New York Times: Business Day
Published August 17, 2013
This interview with Clara Lippert Glenn, the C.E.O. of the Oxford Princeton Program, which offers training for energy industry professionals, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant.
Earl Wilson/The New York Times
Clara Lippert Glenn, C.E.O. of the Oxford Princeton Program, which offers training for energy industry professionals, says her husband’s death at the age of 56 influenced her change in style to promote greater work-life balance.
Corner Office
Twice a week, Adam Bryant talks with top executives about the challenges of leading and managing. In his book, "The Corner Office" (Times Books), he analyzes the broader lessons that emerge from his interviews with more than 70 leaders. Excerpt »
Q. When you were a kid, were you in leadership roles?
A. Not at all. The complete opposite. I was shy, introverted. You could make me blush just by saying my name. I just was not comfortable in my skin. I was the one who would sit in the middle of the classroom — never in the front, never in the back. I would rarely raise my hand. I didn’t like to draw attention to myself. In college, I probably really started to come out of my shell.
Q. How and why?
A. I’m not really sure. I became more aware that there were things I should be proud that I could do. You start to become familiar with what you’re good at, and decide to take more charge of your life.
Q. What did you study?
A. I was a language major. I studied three languages, but my major was Russian. My plan was to go work for the United Nations and single-handedly help solve the cold war. And when I graduated, the U.N. wanted no part of me. In fact, who wants a Russian major? Nobody did, except for the C.I.A., which was convinced that I could sit in a little cubicle and translate articles all day long, which I had no desire to do.
The life lesson was that it’s not what you think it’s going to be. So what’s your Plan B, and how quickly can you shift to Plan B? I had to shift really quickly. I did not have a Plan B. I was graduating, and I needed one. I had student loans to pay off. Then a great professor said to me: “You’re good at languages. You seem to like business. Why don’t you go get a business degree, but one that’s international?” I thought, “Well, there’s an idea.”
Q. What was it about business that interested you?
A. There was always a puzzle to put together. If you could envision the endgame, there was always a way to put together the pieces to get there. I loved that aspect of it. I loved being given case studies and problems, and trying to figure out how I was going to make this work.
Q. And after business school?
A. I was very lucky to get into the energy industry as a trader. I loved it. I’m a little competitive. Actually, I’m very competitive, and it was an environment where people were measured day by day on how well they’re doing. I really like that.
Q. You eventually started a company that trains people on the energy markets. So let’s say you’re on version 5.0 of how you lead now. How did you evolve from version 1.0 to today?
A. Version 1.0 was scared to death. I’d been given money by the venture capitalists to do this, and I had to make it work. I was probably too rough. I was too strict and very intense.
Version 2.0 then became too soft. Too “kumbaya.” So Version 3.0 tried to marry the two and be tough but fair, and set expectations. I would tell people: “Here’s what works for me. I don’t like surprises. I cannot stand an e-mail that is more than a page long. If you can’t say it in a page, then you shouldn’t be e-mailing me; you should be coming and talking to me.” I set out the guidelines for working with me.
Version 4.0 became far more cognizant of the need to not be afraid to admit that a certain employee isn’t happy. Can we make them happy? Is there another role? Or is this not the right organization for them? And that’s a tough thing, because you’d like to think: “Well, this is the best place in the world to work. How could anybody not want to work here?”
And now 5.0 has come to realize the importance of culture, environment and work-life balance. I’ve seen employees overwork. But a well-adjusted, well-rounded employee, in the end, is going to stay with you longer and produce better work. It’s not worth it to push people to where they’re putting in 12-hour days. And I’m going to force you to take your vacation, and I don’t want to get e-mails from you while you’re on vacation.
Q. What triggered that shift in thinking?
A. My husband passed away. I was 48 years old and I was a widow. He died when he was only 56, and he was working like crazy right up until he died.
Q. You talked earlier about some things you make sure your employees know about you. What else?
A. I understand everyone’s need to vent. If you tell me that’s what you need to do, I’m happy to sit there and listen. But don’t whine. I like to be around positive people.
Q. Anything else that people know not to do at your company?
A. I’ve banned the use of the “blind copy” function in e-mail. It can be a little infantile. Why would you use it? If you want to say something, and you want people to know you’re saying it to me or someone else, everybody should be addressed in the e-mail. You want to work in a place where you feel you have value, and that people aren’t talking about you behind your back.
Q. How do you hire? How would you interview me, for example?
A. I want to know about you. I want to know what you do, what your habits are at work, what your habits are outside of work. I want to get to know you as a person. I also want to know the best boss you ever worked for and the worst boss you ever worked for, and what made them that. Because that will tell me a lot about what you expect when you walk into an office, and what you’re hoping to get.
I also learned a question that I only ask people I’m interviewing for a sales position: “If you woke up tomorrow morning, and there were no humans left on the earth — just animals — what kind of animal are you?”
A good salesperson is going to be a predator. They’re going to be a lion. Somebody once said velociraptor. I said, “Oh, I like that.”
Q. And what kind of animal would you be?
A. Great white shark. I’m scared to death of them, so why not be one? You’re the top of the food chain.
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