In Episode 7 of the Being Human is Good For Business Podcast, we welcome Angela Blanton, the Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer of the world-renowned Carnegie Mellon University.
In this engaging interview, Angela shares with us the journey she has taken in becoming the finance leader for an organization with a $1.3 billion operating budget and a mission, not only to prepare the next generation for the challenges ahead, but also to instill in them the responsibility to shape the future.
She credits the support of having an executive coach (in this case, Heather Marasse) as being crucial to her success in her first C-Suite role. As CFO she took on the leadership of a team of 120 people, over a time period that includes the current pandemic. Her first year in the C-Suite taught her three things:
● To learn and adapt to others’ unique perspectives
● To accept her own strengths and recognize her areas for development
● To learn to ask for help when she needs it
Angela says, “Coming into this job, I lacked self-confidence and felt more than a little overwhelmed. With Heather’s support, I’ve learned to trust in my abilities as a leader and to trust in my team. It has really helped us manage through the pandemic and since early March, my team has not skipped a beat.”
Her coach, Trilogy Effect Managing Partner Heather Marasse says, “Learning to trust is a lesson that’s central to the work we do. When you learn to trust, you understand that people come to work to contribute and make a difference. People don’t need to be ‘fixed’. Instead, leadership is about illuminating potential in yourself and in others.”
Enjoy this episode and learn:
How the Enneagram framework provides a lens to discover your gifts & challenges
How great leadership is an ongoing process of discovery
How to keep your team motivated even when everyone is working from home
When you're new the C-Suite, you need to learn to present information in new, more strategic ways.
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MACHINE GENERATED TRANSCRIPT
What follows is an AI-generated transcript. It may contain errors and is not a substitute for listening to the podcast.
Trilogy Effect E07
Voice Over Man: [00:00:00] Welcome to The Being human is Good for Business Podcast. In each episode, the leadership development experts at Trilogy Effect explore how the process of self-discovery unleashes potential in us all. Now here's your host Sherrilynne Starkie.
Sherrilynne: [00:00:25] Hello. I'm your host Sherrilynne Starkie. Welcome to the Being Human is Good for Business Podcast.
I'm very pleased to be joined by Heather Marasse, the Managing Partner of Trilogy Effect today. These are the leading group of leadership development experts. And today is a very special day because we're welcoming Angela Blanton, who is the CFO at the world, renowned Carnegie Mellon University based in Pittsburgh. Welcome to the show, Angela.
Angela: [00:00:52] Thank you. Glad to be here.
Sherrilynne: [00:00:54] Angela was fairly new in her role when she and Heather started working together, as a leadership coach or an executive coach, and we've invited her here today to share a bit about her journey as a new leader and how working with an executive coach had helped Angela prepare to lead especially during today's extraordinary times.
Angela, maybe we could start with a little bit about your journey. They say start at the very beginning. So, what was it that attracted you to Carnegie Mellon University as an employer?
Angela: [00:01:32] Well, it's my Alma Mater of course. , I'm a, I'm an alum of the Tepper school of business, but no, but also in all seriousness, I am an alum, but in all seriousness, what really attracted me to CMU as a place to work is because of it's a place of optimism and ambition.
It challenges the curious and the passionate to imagine and deliver the work that matters, through the work of our faculty and our students with our support staff, we don't just expand research and cultivate creativity. We forge the path that follow. We don't just prepare the next generation for the challenges ahead.
We instill in them the responsibility to shape the future. We don't just drive societal impact. We're the Lodestar. So even in this time of great volatility, as you alluded to Sherrilynne, we continue to advance, innovate and foster opportunity for students and then preserve the possibility of a brighter future for the world, certainly in need of solutions.
So I am, I am so blessed. I can't even say it enough times. I am blessed to have the opportunity to serve and to learn as such an institution, which also happens to be my Alma Mater.
Sherrilynne: [00:02:43] Was there some time in your career after graduation when you worked elsewhere and then you were drawn back?
Angela: [00:02:49] I Went to the University of Michigan as an undergrad and graduated with my bachelor's in engineering. And then I ended up getting married and coming to Pittsburgh. And then that's when I went for my MBA. So, then I worked at PPG Industries, which is a manufacturing company, Coatings, Class and Chemicals at the time.
