#424: SPOTLIGHT: Lisa Baird

#424: Lisa Baird

April 15, 2025

A Backbeat of Community

Question for Lisa:

Does one person first come to mind:    In your very very first “adult” job -- when you were perhaps first out of college or over the age of 21 let’s say – is there someone that pops to mind who brings a smile to your face not because of anything in your specific relationship but just because of who they were or how they moved through the world?

Lisa's Response: 

The person who comes to mind for me is Eric. He was my engagement manager on my first project as a young associate at McKinsey. He showed me the ropes of consulting. More than how he taught me to do a work plan or problem solve an issue – very useful skills, to be sure -- what I remember most about Eric was his commitment to being a good human as a colleague, manager and consultant. He really cared about doing the right thing. He gave feedback in a way that made me want to do better. He was always excited to be at work, even in the face of daunting schedules and tough clients. His wife was training for the Olympic rowing team, and he was so proud and supportive of her, you'd have thought he was the Olympian.  

One of my favorite memories of Eric -- and an anecdote I have shared with younger colleagues many times since -- occurred one evening when I was stressed out about how we were ever going to be able to help our client in an industry none of us had experience with. 

Eric took me aside and whispered, somewhat conspiratorially, "Lisa, being a consultant is like being a tour guide in a country you've never been to before. You just have to study the guide book the day before everyone else does."  

If you've ever done consulting , you know just how true that is! Eric always makes me smile when I think of him and inspired me in the years after we worked together to be the kind of professional that he was.