Joy Works

Conclusion

When I took on the job of managing partner and chairman at Kearney back in 2018, my message to my colleagues was simple: Take pure joy in your work.

The Financial Times wrote an article about my new tenure and included this challenge: “Joy is an unusual word to hear from a corporate leader.”

I say that it was a challenge because I've always known that we shouldn't settle for anything less than joy at work. I try to be joyfully relentless about whatever matters to me. Whatever I do, I'm going to give it my best and wholehearted passion. After all, I've chosen my path. It's up to me to find and create joy along the way. Without joy, what else really matters?

And I work in an industry that I think is inherently joyful. Consulting is all about helping companies and societies create their success stories. How heady is that? And I get to work with talented and dedicated colleagues who I know won't let me down. That's work to be grateful for.

As I think about what I want to be remembered for—my “echoes in eternity,” to quote from the movie Gladiator—I think about making things better. My parents believed that every generation should make life better for their children. That's a focus of mine, too. I try to live that legacy. For the people at my firm, I want to create an atmosphere where people can be confident and bold, full of purpose. I want to be a multiplier of joy.

For the next generation more broadly, my hope is that you can determine your own source of joy. Find ...