So, I worked there for about eight and a half years. After my MBA degree, I worked as an engineer for about four years, three or four years before. and then I worked at PNC Financial Services for about eight and a half years and rotated through various positions. At that time, PNC was going through a lot of merger and acquisition activity.
And then here I am now at Carnegie Mellon, my third industry.
Sherrilynne: [00:03:30] It really was a homecoming for you.
Angela: [00:03:32] It was, it was nice.
Sherrilynne: [00:03:35] Tell us a little bit about your role there today.
Angela: [00:03:37] I am the Vice-President Chief Financial Officer where I provide strategic leadership for the university's business and finance functions, as well as the management of our financial and capital resources.
So, for example, we had an operating budget of $1.3 billion and assets totaling $4.7 billion. And I oversee many functions, such as financial reporting, financial planning and analysis accounts payable, receivables. Tax procurement, treasury payroll audit as well as our financial systems and, financial communications.
Sherrilynne: [00:04:09] Sounds like a lot.
Angela: [00:04:11] Yeah. It's broad. It's broad in scope. It's broad, but it, that makes it more exciting and fun. There's a lot that you can get into a lot of trouble you can get into.
Sherrilynne: [00:04:23] You're trained as an engineer, but your role is in corporate finance. Is that a normal career path for someone with engineering training?
Angela: [00:04:33] I think it's quite normal. It seemed to fit me. But it's interesting that you asked because at the Tepper School of Business the MBA program is probably a half of us were engineers and the other half were from different disciplines.
But like I talked to, cause I, I sit in a, in a course and teach once a semester. I share my insights as a, as a leader to a set of engineering students. There's about 14 or 15 undergrads and. They are so curious about the same question of how you can go from, from engineering to finance or management as a CFO.
And I tell them engineering teaches you how to think. It teaches you how to be a critical thinker. It teaches you to be methodical, analytical, and that's what pretty much has carried me through. I think that my familiarity with process, as well as being analytical, sometimes you bring a different lens to maybe your typical accounting or finance professional.
So, I think it's just advantageous to have just that different lens, different twist. I think that it just did nothing but help me to have a little bit of a different background going into finance.
Angela: [00:05:49] When you think about our board members and where they come from and the positions they held and the companies they held them at that can be daunting and intimidating. I mean, that was quite Heather she really helped me get over some of that insecurity to get past that.
Some of it comes from experience, but some of it just comes from just trying to be intentional about what are you trying to prepare to do. That was one of the biggest learnings that I've had in this experience, understanding how to present to a board, understanding what information and how to translate it.
And what's important because at the end of the day, I should be motivating them to ask questions. There should be a few nuggets that they take away so that the next time they come with us, it's not completely new. I should be giving them something to think about. Like what's around the corner how am I presenting information so that they can think about what's around the corner and really challenge us to think about that as well.
Sherrilynne: [00:07:12] So this was your first job with board level responsibility reporting.
And it's also your first time working with an executive coach. Can you talk me, it talked to me a little bit about how this, this whole thing arose with you?
Angela: [00:07:27] One of the things that came out of this was I have well I've developed relationships with some of the board members.
So early on, there was one board member that I had started to know, well. I had had several conversations with, and she talked about her experience with Heather and then recommended that I speak with her. And I reached out and we were able to determine what. What activity I wanted to pursue with an executive coach and map that out.
And then Heather and I worked together for what about a year and a half, two years in one of the hardest things at the start of that relationship was when we had to do the 360.
Sherrilynne: [00:08:12] Tell me a little bit about
Angela: [00:08:14] that.
I guess this is something that Heather normally does, and I've done 360s. I've even had some executive coaches, just not personal direct executive coaching where it's one more, more one-on-one.
But I think that the fact that I was in this position and like in the C-suite position and had quickly taken on a staff of about 120 people. So, when I first came to CMU, I came to CMU as the director of operations for the finance division. And then six months later, the CFO left.
And then the board appointed me as interim. So, it was a very, very quick transition. So not only to a completely different industry, but also into a very enhanced role. I would say that some of the other reasons that I sought out an executive coach, because it was a lot, I mean, you heard the span of control that I have.
