Interview #12 with Lauren Wylie

LIFE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

What isn’t apparent on the surface of her LinkedIn is that Lauren Wylie was a professional actress and singer for 13 years of her early adult life. Having studied musical theatre at the University of Arizona, Lauren was enthusiastically involved in school clubs, projects, and groups like Greek Life. 

“My background is totally unconventional - especially put next to anyone in my company.”

THE INTERNET BOOM

In 1999 when Lauren was traveling with her band at the time (how cool is that?!) she had a thought: this internet boom might be a great time to pick up a new hard skill.

“Something told me that this internet thing was a big deal… so I went for it.”

She focused on self-educating: building new skills and adapting to a changing environment. 

Lauren led a similar endeavor to what I’m doing now: she got out there and started having conversations. She learned more about her personal passions and sought out mentors and experts to help herself get educated as well as foster future opportunities. It certainly was a different path from what she had ever imagined.

“What you want today will likely change. Your skills grow and your needs change.”

So Lauren was hired by an entrepreneur who was starting an internet business, doing everything from setting up accounts to placing newspaper ads to assembling furniture. Before she knew it, what had started with 2 people grew into a thriving company of 350 people and with Lauren as Director of Customer Operations. With no formal background in business, Lauren had to teach herself and improvise a lot of things that she didn’t yet know.

“It was like going to business school - live!”

MAKING A SHIFT

After 5 years with the internet company, Lauren transitioned back to the entertainment industry into production. Working as a leader in a new startup business made her accountable to her team; she felt responsible for their success and failure, and she thrived in the fast-paced environment.

Lauren enjoyed the structure and professionalism of the startup environment so much that she decided to move to New York and get more business experience by working for a corporate company.

Lauren joined a management consulting firm, Oliver Wyman in 2005 and has been with them ever since. She was attracted to Oliver Wyman because of the opportunity to rise up within the company. 

“Our firm promotes meritocracy. If you put something in, you’ll get something out.”

AWAKENING TO THE TRUTH

Lauren quickly rose to a management role at Oliver Wyman and soon had the privilege to go Antarctica with Sir Robert Swan and the 2041 organization, returning two more times as part of Swan’s leadership team. It was in Antarctica that she was struck by the gravity of the environmental crisis and the need to combat climate change. 

“I found that core thing that made me feel like I could pull together every skill I learned and have it show up. I never could have planned it.”

Lauren had struck her inner core: the thing that gets her up in the morning and drives the way she works, lives, and communicates. She became a storyteller: sharing her experience and calling others to action toward addressing climate change. She brought this new-found passion and enthusiasm to Oliver Wyman. Lauren knew she wanted to center her professional life around this movement, but she often felt that, with no formal background in business, she, at the time, lacked the necessary skills to be a true leader within the movement. 

AN UNCONVENTIONAL PAST

Lauren vulnerably shared with me the shame and insecurity that she felt from what she called “an unconventional past” and trying to fit into the corporate world. She struggled with insecurity and found herself at times unfairly comparing herself to the Harvard and Yale graduates she worked with. 

Eventually Lauren realized that she herself was standing in her own way of feeling confident embracing her differences in education and background. As Lauren has grown as a person and with the company, she has also come to love and accept these unique parts of herself that she once was so insecure about. She finds that her co-workers and superiors in her company actually appreciate and seek out diverse perspectives, such as her own. 

“People like unconventionality. Combine that with self-discipline and you will go far.”

“This is because you are more than your resume.” Lauren explained to me, that while your resume is what gets your foot in the door, it’s who you are, your character, that makes or breaks your chance of getting the job you want. Even if you think you didn’t study the “right” thing or go to the “top” school, companies are interested in hard work and creative thinking.

MARKETING WITHOUT A MARKET

Like Lauren, many young professionals (including myself!) visualize themselves as offering somewhat of an unconventional background to their work. These types of individuals are drawn to the unknown, and energized by foreign challenges. I explained to Lauren that I’m interested in marketing because I am passionate about people, however, despite my interest, I have never taken a business or marketing class. Lauren reminded me that she never did either… 

With now over a decade of marketing experience, Lauren explained to me that she too, had to rely on her personal ambition and unique perspective to provide value to her team. To Lauren, marketing is about instinct, communication, and storytelling. It’s about asking thought provoking questions and understanding people. You don't need to be an expert in the product but what you need is to have is the lens of the audience. 

“We might not know the right terms but we bring strategic thinking and use common sense to understand what message might resonate with someone.”

FIND YOUR AWAKENING

Lauren struck her authentic voice and disciplined character because she dedicated her professional life to something that she’s extremely passionate about. Here’s how Lauren explains that anyone can do the same:

1. Find what inspires you - you can only write, create and inspire others when YOU are inspired by your work. You will come off as authentic if you really care about what you’re doing.

2. Define your “why” - Do you want to become a thought leader or creative thinker? Finding your purpose will help you to see the practical steps that need to be taken.

3. Take a class - Now do the practical steps. Get certified, get educated. Learn about that thing that inspires you on your own time and authority.

FROM SEED TO SPROUT

Being in the entertainment biz had distorted Lauren’s idea of what being a leader meant. In Lauren’s experience, in the world of entertainment, leaders were those who had fame and visibility. They were those who held the power: the ability to hire and fire.

Thankfully, Lauren redefined what leadership meant to her as she left the entertainment industry. She was a leader of a fledgling startup with no formal leadership experience, and so, her new leadership lesson was about listening, absorbing and learning.

“You have something to learn from everyone you talk to.”

Lauren showed us the value of continuing to learn. She reminds us that in order to be a good leader, one needs to recognize that we do not know everything and that we need to keep listening and learning. I was so grateful to be able to connect with Lauren and learn about her success in following an unconventional path.