From Trial Lawyer to CEO
After working as a trial lawyer for almost 30 years, Nancy Geenen decided it was time for a career change. She came to the Owner/President Management (OPM) program to initiate that switch and found what she calls a "cauldron of opportunity, learning, and vulnerability."
The experience transformed Geenen on multiple levels. "I have always been very data-driven, disciplined, and intentional when I take action," says Geenen, who today serves as CEO of Galt Foundation, a social enterprise that provides temporary staffing services in Oklahoma, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. "Now, I have a better sense for how all the pieces in my company fit together. I've learned to listen better. I've learned to pause and think about my gut instinct and say, 'Hmm, that's interesting. What is the other person's gut instinct? How do I stand in her shoes or his shoes?'"
Geenen found OPM highly immersive, in part because Harvard Business School took care of all of her needs and allowed her to devote her full attention to learning. "Every time you would turn around and say, 'I think we need …' it was already coming from the staff. They fed us. They did our laundry. They gave us a wonderful room and great living spaces to spend time thinking about business. It allows you to be totally immersed in the program."
In fact, Geenen gained so much value from OPM that she's actively trying to recruit more women leaders to attend the program. "I'm a member of the Women Presidents' Organization, and we continually try to send three to five women specifically to the OPM program," she notes.
Does she have advice for those future OPM participants? "Get prepared to get out of your comfort zone," she says. "And really come prepared to listen. Learn and listen with both your eyes and ears, because that's where great learning occurs."