And then just to think about, just at least gut. You walk in and you have a gut feel for things. You have a few conversations with folks, and you start to work through what are the most relevant issues that I need to address first. And one of them was my team. Cause I knew that I wasn't going to be able to go too far if I wasn't able to recognize the skillsets or intentions or whether people were motivated to follow the direction that I wanted to go. As far as elevating the finance division, making sure we were a service-oriented institution. So those were very important to me. And I had to start to look at my staff or my direct reports to understand if they had that same desire so that we would have alignment. Not to say that I don't appreciate diverse opinions, but I want to make sure we're all desiring to move in the same direction, and we have our opinions. That’ll hopefully enhance the way that we go about executing that.
Sherrilynne: [00:10:05] So the 360 served as a bit of discovery process for you.
Angela: [00:10:12] We had, my team members, we had my peers, we have board members, so there was a lot of positive feedback, but I'm all looking at the negatives, but the aspects that there are opportunities and I think that I am one that is willing and able to accept constructive feedback, but it was a lot still it was a lot. And Heather helped me just to try to break that down into bite sized pieces. And start on this journey. Right. and some of that, some of the things that I took away from the feedback most significantly was I had to be more strategic.
Right. So again, I had gone from more of an operational role and experience. and now I was elevated into this position. I had to make sure that I'm thinking strategically across the institution. So that was something that I wanted to make sure to work on. another component with is Heather knows I am not always the most empathetic person.
So obviously to motivate employees, you must bring about a greater sense of empathy and understanding the way different people are just responding and just who they are. And sometimes you must meet them as opposed to the meeting you to try to get a better response and just to really manage the most effectively.
And then the third piece that I recognized that I had to do more of was to trust and to lean on others. It's okay. Not to know. It's okay. Not to know. And I had to recognize that it's okay. Not to know and be willing to have the courage to ask the question or to go ask for that help. So, it's been a very, enlightening time.
It continues to be an enlightening journey, but well worth it.
Sherrilynne: [00:12:06] So Heather would you say that's typical of people at this stage of the coaching journey as they start to get the feedback from the 360? Is Angela reflecting what many of your clients do at this point?
Heather: [00:12:22] Well, there, there are a few things that are typical.
One is, it's quite typical when somebody is new to a C-suite role and their first interactions experience with working at the board level. Very common to get the feedback that you need to bring the information and message it in a way that it can be consumed at the strategic level. At the board level and that's not easy.
It's not easy to do it because every board is different made up of different characters. You might have some members of a board who are at a much different level of experience than others. So even at the board level, you've got different levels of, comfort with the scale of the information you're bringing.
So that is typical. That is a tricky transition to make. And I find that is more of the case than not. Another thing that is typical is it's scary. It's scary to ask for the feedback. you are so vulnerable; it makes you so vulnerable. And another thing that happened in this case that is typical is every board member, that I reached out to put it in their calendar right on time, extremely constructive and supportive.
I think to some degree, it might've even surprised you, Angela the level of support there, because it feels like you're setting yourself up for a big fall. But in fact, these are people at the board level who are out for winning they're out to have success for anything they're engaged with.
So, they're very focused on what needs to be done and supporting that it can be done to succeed. So that was quite typical.
Sherrilynne: [00:14:25] The willingness to be vulnerable and go through that process must be a big step for a lot of people.
Angela: [00:14:33] Yeah. And because I, I wanted to be better. you must be willing to make yourself open, to be better.
Right. You must allow that, that vulnerability and, also be willing to listen. I mean, there were times that Heather would tell me things because... she was very direct and very honest, But the, I, I respond better to that. Right. But there, like I said sometimes it comes back and it's just like, Oh, that was a lot.
So sometimes it would take me time that I just had to chew on things and just process it for a little while. And, maybe I didn't accept all of the, a particular conversation that Heather and I had on one day, but maybe six months later, I reflected on that and I started to execute or molded into.
