Meet Greg, Chief Operating Officer at pureIntegration!
What do you love most about your job?
pureIntegration celebrates our 20th anniversary this year. I have been part of the company for 18 years, and it is a privilege to collaborate with inspiring individuals, both clients and employees, on important projects. New and varying challenges require our best efforts, and it's exciting to be surrounded by gifted people that consistently find solutions. It is never a matter of if, but when and how we will solve whatever problem we encounter.
How have other women helped shape your career?
Throughout my career, I have been greatly impacted by the women with whom I work. After I made Partner in my previous company, I felt I needed to have all the answers. A Senior Partner, Susan Pearson, aided in my career growth by coaching me that I did not need to be a hero. In fact, not only might it reduce my stress but likely result in better solutions if I sought guidance from people senior to me. She was right and I have since then preached to my team that pureIntegraiton is selling our clients short if we are only providing our individual best efforts. Consulting is a team sport and you need to involve others to bring the best thinking from the company as a whole.
Earlier in my career, I was the first executive to champion a part-time employee, before she was promoted to manager. Meredith Asbury did not want to work full time after she had her first child, but she was a top performer and I wanted to find a way to keep her on the team. When offered the opportunity to keep one foot in the professional world, while also experiencing being a first-time mom, she proved to be as efficient in her part time role of 24 hours per week as others were during their full 40 hours. Since that highly successful working relationship, I remain focused on how to retain the best talent, especially women who are starting or growing their families, in the company.
Margaret Rubinacci joined pureIntegration as a junior employee and worked her way up to a senior executive. During her journey, she never held back an idea that she thought would make the company better. I would usually get a call at the end of the day along the lines of "have you ever thought of this?" We implemented many of her suggestions, and more often than not, I was not focused on the areas where she saw opportunities. Over many years, she helped me to tangibly understand the value of diversity in decision making. From crafting our mission and vision, to implementing an effective maternity leave policy, to increased focus on unintended pay differences, and encouraging me to get more involved in WICT, her perspectives made me and our company better.
Finally, my wife Stefanie, to whom I have been married for 20 years, has continued to be an inspiration and an advisor on navigating the fog and chaos to see what is the next right thing to do, no matter how challenging the dilemma. She's usually correct in her judgement calls, and I wish I had taken her advice every time!
Outside of work, what’s something you are passionate about?
I have been blessed in so many ways throughout my life and I feel great satisfaction paying forward those blessings. I have been a leader in my church for the last dozen years in roles of stewardship chair, warden (lay leadership), and currently, as treasurer. I love seeing the positive impact we have been able to make on people within our church, within our local community, and abroad.
I am one of three alumni overseeing the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity at UVA and we just completed a $3M renovation of the chapter house. I am grateful for the many leadership opportunities I experienced an an undergraduate in the fraternity and I am motivated to enable new generations to have similar or better opportunities.
A third passion I have is mentoring people in earlier phases of their careers. I have been a mentor in the Philly WICT mentoring program for the last seven years. I find great satisfaction when I can contribute my experience and help suggest solutions to challenges that a mentee is facing. I've found that the mentor / mentee relationships are mutually beneficial, as they keep me attuned to the needs of the next generation of leaders. Additionally, I've been able to experience the ways in which the companies for which my mentees work (usually Comcast) appear in the eyes of their employees, which makes me a better consultant.
What do you value most about your membership with The WICT Network?
As the COO of pureIntegration, I see firsthand how much involvement in WICT has accelerated the professional development of my employees over the years. Many have gone on to do amazing things both within and outside of pureIntegration, and I've witnessed how the leadership experience gained through the volunteer opportunities within WICT has meaningfully contributed to their success.
WICT has also helped me to be a better COO and consultant. From honing my networking skills to opening my eyes to issues like unintentional biases, I am a better professional due to my involvement in WICT.