Terri McClements | The 2022 MAKERS Conference

Terri McClements at the 2022 MAKERS Conference.

Video Transcript

- Please welcome Terri McClements.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

TERRI MCCLEMENTS: Good afternoon, everyone. I am really excited. And I think, you know, listening to these stories, I'm really honored to, frankly, be in front of this group. I have had the pleasure-- and I want to thank Makers for having me from PwC talk with you this afternoon.

So I have had a long career with PwC, 35 years. And I actually thought that I would come and join that organization for two years, get my credentials, and leave. And I feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world because I ran into many leaders, many people, who, over my 35 years, took me under their wings and saw potential in me that I never saw.

As the daughter of two incredible parents, neither of which graduated from high school-- one was a plumber, one was a cafeteria worker-- I wasn't destined to go to college. I found my way. And somehow, I found my way to PwC. And then there were a ton of people that helped me along the way.

So if I think about the future, my future helps inform me of how I look at others and help them in their future. And a key part of that is being part of a purpose-led organization-- what-- an organization that is really thinking about and taking care of their people. 71% of employees say that they will leave an organization if they lose trust in their leaders, 71%. So if you think about the past two years and little over past years, everything we've been through, from the racial tensions, the pandemic, there is a lot that businesses need to think about in terms of building trust, having a purpose. And that purpose is not just about making money. You really have to think about the value proposition for the individual and make that personal.

We've been asking our people to share their story, to tell us what's important to them. Every individual in our organization has a story. Every individual in our organization has a purpose. What's important to me is different than what's important to each one of you. How are you taking the time to understand what's important to your employees?

80% of employees basically say trust is the number one asset. Is your organization doing enough to build trust? Is your organization thinking about the boundaries beyond the organization and what it can do for community, what it can do for society? That's the currency that matters today. So think about that.

The other important element is the direct supervisor and that interaction with a direct supervisor. If the CEOs are saying, we believe in all these different aspects, we're purpose-driven, we're values-driven, and the person that you interact with day-to-day does not live that same values and behaviors as your CEO or your leaders or your organization, your people are likely to leave. And our studies have also shown, from all the thousands and hundreds of thousands of people who respond to that, that 22% of respondents have actually taken action and left a job because they've lost trust in their immediate supervisor.

So when I think back about the fortunate career that I've had and the people who have invested in me and the time they've taken to make sure that I've been able to fulfill my purpose, building trust in society, also while having time to deal with the most important people in my life, my two children, I hope and I think and I hope that the names that I'm about to say-- that those PwC professionals who I have invested in, including Kim Jones, including [? Saba ?] [? Cavaliere, ?] including Min Matson, Joshua Cooper, Yasi Akbari, and many others, believe authentically that I know what they value and am finding times and ways for them to carry out their purpose.

So I ask you each to reflect upon yourself. You're in the room because you are seen as a leader. How are you making the future possible for someone else? How is your organization making the future possible? That's purpose-led and values-driven.

I'd like to close with one last thought. Although I reflected on the conversation yesterday and the guidance that the husband had given to one of the presenters and my husband looked at my notes before I came out and he said, Terri, you cannot use that quote, everyone is using that quote in 2022, I said, Mike, I've been using this since 2012. So I get to use it today.

[LAUGHTER]

So the words from Maya Angelou, which are some of my favorite-- people may forget what you said. They may forget what you did. But they will never forget how you made them feel. That's purpose and action, one person at a time. Make it happen. Thank you.

[APPLAUSE]