Whatever I was doing at that time. I mean, and that's why I say it is, it is certainly a journey. I mean, there's things that we talked about and then we would go back and talk about them because it was a different episode or a different instance, or maybe there was a different growth in me that, I had to still do yet another transition. So, I think it's always a point of, trying to keep at least those few nuggets in your mind that you can continue to grow and evolve on. Because the other thing that I learned from that 360 feedback is, you really must focus on the strength part. And then the blind spots, you got to lean on people, which means you must trust because I can't, I cannot do it all.
Heather: [00:16:04] I think I have everything that helps on the vulnerability front is to really trust. And this is the case for any work that we do, to really trust that this is not about people being broken. This is not a process to fix people. This is about leveraging potential. This is about illuminating the potential and looking at what haven't I stepped into yet? What part of my strength, what part of my power haven't I owned yet? And I think that is well, is as difficult as part of the journey. I was just looking at all the things that I are, my "opportunities".
Sherrilynne: [00:16:52] So that being said, Angela, can you share with us, any unexpected ways that you learned about yourself in coaching?
Angela: [00:17:04] I think the hardest thing for me is the piece about understanding myself the whole self-awareness. Right. So, I understand that you really need to have self-awareness.
But the thing that I must continuously work on is understanding others and modify my behavior to try to be more adaptable, to the person. Right. So, I continue to work on that. Heather and I talked about there's two personalities in particular, that having the tool to think about their personality type and what the differences were with mine and why it seemed to agitate me, or there was a rub.
I mean, I can't expose that or share that with them. I just must figure out how can I work better knowing that they are that way, because the only person I can control is me. Right. So, knowing that, how can I adjust in such a way that that I can live with that. I can work with this individual most effectively and really try to enhance the relationship, enhance the outcomes and hopefully look for even better comradery maybe, if I'm just able to adapt a little bit.
So, I still work. So, I think that's like my biggest change.
Sherrilynne: [00:18:25] I think that leads nicely onto the next question, which is, can you share with us your knowledge of the Enneagram and how that changed you as leader? So, I think you've touched on that. And, and one thing that I'm particularly curious about is because I've talked to Heather and talked to some of her clients about when, when the whole team has gone through this process at once, but here you are an Island in this, right?
You were the only one going through this process in the team and learning about using your own Enneagram to become more self-aware and for more self-discovery. So, what was that? Can you describe that for us a little bit?
Angela: [00:19:10] Yeah. So, although they didn't go through the Enneagram exercise, what I try to do today is I try to express things about my personality type.
And I try to show vulnerability. I will tell them; I know I am not the most empathetic person and you are helping me to be more empathetic. I mean, I try to turn it into a positive that they're helping me with something that I know about myself. we've also done other exercises that get to personality types so indirectly, but just not obviously as sophisticated as the Enneagram to try and get at least get some common understanding of the differences amongst the team so that we can still try to work together. Maybe there'll be a day where that I can get my whole management team, my direct reports, to do a similar type exercise that I did. but we try to leverage other tools that may just be a little bit more accessible.
I mean, just easier. Right? You can do some of those, those questionnaires online in five minutes. so I try to leverage things like that even throughout the division, so that, people just at least gain an appreciation for difference and understanding difference and being able to, accept and maybe even leverage it, to move the institution forward.
Heather: [00:20:28] I think that's one of the things that using that methodology really brings to light. And that is that. Diversity is good. Diversity is interesting. Diversity makes things more fascinating, really? so when you're able to see that, not everybody is like me. I mean, it's rather obvious on the outside, but on the inside too, if the landscape is that different for others, from what goes on inside of my skin.
Well, I'm curious about that. That really makes it more available, more permissible to expose that thing. It really, it's helpful.
Angela: [00:21:12] Because I think I'd share it with Heather that before I came to CMU, I had been involved in this other executive leader program at PNC, and there was a rabbi that was teaching servant leadership style.
And I think that that along with Heather's work with me, helped me to appreciate more, how much further, faster I could get using that type of delivery. And it was something that I just, I, I don't know. I went through this whole revelation thing, but I just felt like I needed to do purpose.
Purpose-driven work, mission-driven work. I want it to be a part of something much larger. So having that revelation and then working at CMU and then working with Heather, it just magnified how I could lead with that management style, starting with the vulnerability, starting with the humility and being willing to be open and hearing what I could change or fix or do better with, or what have you. I think that further enhanced, even just the scratching, the surface of this servant leadership model that I seem to want to adapt, because that's just where the split place I was in life.
