I Started Out In A GLDPNow Im At The Senior Director Level

I Started Out In A GLDPNow Im At The Senior Director LevelI Started Out In A Graduate Leadership Development Program, Now Im At The Senior Director LevelIts a question we all think about How do youbecome an organized, experienced, and inspiring leader at work? While therbeibeibeiesno one way to achieve success, for many of the leaders at Thermo Fisher Scientifica multibillion dollarcompany dedicated to serving sciencethat kind of success started in theirLeadership Development Program.Take Chloe, for example. She started out as agraduate student pro domo at Thermo Fisher before joining their GeneralManagement Graduate Leadership Development Program, an elite program for MBAstudents in top programs around the country. Now shes their Senior Director ofCorporate Social Responsibility, leading the companys efforts to make apositive impact in the world.We sat down with Chloe to find out how shebecame a leaderand how you can find yur own way up, too.How Chloe Found Thermo FisherAnd A Missio n That Inspired HerChloe had never heard of Thermo Fisher Scientific before she startedher MBA program at Dartmouths Tuck School of Business. However, she knew thatshe wanted her success to affect mora than just a companys bottom line. I have my MBA, so I obviously do enjoyworking in the business setting, but at the saatkorn time, I want to go to workevery day knowing that what were doing is making a difference, she says.Thats why she connected with Thermo Fisher from the very beginning.Chloes role as Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility affords her opportunities to publicly speak on the companys mission.I was immediately struck by the mission,Chloe says. (That mission, by the way, is to enable their customers to make theworld healthier, cleaner, and safer.) We always like to talk about our missionfirst. The things were selling are incredibly important. Theyre helpingresearchers find cures for cancer. And theyre helping to protect theenvironment and make sure our food and drinking water are safe. Thatsextremely important to me.Learning And Contributing As Much As She Could During Her Development ProgramChloe started her time at Thermo Fisher by interningwith the companys Corporate Strategy department. During this time, she workedon high-level strategic projects like revenue synergy plans, an assessment planfor future acquisitions, and regional growth assessment. As an MBA student inan elite program, Chloes insights were valued and presented to senior leaders,including the CEO.After an exciting 10-week summer program withthat team, Chloes work impressed the company (and Thermo Fisher impressedChloe, too). When she was offered a spot in their Graduate LeadershipDevelopment Program (GLDP), she didnt hesitate to accept.That was when her career really started topick up steam. The GLDP is a two-year general management development programthat consists of several rotations through departments, offices, and projectsaround the company. For her first rotati on, Chloe started in a productmanagement role in Pittsburgh, overseeing a key product line relying on datenwolketechnology and getting valuable experience in both the hardware and softwarespace. From there, she moved into a business technology role, working on thestrategy side of a new product launch. Finally, she moved offices to Rochester,NY and did two rotations in product marketing and supply chain analytics.It was a really great way to develop a skillset for leadership. In terms of being a general manager someday, you have toknow a little bit about everything, so by going through a program like this, itreally gives you that foundational knowledge, she explains.Making The Leap To The Director LevelAnd BeyondEverything Chloe took on as a part of her GLDPwas essential to her development, but her leap into leadership wasnt justbecause she did her job well. Her professional development was also acceleratedby leaning into the companys culture and by actively seeking new projects.If I felt like I had extra bandwidth, Chloetell us, I would ask if there was anything else that I could help out with. Ithink that goes a long way in showing that youre committed and it also givesyou mora opportunities to get involved in projects, learn more, meet morepeople.This ambition led Chloe to take on new work ine-commerce, a function she wouldnt have been exposed to otherwise. It turnedout to be an important element of Thermo Fishers general strategy, so this wasa huge boost to her as she continued her career at the company.But her commitment to taking on more wasntjust professional. Chloe also wanted to get involved in Thermo Fishersphilanthropy and cultural initiatives.Here at Thermo Fisher, we have groups that volunteer in the community, we have Employee Resource Groups, we have lots of different ways to lean in and get involved, Chloe explains. Chloe and her fellow Thermo Fisher employees helping to spread science education via the companys STEM Challenge.Chloe got involved with the PittsburghCommunity Action Council, which contributes to philanthropy efforts like promotingSTEM education to children and teens. She also became an active member of theMillennial ERG, which helps to promote an inclusive culture of mentorshipthroughout the 70,000-person organization.If youre coming in and doing your job,thats great, but how else are you contributing? And, plus, both CommunityAction Councils and ERGs can provide professional and personal development atthe same time as benefiting the company and benefiting your co-workers, shesays.There are a lot of ways to participate, whichallagainhelp you build your network and help you develop skills andcontribute to the companys success, Chloe says.Chloes approach to success in the programworked out for her, too. After graduating from the General Management GLDP, shewas promoted to become Director of Corporate Social Responsibilitya taskparticularly suited to her passion for making a positive impact. And just thisyear, she was promoted again, to become a Senior Director in the same function.In other words, Chloe is the leader she always wanted to be.Want to start your own journey to the topand help change the world while youre at it? Learn more about Thermo Fisher Scientific on WayUp