Lunch with the CEO: an opportunity to share RB experiences

In most large and global organizations, I would imagine that few employees get the privilege of a casual meeting and discussion with top management, especially new hires who are just starting their climb up the career ladder.

However, I can now proudly say that RB is not like most large and global organizations.  Just the other week, all of the 2009 new hires across functional areas had the honor and the opportunity to eat lunch and converse with our Executive VP of North America, Rob de Groot (pictured below on the left), and our very own CEO, Bart Becht (pictured just below on the right), during his visit to our US Headquarters here in Parsippany, New Jersey.

After grabbing some food, we sat down at a circle of tables leaving two seats open for Rob and Bart and anxiously awaited their arrival.  It wasn’t too long before they arrived and Bart jumped right into answering any and all of our questions.

I asked him what gets him out of bed each morning and what really energizes and motivates him.  He said that he is very competitive and thrives on the challenges of an aggressively-competitive environment.  This was also supported by his advice in response to someone else’s question about his career and accomplishments.  He told us that you will inevitably do more and do better in your career if you figure out what you love to do, and then strive to do what you love to do.  He knows that he loves to acheive in a competitive environment.  That is what motivates him.  And by realizing that and pursuing his chosen career path, he has set himself up well to accomplish great things.  I think we can learn a lot from his advice and success.

In addition to answering our questions, they asked us for our feedback on RB, what we like and what we like to see improved.  A number of us shared our experiences and ideas, and it was really nice to see that both Bart and Rob were so seriously interested in what we, the new hires, had to say about the company and its culture, especially considering how many priorities they have on their plates at every moment of the day.

That lunch has really motivated me on a professional and personal level to contribute more to the momentum RB already has behind it.  I don’t doubt my fellow new hires feel the same and hope that current and future RB team members have the similar opportunity moving forward.