Heather: [00:22:23] I think it just speaks to who you are really.
The appeal to the purpose drives the values and authenticity, authentic expression of who Angela is as a leader. That's also rather typical of an Enneagram Type 1 leader. Type 1 they're for the good. They're about right action and a higher purpose. Not that every type isn't, but that's very resonant for the Enneagram 1.
And they're the ones who are willing to be unpopular. For what's right.
Angela: [00:23:00] Exactly. And it was interesting. Cause even through my 360 and I maybe have been at the institution, I don't know, maybe in the position, maybe six months, almost a year. And that came out. I mean, people could see that I was all about being authentic and transparent.
And it wasn't choosing sides. It was stating facts and just trying to balance the information. so that, that was quite shocking to see some of the Enneagram type in some of the feedback that I got, as well. It was very enlightening. S
Sherrilynne: [00:26:13] And do you feel that the work that you did with Heather helped position you or give you the confidence to lead during, in these, shall we say unusual times, these historically different times?
Angela: [00:26:26] Yeah, because I mean, my tendency, when I get stressed is to really like buckle in a lockdown and become very rigid.
And obviously working with Heather. I have to understand that tendency and I have to trust that my employees can do the work and it's not all about me and what decision I think I need to make because I'm stressed.
Right. So, so I think,
again, it just, it, it helped me understand that I can't just go into that natural mole of buckling in and just really buckling down and being very rigid.
I must just back up and breathe and talk it out and let my leaders lead. And continue to allow information to come to me so that I don't make decisions too quickly. Even in this time of a lot of volatility that we still have flexibility to shift as needed.
Sherrilynne: [00:27:20] So, Heather, would you say that that's what you're experiencing with some of your other clients who are also working in lockdown situations?
Heather: [00:27:30] Yes, absolutely. The challenge. You want the work to get done? You're being held accountable for the work getting done. And at the same time, the level of trust it requires because you don't really have control you. Don't anyway, it's a bit of an illusion, but at least when you're all working together and it's in the same office or your co locating frequently, you feel like the controls are there, but this virtual environment really robs you of any feeling of control and the trust has to go up. We have no other choice really because you don't, and you must find some balance between staying in touch, trusting and over managing because that doesn't help people either. And then when you're someone like Angela who's in one of these higher positions.
So just by the very fact that you have a senior position, you’re intimidating. Just in your role, it doesn't matter. Who's in it. Right? And so being a human, making human connections deliberately and showing that you care and having to give yourself permission to have the patience for that. I find that all my, all our clients are really working on that.
I'm not going to say anybody has mastered it myself included. It takes a great deal of faith. They will get the results like you and your team got. Cause we always say people. Come to work, to contribute and make a difference. That's why people come to work, and they do that wherever they are.
And so, it's quite heartwarming when you see that that indeed is the case, no matter where they're working from.
Angela: [00:29:22] Yeah,
Sherrilynne: [00:29:25] exactly.
You began working with Heather. What was it that drew you to want to work with her? What was it about her approach that attracted you and made you feel that she, she could be part of your entourage?
Heather: [00:29:43] What a good question? Cause I wondered myself.
Angela: [00:29:47] Because she was honest and direct. I respond most effectively, even if it's painful, to honest and direct people. And, she had the patience to allow me the time to absorb things. It could have been six months later or two months later, that we, that I started accepting what she may have been advising me of and trying to put it into practice. And as we went through that journey, she also provided timely resources to help me dig a little deeper into some of these areas that I may have been challenged with, but, at the end of the day, it boiled down to, she was honest and she was straightforward and she gave me the room and the space to process.
Sherrilynne: [00:30:39] Heather, you talked a little bit about some of the strengths of the Enneagram 1. I wonder if you could expand on that a little bit more about what are the typical characteristics personality traits that you see in an Enneagram one, what are their strengths? And, where, where are there blind spots. Yeah.
Heather: [00:31:00] I think Angela has already told you some of the blind spots, which is typical, that she would go to those in the light to the darkness. First here.
