when your tendency is to say no, so you build your confidence.
Make things happen for you rather than let things happen to you; that’s how I live my life. Wherever you are, be there as if you are going to be there for the long term. When I was in charge of the office I would ask all these young people, “How long do you think you are going to stay?” “Oh we are just going to stay for a couple years until we have got Arthur Anderson Consulting on our resume and we gotten some good training”. But I used to say, “What is the difference if you think about being here for the long term and that is your attitude?” I said, “I can tell you what you can get out of being here even if you just stay two years. What you get out of here is a much bigger, thoughtful skill-base because I am going to talk to you as if you are going to be there for the long term. I don’t want to train somebody that is a short timer and I am going to give you lots of experiences that you can move up the ladder. And you know what? I have been here in those days, I was for twenty-five years and I said you know, I never thought I was going to leave and look at where I am. So act as if you are going to be there for the long term and who knows, you might be or you can get off the train any time you want to, but the time you are going to be there it’s going to be better for you.”
The next one was when things go wrong get yourself up, brush yourself off, learn from it and move forward. I think that something goes wrong and we pout for a while; we got to get over it. I can remember when I got a ‘requires improvement’ evaluation and that wasn’t something that you really wanted to get. I was a Partner at the time and I could see myself walking out of the Partner’s Office as we are talking and I said, “Susan you are not ‘requires improvement’ I will show them”. And I had to get over it, but I did show them because I left the firm as an ‘outstanding performer’.
And last but not least, ask for help, and there will be always someone there to reach out to. Now, given the situation that many women find themselves in, they ask for help and there is nobody on the receiving end to answer the call, but it doesn’t have to be another woman, it can be a man, it can be anybody but just ask for help because there is usually somebody out there that’s going to help you .
Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people (living or dead) that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what one question you would you say to them?
Susan Butler: This is a wonderful question. It gave me some really good food for thought. But given where I am the first woman that came to mind was Susan B. Anthony (My profile of Susan B. Anthony). Now in the United States she was the one in the early 1800s that was really making equality happen. She was the one that helped us to get the right to vote, and I am sure she thought that equality would come along with that. Of course we know that didn’t happen, but I would like to thank her for her courage and celebrate with her when we finally get equality.
Another person I just think really great things about is Amelia Earhart (MY profile of Amelia Earhart). She really believed in woman and she really was there to help women say you can be anything you want to be, you can fly airplanes if you want to, and I just thank her for believing in women, and our ability to do whatever we want to be.
The third one was Gloria Steinem. Now Gloria Steinem and her “bra burning women” were doing this when I was in college and I have to say that I “poo, pooed” everything that they did; I wasn’t one of them. My parents had said you can do anything you set your mind to do, and my sister was already out in the business world, but I look back now, and I will one day meet Gloria Steinem because she is in some of the organisation that I am related to, and I would say “Gloria, thank you for all you did for women, because if you hadn’t done what you did in the 1960s and 1970s, we wouldn’t be where we are today, so thank you.” And I even think I am sort of like Gloria Steinem in this new era bringing about equality.
And I stopped there and I talked to my friend this morning, and I said, “so I got three but I don’t have five, I need five.” So we were chatting and two things came to mind; the CEO of Coke Cola he is a strong supporter of women, and he is hoping to get 50 percent women on his board and 50% women in his organisation and I just love what he is doing and I would love to buy him a coke and say thank you. But on the other hand there is Warren Buffet who talks a lot, and he is a big supporter but when you go out and see his representation of women on his Boards, I have been told it’s not there.
And then lastly, I ran into this person on the plane whose wife works for Pepsi, and of course they have a woman CEO, and I said “You know, I would love to interview her” – his wife, to see what it’s like to work for a company that has a woman CEO, to see what the differences are, because I know that there are differences, and that’s what I would like to have there.
One of those women also that I would like to interview would be the new CEO of General Motors, but she sure has her hands full right now. And I believe that had there been a woman as CEO when these problems were occurring, it never would have been swept under the carpet like it has been for the past ten years or so.
Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply?
Susan Butler: This is not exactly answering your question, but I have told you that the most impactful book was when somebody said to me, “Susan you need to write a book when you retire”. I thought now what am I going to write a book about, what would people be interested in, and this really had a profound impact on me – writing my own story. What would I say? And then I thought it. How I created my career! So what I did, I actually created a handbook for men and women, titled Become the CEO of You,Inc.: A Pioneering Executive Shares Her Secrets for Career Success
Avil Beckford: You are one of the 10 finalists on the reality show, So, How Would You Spend Your Time? Each finalist is placed on different deserted islands for two years. You have a basic hut on the island and all the tools for survival; you just have to be imaginative and inventive when using them. You are allowed to take five books and whatever else you take has to fit in one suitcase and a travel on case. What would you take with you and how would you spend the time? The prize is worth your while and at this stage in the game there really aren’t any losers among the 10 finalists, since each are guaranteed at least $2 million.
Susan Butler: Well first of all, I hope I never find myself in a place like that because I would go crazy. I am such a people person, and I would just go crazy. The other thing is unfortunately I am not a reader, so five books was really tough, but the first one hasn’t been published yet, it about to be published but it’s called The Dean’s Bible: Five Purdue Women and Their Quest for Equality (Founders Series)
So there are other biographies that I would like to read. I have always wanted to read I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..
Susan Butler: I am happy when I am helping women being all they can be. I am happy because I am sharing my life with the love of my life – my high school sweetheart has come back into my life after fifty years.
Avil Beckford: Thank you Susan for allowing me to interview you.
Susan Butler: This has been a wonderful, wonderful experience. I loved your questions and I hope that being an invisible mentor to people, your audience, they can learn a lot from what I have shared with you.
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Liked this post? Share it and subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more! If you’re new to the blog, visit the Start Here page for my pillar posts.
Author Bio: Avil Beckford, an expert interviewer, entrepreneur and published author is passionate about books and professional development, and that’s why she founded The Invisible Mentor and the Virtual Literary World Tour to give you your ideal mentors virtually in the palm of your hands by offering book reviews and book summaries, biographies of wise people and interviews of successful people.
Book links are affiliate links.
KindleThe post Susan Butler, First Female Partner, Andersen Consulting (Accenture), II appeared first on The Invisible Mentor.