Leaving Your Comfort Zone
Matthew Rowe recently reached a new level in his career—the role of CEO and Managing Director at Countplus Limited in Sydney, Australia. Looking back, he credits the General Management Program (GMP) at Harvard Business School Executive Education for helping him land this position. The program, he says, helped him recognize his strengths and gave him the confidence to pursue higher goals. In this brief interview, he talks about the impact the program has had on him.
How did GMP change your mindset as a leader?
In this program, I learned that the most important asset of any business does not appear on the balance sheet. Leaders should never underestimate the impact they have on this essential asset—their people. Case study after case study showed me that a business will never outperform the leadership that guides it.
In your opinion, what is the value of coming to a program like GMP?
GMP gave me an opportunity to pause and reflect. The environment was safe and collaborative, yet at the same time challenging and designed to help me discover my best self. The program gave me cause to recalibrate my decision-making process, to place a greater emphasis on the collective wisdom of my team, and to challenge myself to look differently at the facts as presented.
How has GMP helped you meet your goals and be more successful?
After two decades in professional practice, I was "rusted out" in my own firm. I had sold my equity and was thinking about early retirement. GMP helped me to see that I had other skills—not just technical skills—and step outside my comfort zone. The program gave me the confidence to jump without a safety net and be open to a different role outside one that was primarily technical in nature. I am now the CEO and Managing Director of an ASX-listed company in Australia. GMP prepared me to take on a new career.