Leadership Journeys: Beverly Brooks Thompson on Seizing the Opportunities You Have
Beverly Brooks Thompson didn’t plan on dedicating her professional life to fundraising, but she’s built a career on it, serving as vice president and executive counsel for Pursuant Ketchum and as director for Forever LSU: The Campaign for Louisiana State University. She now serves as president and chief development officer at the Foundation for Woman's.Here are a few of the things she has learned along the way.
Actively Seek Chances to Grow
Thompson says looking for opportunities to grow no matter where you are is a key part of becoming a leader. That doesn’t mean settling for what you’re given, though; curiosity and a desire to improve must drive your path. “If you don’t have the opportunity to grow up or rise in a position, then grow wide,” she says. “Ask for as many opportunities and tasks to challenge yourself as possible.”She says she started out in human resources management, but her career evolved into fundraising as she took on growth opportunities along the way. “I’ve been fortunate — I was in the right place at the right time some people saw some things in me that I didn’t necessarily see in myself,” Thompson says. “When they tapped me on the shoulder, I did have the sense to take those opportunities.”Through it all, Thompson says, she has dedicated a lot of her efforts to improving through stretch projects and education. “If I don’t know something, I go learn it,” she says. “If I need a particular certification, I study it. If I don’t have experience, I go do it. It’s given me a broad and deep breadth of knowledge.”Don’t let fears about being “underqualified” hold you back, she says. When she was hired to run the Forever LSU campaign, she says, her boss was a Marine general who reminded her that in the Corps, your most experienced person is 22 — meaning that even people who don’t necessarily have a long resume can still do great things. In both applying and hiring, look for skills and the opportunity to grow through experience, she says. “If you feel you can do it, put your hat in the ring,” she says.
Provide Bullets, Beans and Band-Aids
Thompson says that Marine general boss gave her what she needed to do her job, set high expectations and got out of the way. It was a demanding approach, but it turned out to be an excellent model for how to lead others, she says. Her current boss at Woman’s Hospital does the same, and she tries to model this behavior for her employees as well.She says the general’s approach was illustrated in part by him asking what she needed in the way of “bullets, beans and Band-Aids,” referring to the tools that he could provide so she could do her job. “It was funny, but I got it,” she says of the lesson that it’s a leader’s job to eliminate obstacles for direct reports and then let them do the work. “It can be tempting to jump in and help. But when I get ‘helpful,’ I start asking questions and I’m disruptive. On projects, I need to take directions from my staff,” Thompson says.
Rely on Your Team
As leaders set strategy, they need to know what’s going on at different levels in the organization, but employees tend to “filter up” when passing information up the chain. Thompson says her Forever LSU boss asked her to be his eyes and ears, and that she has learned the value of relying on direct reports. “It’s not that he wanted me to spy; it’s just that people at the top frequently have the least amount of information about what’s really going on in an organization,” she says.Managers should look for ways to get the information they need to help everyone do their jobs. “There’s incredible value in management by walking around,” including to get in touch with what people’s day-to-day work looks like, and to establish strong lines of communication and trust, she says. “I tell my team it’s OK if they don’t tell me everything because I trust them to manage their arena,” she says. “However, if heat is coming, I’ll take it; I just need to know where it’s coming from. That’s my role.”For more tips on how to respond effectively to the talent crunch in health care, download the full white paper.
Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.