And that is characteristic of all types, really, but the Type 1 known as The Reformer or sometimes called The Perfectionist, the whole orientation is about what needs to be reformed because there is this innate goodness that they connect, with the resonate, with and they value. And so of course, if that is your guiding light, then when you look out upon the world or even upon yourself, mostly what you see is what's not that.
And so, you go to work reforming and bringing things to the place where they could be. And so, the strengths you find that the Type 1 or this incredible, well, first, hardworking extremely hard working and incredible honorability, integrity. Do what's right for the greater good.
Caring about what's right. And good. I mean, Angela has joked a bit about her lack of empathy. Well, that's when she gets impatient, but the truth is she's got lots of it. Loads of it. Sometimes to the point where most Type 1s have so much emotional connection to people that they are trying to contain it. That emotion is taking them off course from what needs to be addressed. So, they're forever tell him to dampen and down that caring so that the work can get done. So, it's always this back and forth between can I afford what feels like the time and energy to let my caring come through?
At risk of not getting the actual work done, what needs to get reformed. And so, it's this, there's a lot of tension you can even, even as I describe it, I feel the tension of what it's like being a Type 1.
Sherrilynne: [00:33:06] What's the biggest aha moment you had through the process, or what was the biggest takeaway that you learned about yourself as a leader to going through this coaching process?
Angela: I honestly think it's been the work of trying to accept others as who they are and try to make myself more adapting to who they are. That that really is the biggest piece. And I think the second to that is just realizing that, like Heather says I'm more so critical of myself, and there are things that I do well, I can't do everything well, but the things I do well, that is why I'm in this position.
And so, I have been able to build on that self-confidence. To continue to project forward, because I don't think that coming into the job that I had, that level of self-confidence, for sure. So, when I first came into the job, literally for about a month, I did not sit at the head of the table that was in the office.
I sat on the side. And I was just so overwhelmed with the position and what it was going to require. And I had just gotten there and have this whole team of people and all this stuff that I I’d been hearing things from campus. We need to do. It was overwhelming. And I literally sat in the side here for about a month and I said, okay, Angela, you need to like, get over it, pick up your bootstraps and get it moving.
And then that's when I started to leverage skills that I did have like project management. Okay. You just start to organize the work and write it down on a sheet of paper. Just organize yourself first. That's you're comfortable doing so once you do that, then I was going to be able to start to move into some of the more complex things that I had to address.
As far as like people manage employee engagement, understanding my peers, starting to understand the institution and what was important, connecting dots. But I must start with something that I was comfortable with, which was organizing. Like Heather alluded to, and then after I got that, then I was able to start moving on.
Sherrilynne: So, it's two years down the road and you go back, and you look at your 360.
Angela: [00:35:19] Yeah. So, so some of the areas was being strategic. How can you be more strategic? That was one of the things that kind of came out. She needs to be more strategic. And I don't know that certainly I had things to learn as far as higher ed and what higher ed meant and being strategic.
But I don't think that I wasn't strategic more than I didn't understand how to express myself at that level. Right. So, I think I had things to contribute that were strategic. It's just, I wasn't communicating them effectively in that way. So that's definitely, I've improved in that. And the other area was my sensitivity and humility. I try, I really work at that.
Like, for example, I put a huge focus on employee engagement, and I did employee engagement at PNC. We do the Gallup scoring at least as a means of measuring. So that puts me on a measurement tool. So, I must be better right? Therefore, I must do that work. And I understand that for that to be better, people must love their jobs.
Just like I love mine. So, I want them to love their jobs. So I'm going to be passionate and hopefully be infectious in what I'm passionate about so that I can help to motivate them and hopefully lead things on their own because I can't do ever again, I can't do everything. And then the other part is asking for help. I have called board members. I have called my peers. I don't have a problem with asking anybody now. For help and assistance.
Sherrilynne: [00:37:03] Thank you for joining us today on the podcast, also, thanks to all of you, our listeners out there. Please see the show notes for links to news and resources about some of the stuff we talked about today, and please subscribe to our show and tell your friends about it.
And of course, we'd love you to rate us on iTunes or I Heart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the being Human is Good for Business Podcast.