1) What is your earliest memory about money?
I remember saving change in a soup thermos to buy a new Star Wars action figure. It was mostly pennies – I’m guessing my mom augmented my efforts to help me achieve my goal (for the curious, I was quite pleased to bring home the Hoth edition Luke Skywalker with cold weather gear). I would have been about 6 years old. Mom must have been cagey about how she helped – I remember feeling some sense of accomplishment for making a purchase with my own money.
2) What is the core message about money you learned while in your formative (7-15) years?)
My family often struggled through periods of my father’s unemployment. While we never went hungry, I do recall insurance cards being declined at the pharmacy. I think the way I internalized these experiences is by developing a heightened concern for meeting obligations and avoiding sudden changes in my household. As an adult, I would be embarrassed to have a bill collector call or to have a sheriff’s notice taped to my door. Money, therefore, has become a resource to be mindfully managed and a resource to be preserved when possible.
3) What do you think this will mean for you as a leader?
From my employment experience, I know I tend to take a conservative approach to risk-taking. However, I have taken significant risks – such as starting a business – after careful consideration and assessment. In this way, my caution has been helpful. My concern might be that I would overlook an opportunity because it feels unsafe compared to current circumstances.
A benefit, though, is that I am careful with money (and other resources). I understand and respect budgetary decisions both personally and professionally. This kind of caution is typically appreciated by the people I lead, and especially by the people counting on my stewardship of resources.